Kitchen Remodel Ideas, From Small DIY Projects to Gut Renovations

From budget-friendly DIY solutions to gut renovations, there is no shortage of kitchen remodel ideas to make your space more user-friendly, functional, and current. Whether you want to install kitchen cabinets, add a colorful backsplash, install a central island, replace your countertops, lay new flooring, or give your space a total makeover, check out these kitchen remodel ideas for inspiration. 

Kitchen Remodel Trends

Give your kitchen remodel a lift with these top trends. 

• Earth Tones: Add warmth to an all-white kitchen by swapping in trending warm earth tones from soothing sage greens to rich terracottas on everything from wall paint to cabinets and appliances.
• Slab Backsplashes: Create a polished and cohesive modern look by matching your countertops to your backsplash using large slabs of marble, quartz, or your favorite stone. 
• Waterfall Edge Islands: A waterfall edge central island will create a dramatic focal point in your kitchen that can be matched to countertops or finished in a contrasting stone. 
• Dark Palettes: The reign of the all-white kitchen hasn't come to an end, but more and more designers are shifting the focus to darker tones from pure black to chocolate brown to dark forest greens and midnight blues for a moodier feel.
• Appliance Garages: Add storage between your countertop and the bottom of your cabinets with an appliance garage that has a flip-up door to keep gadgets like coffee machines, toasters, blenders, and mixers accessible but hidden in plain sight.

Best Kitchen Remodel Ideas

Bring the Outdoors Inside

If you're remodeling a kitchen from scratch, bring the outdoors in by maximizing natural light and incorporating natural materials. Sola Kitchens did just that in this organic modern kitchen by adding skylights, a wall of glass and metal grid windows, and a planted indoor olive tree that adds a bit of theater and biophilic design.

Choose Colorful Cabinets

Embrace the mood-boosting power of color by choosing cabinets in a bright and mood-boosting shade that is anything but neutral, like this London space from Pluck Kitchens. It features coral cabinetry and blush wall paint to create a happy place with a signature look.

Hang an Extra-Long Shelf

Match your countertops and backsplash in the same slab marble and finish it off with a matching wall-to-wall display shelf for a sleek modern look, like this New York City kitchen from Sissy + Marley Interior Design. This approach will make a large kitchen feel airy or make a smaller one feel more spacious.

Install an Appliance Garage

Maximize the underutilized corner space between your countertops and upper cabinets with an appliance garage for storing essentials like coffee makers, toasters, or blenders in plain sight, like this uncluttered kitchen from Bakes & Kropp.

Install Greener Appliances

Julie Rose for Velinda Hellen Design / Styling by Emily Bowser / Photo by Sara Ligorria-Tramp

If your gut renovation includes choosing new appliances, trade a gas stove for a sleek and more energy-efficient induction range or cooktop that is easier on the environment and simpler to clean, like this space from Julie Rose for Velinda Hellen Design.

Try a Warm Palette

Beige has made a comeback recently, and it's an easy way to transition from an all-white kitchen to one with a bit more warmth. Choose light wood cabinetry to complement finishes such as sandy beige backsplash and floor tiles, like this inviting space from Mendelson Group.

Try a Waterfall Edge Island

Use large slabs of stone on your waterfall island to modernize your kitchen remodel. Leanne Ford Interiors updated this 1970s Pittsburgh kitchen with contrasting marble slabs in heavily veined white and black to striking effect, creating a minimal space that is high on drama with a minimum of decor.

Install Colorful Floor Tile

Elevate the look of your kitchen by choosing floor tile in a bold, colorful geometric pattern, like this London kitchen from Studio Peake. The tiling underfoot complements white zellige tile walls, natural wood accents, and a green marble kitchen island.

Hang Modern Light Fixtures

A pair of modern pendant lights hung over the kitchen island will instantly modernize your kitchen while providing ambient light. Ashley Montgomery Design anchored the large kitchen island with a pair of brass pendant lights to complement painted flat-front cabinetry, dark stained woods, and heavily veined marble.

Try an All-Black Kitchen

An all-black kitchen is a neutral choice that is as versatile as an all-white kitchen while providing a moodier and sophisticated look. Louis Duncan-He Designs gave this 1950s kitchen a gut reno, installing a black-on-black backsplash, kitchen island, cabinets, and countertops. This kitchen is finished with silver and stainless-steel accents, but you could sub in brass or another metal tone.