20 standout design themes set to transform kitchens in 2025
This year's stand-out kitchen designs bring colour and character to the fore. Warming, earthy tones give a comforting lift to traditional spaces and character arrives in the form of pretty Delft tiles, gallery-inspired walls and frilly cafe curtains.
A flexible approach to layout sees fitted cabinetry replaced with freestanding cupboards, pantries and islands deployed to create a relaxed yet spirited room.
Below, we look at 20 designs that have caught our eye, and share how to work them into your own home.
More kitchen ideas to help you achieve the space of your dreams:
Elevate utility spaces
Practical areas don’t have to be kept out of sight. Create continuity between your utility room and kitchen by extending the colour palette across both. If all of it sits in one room, elevate with pretty brass hardware, glossy tiles and vintage styling.
Pictured: Utility designed by Studio Duggan
Frame with paint
A pop of colour can elevate a window frame to a standout detail in its own right, whether it’s the same shade as the walls or in a contrasting hue against a print, such as this Spring Flowers Wallpaper at Little Greene. Take the effect further by matching it to the cabinetry or repeating it on the door.
Dip into Delft
Classic Delftware is having a revival but with a modern update. Look to quirky motifs and bespoke commissions from the likes of Petra Palumbo or Marlborough Tiles for a timeless, understated splashback.
Create a place to perch
One for truly compact kitchens – sweet window seats add an extra place to perch. Integrated seating just needs a spare corner, and the joy here is that you can create extra storage underneath.
Pictured: House Beautiful Bamboo Blinds at Hillarys
Curate and display
Making a move away from hallways, gallery-inspired walls infuse kitchens with eclectic character and charm, with several artfully arranged pieces of varying size providing depth. Explore a variety of themes, considering a tonal palette for cohesion and incorporating decorative plates or antique moulds. Group collections asymmetrically, hanging larger works first and using consistent spacing for balance.
Add curtains
A swathe of diaphanous lace, unlined linen or cotton has a softening effect against the angular lines found in most kitchens, while gently diffusing natural light. Floaty and sheer like this linen and wool blend from Tori Murphy the pretty, lightweight window dressing is a breezy update on once ubiquitous net curtains.
Embellish the ceiling
Whether you paint it, cover it in a snappy wallpaper, or clad it in wood, a stylish ceiling application instantly makes a room feel its coziest. In this cabin designed by architects Pursley Dixon, the pine ceiling is stained a soft white for an understated look. A semi-transparent stain allows the knotholes to show through, which makes for a decidedly farmhouse feel.
Colour block cabinetry
For a bespoke look that’s eye-catching but carefully considered, follow interior designer Sophie Robinson’s lead by mixing cabinetry colours to delineate different zones and make a joyful colour statement. Start, as she did in her own kitchen, with a vibrant wallpaper (or fabric), picking out complementary shades such as blush pink, rich burgundy and yellow to use on the island and various cupboards.
Pictured: Woodland Floral wallpaper at Harlequin x Sophie Robinson
Make it artisanal
Nothing constitutes an authentic modern rustic space more than one defined by its use of raw materials, hand-hewn furniture and artisanal displays. With its brick walls, exposed beams and natural textures, the open-plan kitchen of master crafters Studio Amos shows how it can be done to balance functionality with individualistic flair. Pops of Morris & Co’s Sunflower paint create a lively backdrop to show off their treasures.
Tile high
Make a feature of tiles with a particular lustre, patina or artisanal quality, extending them beyond the usual prep-surface panel. Create continuity by tiling to the floor for an enveloping effect that’s also utilitarian. Choose a calming hue to counter the exuberant effect. These tiles in Vintage Teal from DeVOL are a perfect foil to the plaster pink walls.
Pictured: The Classic English Kitchen by DeVol
Make it textured
Substituting clear for reeded glass can transform a room, adding pleasing textural veneer and an elegant vintage air. Gaining design credence for good reason, the semi-transparency of the ribbing imbues partition screens and cabinets with stylish allure.
Pictured: Kitchen by Pluck
Bring back the pantry
A neatly organised pantry can be an inspiring space. Reconfigure awkward corners into secret extensions, concealed by a curtain, as in this design by Guild Anderson. With open shelves displaying storage jars, dairy bowls and baskets of produce, it resembles a stylish vintage shop.
Take a shine
Create impact with minimal upheaval using brass handles, hooks, knobs and backplates. Enhance simple shelving with gleaming brass fittings and hang kitchen textiles and utensils from a rail.
Pictured: All hardware by Rowen & Wren
Double drench for impact
Use different weights of the same hue to create a serene, cocooning ambience. Tonal layering gives a sense of depth and draws the eye to focal elements, highlighting architectural details and sprucing up wooden panelling, skirting and radiators, such as this gradient of shades in Little Greene’s Harley Green and Livid.
Choose checks
Bold colour pairings give classic checks a stylish refresh. From gingham to wider widths they look striking on blinds, seat pads and undercounter curtains.
Pictured: Hedera Green Wallpaper at Sanderson, for similar gingham curtain, try this one from Etsy
Use freestanding furniture
Go against the flow of uniformity with an unfitted kitchen: a flexible, more sustainable approach with non-matching cabinetry and furniture deployed to create a uniquely characterful space.
Try the new neutrals
Warming, earthy tones give a comforting contemporary lift to traditional kitchens. And, notes Ruth Mottershead, Little Greene creative director: "They provide the perfect backdrop to rustic natural finishes. You can really embrace bolder or deeper colours in this energetic room.”
Pictured: Walls in Bombolone and window trim in Silt, both Little Greene.
Tread softly
Temper hard floors with a rug or runner; warming and homely, they serve as an anchoring feature in both open-plan and cosier spaces. Mix different styles and textures, under a table or alongside cabinets. Opt for machine-washable lines (available from Ruggable), secured with anti-slip mats.
Make space for pets
Create a cosy nook to provide furry friends a special vantage point to watch over proceedings, while keeping them safely from underfoot. Factor it into the design of a new kitchen configuration or retrofit a built-in area for beloved pets under a counter, with custom bedding to harmonise with the colour scheme.
Pictured: Bespoke kitchen by Neptune
Bring walls to life
Wallpaper is an immediate statement-making way to contemporise a room, requiring little more to feel like a complete overhaul. Look to trellis designs, botanicals or a cornucopia of flora and fruit to create a link to the outdoors and augment the country kitchen feel.
Pictured: Forest of Dean Wallpaper at Sanderson
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