45 Galley Kitchens That Prove Size Doesn’t Always Matter
The galley kitchen layout has historically gotten a bad rap as the most undesirable layout. But size needn’t upset the flavor of one’s culinary creations nor the look of one’s dream home. In fact, a recent surge in its popularity is proving that what these idiosyncratic layouts lack in square footage, they make up for with clever spatial tricks. Function aside, these pocket-size powerhouses also offer limitless potential for style that packs a punch, as designer David Cafiero’s ship-inspired Provincetown cottage kitchen, Eve Robinson’s moody-slash-sleek Hamptons culinary space, and Joe Lucas’s high-gloss blue wonderland prove.
What is a galley kitchen?
Though galley kitchens traditionally refer to cooking spaces in planes, trains, and boats, they have been reimagined for residential spaces too. “They have always solved the question of how to house a kitchen in a small dwelling, so they are still desirable and popular in urban settings where we live in smaller footprints,” explains Sarah Sargeant, principal of New York–based firm Cochineal Design. Unlike other kitchen layouts—which often have freestanding appliances—galley styles have their ovens, dishwashers, fridges, and microwaves built into the design so they don’t skimp on counter space.
These types of kitchens are ideal for small spaces, but they do run the risk of feeling a bit claustrophobic. Fortunately, Sargeant has a suitable solution. “We love to use a mix of upper cabinets and open shelves to break up the monotony,” she shares. “There are many ways to jazz a galley kitchen up. You have to think beyond white cabinets and subway tile!”
And there’s plenty of chic galley kitchen inspiration to be had. You just need to know where to look. To help you through this ordeal, we’ve culled the ELLE DECOR archives and asked professionals how to make the most of the galley kitchen. Whether your style is traditional or contemporary (or your project low lift or a full-blown renovation), there’s something below for every kind of space. Go ahead—keep scrolling for the very best galley kitchen ideas to create a delectable culinary space.
Light and Bright
Designer Lauren Buxbaum Gordon knows how to maximize a narrow space with unbridled flair. In this Manhattan apartment, she extended the glossy white cabinets all the way up to the soaring period ceilings to maximize dead space and create a sense of added height. The gleaming gold hardware and fixtures are simply the cherry on top. Tip: Light wood flooring and an all-white kitchen go together like peanut butter and jelly.
Ship Shape
We’re swooning over this moody kitchen built in a former fishing shack in Provincetown, Massachusetts, which is true galley style by any definition. Inspired by a ship’s galley, designer David Cafiero fitted the space with a Kohler sink and fixtures by Newport Brass. The result is a narrow kitchen layout that is as enchanting as it is symmetrical. In the end, the kitchen is a testament to its setting. “Here the tide comes in and goes out, and things remain the same,” Cafiero observes, “while constantly changing with the water.”
Color Me Happy
A patterned tile mosaic isn’t the only interesting thing in paradisiacal culinary space. Officine Gullo’s design of this farmstead-turned-luxury hospitality space, Tenuta Carleone in Radda, Italy, boasts warm sunshine-yellow cabinetry with stainless steel appliances and polished chrome hardware that seamlessly come together to create a sun-splashed utopia.
Unexpected Fusion
This kitchen, part of an early Frank Gehry–designed house, offers a study in harmonious contrasts; a ceiling of bare wooden planks commingles well with concrete floors and stainless steel appliances. Proof that Gehry’s comparatively aggressive deconstructivism needn’t be at odds with comfortable living.
Bold and Brazen
When Caterina Fabrizio, the second-generation co-owner of her family’s textile house, Dedar, came across the ground-floor flat of a neoclassical 1930s villa, she fell in love with its double-height ceilings and generous full-length windows, but the narrow galley kitchen was smaller than envisioned. Her solution? Drench it in bright firehouse-red-lacquered cabinets that make a statement and make the most of the small layout.
Azure for Days
When it comes to kitchen design, Joe Lucas adheres to his own golden rule. “No white kitchens,” Lucas explains. “Before, the cabinets were all white… so we immediately painted them.” This high-gloss galley kitchen—elevated with a splash of blue bird–blue—in Lucas and David Heikka’s sunny California home proves the timeless appeal of blue cabinets. This blue kitchen is always azure to impress!
Multipurpose Galley
This high-in-the-sky kitchen, located 821 feet above TriBeCa, features vertiginous floor-to-ceiling cabinetry in a shade that matches the blue sky just beyond. Our favorite detail? The kitchen island houses the stovetop for ultimate space optimization that is honing all the galley-style vibes at no expense to openness.
In Plain View
The blue-stained pine kitchen in this Brooklyn triplex is more like a galley kitchen that has been stretched out across one wall—but there are lessons to be learned from this similarly compact setup. Observe the one feature that is cropping up in kitchens more and more: open shelving. Keep all your essentials just an arm’s reach away with a fixture that showcases your finest culinary treasures. It makes for a cooking space that is as pretty as it is functional—that is, if you keep the shelves as uncluttered as possible.
Colorfully Clad
There was nothing that designer Angie Hranowsky could do on the inside of this Maine vacation house to compete with the view overlooking the Atlantic Ocean and Crockett Cove. So taking her cues from the original architect, Emily Muir, she didn’t try. Here in the kitchen, she simply added a fresh coat of paint to the kitchen cabinets and covered the counters with new sheets of Formica. In this rustic-yet-colorful galleylike space, we’d wager that nothing further is required.
Spatial Awareness
The kitchen in this Los Angeles home may be small, but its practical spatial solutions and custom redwood materials create a homey culinary space that punches above its weight. The oven and dishwasher are by Miele, and the sink fittings are by Vola.
Pair with a Pop of Color
When it comes to your galley kitchen, a little bit of color goes a long, long way. In this West Village apartment, Cochineal Design painted the cabinet in Farrow & Ball’s Preference Red, which creates plenty of contrast with the marble countertops and backsplash. Rounding out the look are Smeg appliances and vintage Peter Celsing sconces, courtesy of 1stDibs.
Design an In-Dining Experience
Just because a galley kitchen has limited square footage doesn’t mean it can’t be a multipurpose space. In his Milan apartment, Dimorestudio’s Emiliano Salci placed a petite bistro table and chairs by the window, making the kitchen an even more high-trafficked room. Dinner with a view? Yes, please.
A Marble Marvel
Speaking of marble, why not cover your entire kitchen in the precious material? In this Parisian pad, designer Hugo Toro punctuated the Brèche de Médicis marble kitchen with custom red lacquer from Redfield & Dattner, offering a happy medium between luxurious and livable.
Build a Breakfast Nook
For a more permanent take on the idea, commit to the look with a full-fledged breakfast nook—just as Emil Humbert and Christophe Poyet did in this Monaco apartment. The kitchen table and chairs—both designed by Pierre Jeanneret—offer a well-appointed space to kick back, relax, and enjoy a delicious dish.
Add an Island
Want to maximize your working space? Create the illusion of a kitchen island, just as Thom Filicia did in his Manhattan apartment. The designer added a bar cart from his eponymous home decor collection with Vanguard for serving and meal prepping. (Unlike an island, you can easily move your bar cart out of the kitchen should you need more room.)
Embrace the Elements
Bring the great outdoors inside with natural materials. When designing his family’s Alpine retreat, architect Tobias Petri kept his materials simple. “We used larch wood from the nearby mountains, concrete, and the [found] stone. That’s it. Nothing else,” Petri says. “No fancy materials. No fancy tiles. Simple and local.”
Keep It Simple
In Ku-Ling and Evan Yurman’s New York apartment, the couple selected minimalist, slab cabinet doors to put the Wolf and Sub-Zero appliances from and center. Of course, simple doesn’t mean boring. The duo warmed up this pared-back space with a vintage pendant by Max Ingrand for FontanaArte and Hans Wegner chairs.
Style Your Shelves
Create the illusion of an airy, seemingly larger space with open shelves. In this small studio apartment, designer Charlie Ferrer enlisted custom green shelves, which pop nicely against the vintage Italian wallpaper, white subway tiles, and Maynard Monrow. The result: a happy medium between form and function.
Create Contrast
What’s black, white, and chic all over? This galley kitchen in St. Petersburg. For a simple-yet-effective dash of drama, designer Tim Veresnovsky employed custom, high-contrast eucalyptus veneer wallcovering, cabinets, and a lone chair. A range from Ikea completes the area in style.
Go for the Bold
Just like a powder bathroom, your galley kitchen is a great spot to inject bold colors and patterns. In this prewar apartment, designer David Netto embraced a maximalist spirit with geometric flooring and custom navy cabinets, complete with hardware from E.R. Butler & Co.
Redesign With a Rug
If statement-making tile isn’t your thing, create a warm, welcoming environment with a rug runner. In Emmy Rossum’s Manhattan apartment, an antique Stark runner gives this galley kitchen a cozy edge.
Maximize with a Mirror
If you want to make a small galley kitchen appear larger, simply add a mirrored wall to the mix. The way light will bounce off the reflective will create the illusion of a generous culinary space. Not sure where to start? Take a cue from Bill Wackermann’s house tour, which is outfitted with light blue cabinetry and marble countertops.
Let There Be Light
When it comes to decorating your galley kitchen, the only way may quite literally be up. Internet mogul Michael Bruno turned his all-white kitchen into a wow moment with the 19th-century light fixtures, which were sourced from a Paris flea market.
Pack on the Powerful Pigments
As Jeffrey Kalinsky’s minimalist New York apartment proves, an all-white galley kitchen doesn’t have to be boring. Here, Bulthaup cabinetry and Corian countertops are offset with terrazzo flooring, colorful serveware, and a round pendant from Bega.
Capitalize on Your Countertops
Want your galley kitchen to pull double duty? Turn your countertops into an island by scooting a few chairs on the opposite side. Augusta Hoffman’s East Village home nails the look with the help of three woven stools.
Grow Your Indoor Garden
Breathe some life into your small galley kitchen with fresh greenery. In his Mexico City home, furniture designer Mark Grattan incorporated a leafy tree in a locally-sourced planter. Mexican yellow travertine and a handmade rug from Oaxaca complete the bright space.
Dark and Stormy
This isn’t your run-of-the-mill tile mosaic and sunshine-yellow kitchen! The cabinetry in the pictured Hamptons cooking space is intentionally made of ebony-stained ash, while the counters are decked out in a carbon gray stone. Designer Eve Robinson framed and contextualized light neutrals (like the overhead oak paneling you see) with dark surroundings throughout the whole home—so that it never, ever feels too predictable.
Lived-in Luxury
Just because you have a small kitchen doesn’t mean you can’t adorn it with items you love and use on a regular basis. This dreamy setup in a Hollywood Hills abode, courtesy of ELLE DECOR A-List designer Garrett Hunter, is playful and replete with unexpected touches like the Ming dynasty table, Spanish majolica pendant, and mismatched bohemian prints on the walls. Let loose a little and create a kitchen you actually want to see every day.
Angles, Angles, Angles
The orientation of this Parisian kitchen is not what you’d expect—a kind of countertop-powered right triangle. Ninety-degree angles are usually a given in galley kitchens, but why settle for the norm? To make this space’s angularity a bit more refined, designer Pierre Gonalons treated it to some black Marquina marble.
Pastel Party
The color palette of this kitchen is oh-so-soft and was actually inspired by Prada stores! It’s not all eye candy though, trust us: Couple Daniel Cole and Nick Grinder, with the help of architecture and interiors firm Studio DB, ensured the small space was both integrated and insulated. This was achieved through the addition of porthole windows, inserted into the dual pocket doors that separate the kitchen from the rest of the apartment.
Sitting Space Superiority
Why should kitchens be home to boring stools? A sumptuous stool (the one pictured here is vintage and upholstered in wide-wale corduroy) is a great way to bring a hint of luxury to your larder while maximizing seating. ELLE DECOR A-Lister Michelle R. Smith made sure this furniture choice was in pitch-perfect conversation with the rest of the kitchen—subway-tiled walls included!
Crown Molding Fit for the Queen
The first thing that viewers—and diners—notice in this Sam Sacks–designed kitchen is the color of the custom kitchen cabinets (we did mention how timeless blue cabinetry is, didn’t we?). Look further, though, and you’ll spot the elegant crown molding, which is a tribute to the home’s Victorian roots. This decoration choice naturally raises the gaze upward, which is essential when it comes to kitchens on the smaller side.
Green Machine
Remember when we said navy cabinets are bold? Enter: this vivid green wonder, which takes 2024’s “Brat summer” trend and absolutely runs with it. The home of an artist practically demands riskiness in its aesthetic identity, and Julie Polidoro’s Roman apartment is a case in point. Polidoro tells us she “went for a greengrass that reminds one, in a subliminal way, of where our food comes from.”
Utilitarian Shelf Appeal
These stainless steel shelves, bought by designer Timothy Brown from a restaurant supply store, would be 100 percent approved by the entire cast of The Bear. They’re a less conventional choice than, say, millwork ones, but are more resistant to the wear and tear that inevitably comes from cheffing it up 365 days a year.
Smoke and Mirrors
Ahh, mirrors: the quintessential element needed to make any room feel twice as big as it is IRL. The mirrored kitchen wall here, designed by L’Artigianato, provides just that kind of effect and pairs especially well with the moody, dark color scheme. The kitchen is in an 1890s Milanese apartment, so it deserves to be a little dramatic.
Barbiecore, Incorporated
The Barbie movie (have you heard of it?) was released in 2023, but its biggest cultural sway—the Barbiecore trend—will linger forever, mark our words. These pink kitchen walls in an Eric Allart–designed apartment complements the black backsplash remarkably well, contributing to an overall feel of warmth, ease, and a certain Parisian je ne sais quoi. Suprématie de Barbie!
A Picture’s Worth a Thousand Words
Want to make your galley kitchen contemporary in every sense of the word? Embellish it with a photograph (or two, or three) versus an all-too-common art print. This B&W beauty (with a hearty serving of bubble-gum-pink in the form of the Sabine Marcelis–designed table at center) boasts a large photo by Gregory Crewdson. It’s owned and loved by filmmaker and art collector Dorothy Berwin, after all—so it only makes sense that the interior pushes the envelope design-wise!
Patterns into Perpetuity
The flooring in this Upper West Side kitchen by Kimille Taylor is oak…with a touch. It’s painted in a custom, geometric design that gives it the illusion of spreading for miles on end (when, of course, it’s bound by the infuriating square-footage limitations of rentable Manhattan real estate). The pattern isn’t overwhelming in the least, working to spice up the white cabinetry and Home Depot–sourced subway tiles. That kind of floor practically begs for time spent in the kitchen—glass of vino in hand, whipping up a wholesome meal to feed your loves.
Outdoor-Indoor Hybrid
If yo’'re lucky enough to live in a climate that allows for it, consider making your galley kitchen a kind of half inside, half outside hybrid. This one in Courteney Cox’s Malibu Beach retreat has food-truck-inspired concession windows and vinyl-upholstered stools, which take alfresco dining to a whole new level.
Lucky and Lacquered
At first glance, this eat-in kitchen doesn’t seem to be very galley-like, what with its expansive dining table and unobstructed feel. However, look to the left and you’ll be proved wrong (built-in appliances, long countertops). Designer Fabrizio Casiraghi displayed his magic touch through the green lacquer used with abandon here—a color theme that carries through to the green marble inlay in the kitchen’s flooring.
Inspired by Chippendale
Wooden lattices are telltale signs of Chippendale cabinetry, among many other elements that characterize the 18th-century English furniture style. This home bar—out of Gary McBournie–designed Beverly Hills digs—is technically not a galley kitchen, but its cabinets can still serve as inspiration. And that fresh green color plus gilt sunburst light fixture? They make Chippendale style all the more chipper!
Scandi Minimalism
Minimalistic, gray-on-gray design often gets a bad rap (where’s the originality? It’s so sanitized and bland!), and yet having a polished kitchen fit for a museum has undeniable alluret. This one in a modernist Stockholm apartment is heavy on the stainless steel grays, which are layered with off-white walls and a touch of black in the form of a decorative bowl.
All Hail the Skylight
This kitchen, in a West Village townhouse, literally says: Let there be light! While petite in size, the space’s skylights instill it with just the right level of brightness—moderated as it is by the monochromatic color palette. Stargazing while cooking late-night pesto pasta is in your near future.
Trim the Troubles Away
When ELLE DECOR A-Lister Jean-Louis Deniot came across this home on the French island of Île de Ré, its kitchen had just one miserable window (among many other gloomy shortcomings). He proceeded to transform it into what you see here—infusing life via the checkerboard floor, eccentric art, and custom blue cabinets with cream trim accents.
Dimensionality FTW
Why settle for one shade of green in your galley kitchen when you can have two that perfectly play up each other’s strengths? In this kitchen, the light green floor tiles are like the glossy green cabinets’ more youthful cousins. There’s clear visual contrast in this space (but not in an overwhelming way).
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