Interiors

13 Best Kitchen Renovation Ideas to Upgrade Your Cookspace, the 2025 Edit

We have gathered our best kitchen renovation ideas to help you pick exactly what you want

Best Kitchen Renovation Ideas to Upgrade Your Cookspace the 2025 Edit Indoors Interior Design Kitchen Kitchen Island...

Photo: Erin Little

If you could only take on one home redesign project, you’d pick kitchen renovation, right? That’s what we’d choose. A kitchen remodel can transform an entire abode in a way that no other update can. Since we spend the most time in the kitchen, fresh finishes feel like a new lease on life. (And we’re only exaggerating a little.)

But it isn’t just the newness that makes a kitchen remodel so rejuvenating – it’s all the little details that you can cater to your own tastes and preferences. Whether you’re doing a gut renovation or IKEA hacking your way to a fresh look, you have the ability to pick exactly what you want. To help you figure out what that dream looks like, we gathered our 13 best kitchen remodel ideas that will take your cookspace to the next level.

What are the most popular styles for a kitchen remodel?

These days, contemporary, farmhouse, and midcentury modern are the most popular kitchen design styles for a remodel. All three aesthetics bring warmth and sophistication to a home in their own ways. Colourwise, white kitchens will always be on-trend – making them timeless. Green kitchens are in vogue at the moment too.

How much does a typical kitchen renovation cost?

The cost of a kitchen renovation depends on the size of the kitchen, as well as where in the country it’s located. The types of materials you choose to use will also affect the total cost of the project. It is wise to shop around your local kitchen showrooms or pay a designer to come and have a look at your existing setup to recommend a budget.

How do I complete a kitchen makeover on a budget?

One of the most expensive parts of a kitchen renovation is the labor, so you can save money by doing DIY projects. Maintaining your floor plan (so all your plumbing and electrical stay in place) will also help you keep a tight budget. And when it comes to materials, there are lots of affordable but beautiful options, like butcher block, laminate, and quartz countertops. Simple subway tile backsplashes and shaker cabinets from the hardware store won’t break the bank, either.

Photo: Kristen Mendiola
1/13
Go for two-toned cabinetry
Whether you’re painting your existing cupboards for a light-touch refresh or installing new cabinetry for a total kitchen renovation, consider a two-toned look. Interior designer Stephanie Feinerman aced this contrast technique in this bright Glencoe, Illinois, kitchen with dusty green-blue lower cabinets and creamy white upper cabinets. “My clients wanted to bring in colour, but were concerned about the space feeling heavy,” she explains. “Even though we have quite a lot of cabinetry in their kitchen and dining room, the space gives off a lightness that we couldn’t have achieved with one colour alone.”
Photo: Spacecrafting Photography
2/13
Carve out geometric patterns
For a subtler appeal, invest in carved millwork like interior designer Heather Peterson did in this neutral Mendota Heights, Minnesota, kitchen. She enlisted Michael Casler of Holl Studio to form three-dimensional details on the rift-sawn white oak cupboards. “I love the larger scale of these custom carved pyramids,” she says. “We set them into a rail and stile sized consistently with those on the simpler cabinets, then repeated that rhythm on the range hood’s batten spacing. The vertical stripes at the hood draw the eye up and help create a focal point at the range.”
Photo: Allison Elefante
3/13
Mix cabinet materials
Mixing materials is another great way to punch up your cabinetry in your kitchen renovation. For example, interior designer Kate Figler incorporated cane screens into the upper cabinet doors of this periwinkle Nashville kitchen. “We love to add details to our cabinetry that not only look great, but also function to hide the array of glassware and other odds and ends that tend to accumulate,” she reasons. “Caning is an inexpensive and easy solution. It can be readily purchased online, and [it] injects a wonderful bit of texture and visual interest into a space.”

Photo: Madeline Harper
4/13
Trick out your cabinets
It’s what’s on the inside that counts – especially with cabinetry. That’s why Shelagh Conway of Triple Heart Design fully tricked out the rift-sawn white oak cupboards in this modern kitchen in Cedar Park, Texas, upgrading the storage space significantly. “Easy-access kidney pullouts, outlets in drawers, and an under-counter microwave all aid in universal design and a sleek, minimalist look,” she says. “Thoughtful planning for storage while keeping the aesthetic top-of-mind creates a beautiful and functional kitchen.”
Photo: Sarah Baker
5/13
Integrate a cutting board into your countertop
If you’re an avid cook, we recommend integrating a wooden cutting board into your stone countertop like Valerie Helgeson of Design Directions did in this crisp Oklahoma City kitchen. “It’s a beautiful way to add functionality next to your kitchen sink or prep area,” she shares. “We like to use walnut, hickory, or oak, depending on what species we’ve used in other elements of the kitchen. Clean up is easy with soap and water and, in this case, it is positioned right above the trash and recycling pull out.”

Photo: Erin Little
6/13
Put a decorative shelf on your counter
Another worthy kitchen countertop accessory? A decorative shelf like this scalloped, pigmented oak number that Julia Miller of Yond Interiors designed for the moody kitchen in her Schroeder, Minnesota, rental cottage. “We often add a decorative shelf like the one in the corner,” she says. “It’s a pretty way to store dinnerware that’s used everyday, since everything is within easy reach. The area also provides a bit of coverage and distraction for the eventual countertop appliances and their accompanying cords.”
Photo: Lisa Petrole
7/13
Install floating shelves
Alternatively, you can install floating shelves to host frequently used dishes and display beloved home decor items. That’s what interior designer Christina Kim did to give this midcentury Rumson, New Jersey, kitchen an airier vibe. “In order to achieve the warm, minimalist feel our clients wanted, we replaced nearly all of the upper cabinetry with long open shelving in cerused white oak,” she says. “This opened up the space dramatically.”

Photo: Kara Mercer
8/13
Create a stove niche
Any kitchen with a stove niche is a dream kitchen in our book. Jessica Dorling of Dorling Design Studio must agree, as she created a perfect one with ceramic tile and Santorini quartzite in this white kitchen in Seattle. “The space behind the stove, often overlooked, serves as an untapped resource for kitchen storage, providing a convenient place to store spices and oils,” she notes. “This arrangement not only eases the cooking process, but also helps maintain clutter-free countertops.”
Photo: French & Tye
9/13
Make your favorite things accessible
If you spring for custom kitchen cabinets, take advantage of the opportunity to personalize your storage system. This cozy Norwich, United Kingdom, kitchen by Nicole Fassihi of Grafted is a prime example, with its convenient compartments for cookbooks and wine bottles. “Focus on making the things you use often accessible,” she advises. “Creating small nooks for books and wine bottles adds functional space and visual interest where materials have been intentionally pared back. The cookbooks add a pop of colour without undermining the rich, natural tones of the kitchen.”

Photo: Matt Horton
10/13
Use wallpaper as a backsplash
Most kitchens have a stone or tile backsplash, but this tropical Palm Beach, Florida, kitchen by interior designer Shani Risinger Core proves that vinyl wallpaper can be a beautiful backsplash too. Thanks to its vinyl coating, this botanical mural is durable enough to withstand the moisture, heat, and splatters of daily cooking. Plus it offers an immersive experience that other materials don’t. “You truly cannot tell this product is vinyl,” she notes.
Photo: Stacy Zarin Goldberg
11/13
Hang statement light fixtures
No room is complete without statement lighting – least of all a new kitchen. Interior designer Zoe Feldman understood the assignment in this French blue kitchen in Arlington, Virginia, where she hung dramatic, lantern-like pendant lights over the island. “Lighting is one of the easiest and most impactful upgrades you can give your kitchen,” she explains. “We love oversized fixtures over an island and sconces for moodiness or task lighting.”

Photo: Raquel Langworthy
12/13
Try a reeded island base
Integrate texture into your cookspace with a reeded island base like the one in this contemporary Nutley, New Jersey, kitchen by Julia Mazzucca and Ellisa Gumina of Oggi Design House. “We sought to create not just a kitchen island, but a focal point that inspires both creativity and connection,” Mazzucca shares. “The reeded white oak base achieves this with its timeless appeal and practical utility, elevating the space to new heights of sophistication.”
Photo: Adam Kane Macchia
13/13
Add a built-in bench
It can be challenging to fit seating into a small kitchen. Louise Copeland of L.B. Copeland solved this problem for a compact San Francisco kitchen by bringing in bar stools and designing a breakfast nook with an L-shaped bench. “By adding the built-in banquette in the corner of the room, we were able to take advantage of what would otherwise be a dead space,” she says of the dining area. “We made the windows as big as possible to make the room feel connected to the back garden and provide an inspiring view.”