Luxury Kitchen Design Ideas

For many people, interior design ambitions are tethered by practical budget constraints. While it’s certainly possible to design a beautiful kitchen with limited funds, there’s lots of fun to be had in designing a luxury kitchen if money is no object.

Today, we’ll share some tips for designing a luxury kitchen, including materials, layout, and other considerations.

What is a Luxury Kitchen?

Cost is just one of many factors contributing to whether a kitchen is considered “luxury” or not. Some say luxury starts at $30,000 and up. In this range, you’ll begin to see things like custom kitchen cabinets and higher quality materials.

Designers also tend to spend more time meticulously crafting a luxurious kitchen than would be spent on a cheaper space. If money is no object, you might choose to make substantial changes to your kitchen layout with the help of an architect.

In other words, while cheaper kitchens tend to work around existing layouts, higher-end kitchens make no compromises. If walls have to be moved, so be it!

Luxury Kitchen Components and Design Ideas

Now that you have an overview of what constitutes a luxury kitchen design, let’s look at the components that make up such a space.

Quartz Countertops in a Luxury Modern Kitchen

Luxury kitchen renovations utilize only the best materials. That means quartz countertops, as the material of choice for professional designers, are a must. While natural stone like marble and granite offer limited aesthetic variance, quartz comes in plenty of styles. No matter what aesthetic you are going for in your luxurious kitchen, there’s a quartz surface that fits.

Quartz also has the advantage of being a very flexible material. You can mold it into a variety of custom shapes, including waterfall countertops, that are popular among high-end kitchen designers.

Luxury Kitchen Island

Assuming you have the space (and not all high-end kitchens do – more on this shortly), a luxury kitchen island is another critical element. An island can enhance your workflow in the kitchen, giving you another large surface to use. It can also enhance your kitchen’s entertainment capabilities. Guests and family members can enjoy a seat at your island while you prepare meals.

For some great kitchen island ideas, click here.

Seated Eating Area at a Luxury Kitchen Island

One of the most popular luxury kitchen renovations is to install a seating area at your island. This is different from the typical bar-style seating arrangement. A dedicated seating area can be a separate raised surface attached to your island, as seen in the picture above.

Such a design shows that you’ve really thought your kitchen design through – and spared no expense to get it done.

Luxury Kitchen Design: Backsplash Materials

A custom backsplash is another great element of luxury kitchen design. A luxury modern kitchen might use a large slab of quartz for the backsplash. Traditional luxury backsplashes often use tile such as travertine. This can give a kitchen a beautiful Mediterranean aesthetic.

Glass tile is also popular in custom luxury kitchens given the material’s flexibility and the cost of making custom cuts.

Small Luxury Kitchens

As the world becomes more urbanized, smaller spaces are increasingly the norm. This is true even in pricier homes and condo units. A small luxury kitchen is more than possible. It just requires some additional planning.

Check out some detailed small kitchen ideas here.

In general, you want to use light colours. A luxury white kitchen will serve you well in this regard. You also want to minimize clutter in your kitchen, perhaps forgoing unnecessary appliances like dishwashers. Intentionality is a large part of luxury, so keeping things minimal goes a long way.

Small custom luxury kitchens can still incorporate islands. If you have the budget, you can even consider knocking down a wall to create an open space that allows you to include a large island instead of a small one.

Quality Lighting in a Luxury Kitchen

Whether you have a luxury white kitchen or a darker one, lighting is key. It gives you a chance to add creative fixtures that enhance your kitchen’s overall theme. In a modern space, you might go with recessed lighting for your primary source. A traditional space might include more ornate fixtures such as chandeliers or brass-plated units.

You might also consider incorporating natural lighting into your kitchen. Skylights can be prohibitively expensive for lower-budget situations. This is a luxury kitchen remodel we’re talking about, though, so the cost is often well within the cards.

Luxury Kitchen Remodel with Modern Appliances

Lastly, don’t discount the importance of choosing quality appliances. While lower budget kitchens tend to compromise and contain appliances that fulfill a need while ignoring aesthetics, in a luxury space you should be able to do both.

Fridges, dishwashers, and microwaves often sit more or less flush with the surrounding areas. In other words, they often don’t look out of place as their counterparts in cheaper kitchens often do.

Luxury appliance makers include:

• Viking
• Thermador
• Gaggenau
• Miele
• La Cornue

Look for integrated or built-in appliances for an extra-nice touch.

Frequently Asked Questions

How much does a luxury kitchen cost?

Some experts say that luxury kitchens start at $30,000 and extend upwards from there. The bottom line, though, is that a luxurious kitchen spares no cost. It provides the owner with exactly what they want. That might cost you less or more than $30,000 depending on your circumstances.

What’s important is that you use the best materials and craftsmanship to get the job done, which costs money.

What makes a luxury kitchen?

Luxury kitchens are meticulously planned. They often feature custom cabinets, custom countertops, and premium flooring. The elements of a luxurious kitchen are built without the compromises that cheaper kitchens include. Every aspect of the kitchen experience is tailored – from opening drawers to controlling the lighting.

How much are high-end cabinets?

Custom cabinets can cost between roughly $300 and $450 per linear foot. For that price, you get high-quality materials fashioned to your exact requirements. Good quality high-end cabinets can easily last for multiple generations with occasional repainting and refinishing.