Few things add as much value and elegance to your home as upgrading to a luxury kitchen, but where should the bulk of your kitchen remodel budget go for the biggest impact? Focus on design, layout, luxury kitchen appliances, and high-end materials. Check out these luxury kitchen design ideas that can instantly elevate your space to grandeur.
Quick Takeaways
Start with the kitchen design and layout to bring efficiency into the space, and opt for an open concept to make the space feel larger.
Choose premium materials and finishes like marble and granite countertops, exotic hardwood floors, and brass or gold cabinet pulls.
Splurge on custom cabinetry, plumbing fixtures, and lighting to make your space uniquely high-end.
Hire a professional designer to create a cohesive look that screams elegance.
Cape Cod Kitchen
Bringing the Cape Cod style into your new kitchen is one of the best ways to create a luxurious yet relaxed feel. Start with neutral colors, add tons of natural light with large windows, and choose a natural type of flooring, like hardwood or luxury plank kitchen flooring. Accent with brass or copper handles and plumbing fixtures that will patina over time and create a lived-in appearance that drips with luxury.
Modern Coastal
Looking for something a bit more sleek? Opt for a luxury modern coastal kitchen design. Use sharp corners on countertops and kitchen islands, upgrade to stainless steel appliances, and feel free to get creative with cabinet paint colors. Unlike with a Cape Cod design, you won’t focus on natural, warm materials, so don’t shy away from cooler concrete or tile floors.
Dark Modern
Add some intrigue and moodiness to your kitchen space by choosing darker colors and more subtle lighting options. Use dark greys or even blacks on your kitchen cabinets and walls, and brighten things up just a touch with a lighter-colored backsplash. Stick with sleeker materials, like stainless steel appliances, a minimalist faucet installation and other plumbing fixtures, and cabinet doors with hidden pulls. Add some mood lighting with under-cabinet lights and dimmable pendant light fixtures.
Marble Everywhere
Nothing screams luxury and opulence more than marble, so be creative with how you use it in your luxury kitchen. You can choose a counter-to-ceiling marble backsplash, marble countertops, and even marble floors. Marble pairs beautifully with lighter cabinets and brass pulls, as well as natural decor, like live plants. It’s also extremely durable, so that elegance will last a lifetime.
Luxury Appliances
A high-end kitchen isn’t complete without luxury kitchen appliances. Go with brands like Wolf, Sub-Zero, and Viking, and consider Cafe and Le Cornue for more traditional pieces that add some serious character to your space.
A common luxury kitchen trend is to have custom, built-in appliances. Consider having your cabinet maker create custom doors for your fridge, dishwasher, and other high-end appliances that blend seamlessly with the rest of your cabinets.
Custom Light Fixtures
Why spend tens of thousands of dollars on custom cabinets and countertops only to install run-of-the-mill lighting fixtures from your local home improvement store? Step up your lighting game with custom light fixtures over your kitchen island. Have an interior designer help create a custom fixture or chandelier that works with the rest of your design and decor but can still serve as a conversation piece.
Built-In Wine Chiller
Refrigerators, ovens, dishwashers, microwaves… You’ll find these appliances in just about any kitchen. To add some luxury and elegance to your kitchen space, add more unique appliances, like a built-in wine chiller or a built-in hot and cold water dispenser. And if you’re a chef or baker looking to create an upscale kitchen space, consider a custom proofing drawer or blast chiller.
Open Concept
There has been a trend in the past few decades toward open-concept living spaces, and nowhere is that more prevalent than in luxury kitchens. You may need to spend some extra money installing steel I-beams and other structural reinforcements to do away with dividing walls, but the result will be a kitchen that feels larger and more luxe. Plus, you’ll get to show off your new kitchen design a little better.
Custom Kitchen Island
Kitchen islands are another growing trend in homes across the country, as they add utility and counter space and provide additional storage. You can use this focal point to add some intrigue and uniqueness by installing a custom kitchen island. Feel free to go bold with curved cabinetry or geometric shapes, and couple the island with luxurious bar stools for added functionality. You can also create a two-tone cabinet design by choosing a complementing color or even a different material for the cabinets in your island.
Display Shelving
Speaking of custom, why not create some custom display shelving that’s integrated into your upper cabinets? Open shelves can create easier access to plates, bowls, and cups; give you some added storage for small kitchen appliances; and also afford you the opportunity to elevate the space using decor — without taking up precious counter space. You can have your cabinet maker build truly open shelves or build cabinets with glass faces to create a similar appearance.
Natural Light
Bringing natural light into your kitchen will make it feel warmer and a bit more casual, but you can step up the grandeur by choosing floor-to-ceiling picture windows on open walls. You may opt to couple your windows with custom window treatments to complete the look.
High-End Plumbing Fixtures
Nothing screams “budget kitchen remodel” like installing the typical faucets from Home Depot that you see in every standard kitchen renovation. Upgrade your countertops by installing unique plumbing fixtures that stand out. Go for bronze, copper, or gold faucets and sink handles, and consider smart fixtures with touch or motion activation. Some kitchen faucets even have voice activation that can distribute pre-measured amounts of water, making cooking and baking a breeze.
And don’t forget the pot filler behind your stove. This makes filling pots for cooking more convenient, and it adds that extra touch of luxury to a high-end kitchen.
FAQ: Luxury Kitchens
A luxury kitchen can mean different things to different people, but most include high-end materials like marble and granite countertops; hardwood cabinets made of maple or walnut; luxury kitchen appliances from companies like Wolf, Sub-Zero, and Viking; and custom cabinets, light fixtures, and plumbing fixtures. Luxury kitchen designs should also be cohesive, so most homeowners looking for a high-end kitchen space will splurge on a professional kitchen designer to bring elegance and intrigue to all of the design choices.
A high-end kitchen remodel costs $50,000, on average, which can include new countertops, custom cabinets, premium flooring, and luxury refrigerators and ovens. Budgets for true luxury kitchens can climb up to $200,000 if they include opening up the space by removing dividing walls, upgrading to top-of-the-line materials like marble countertops and custom exotic wood cabinets, installing a custom kitchen island, and finishing the space with unique plumbing and electrical fixtures made from materials like copper, gold, or bronze.
It’s absolutely worth hiring a kitchen designer if you’re planning out your dream kitchen, as the professional will ensure the space maintains utility while also including design choices that make for a cohesive and high-end appearance. Kitchen designers will account for between 10% and 20% of your kitchen remodel budget, but the results are typically well worth the investment and can add even more value to your home than remodeling without one.
One of the most popular colors for luxury kitchens are whites and off-whites, as these create a clean aesthetic that you can elevate with a high-end countertop, gold or bronze cabinet pulls and plumbing fixtures, and brightly-colored appliances to add some variation in the color palette. Contemporary and modern luxury kitchens do well with darker colors, like grey, navy, or black cabinets and walls with a lighter backsplash or countertop to balance out the moodiness. Consider hiring a kitchen designer to help choose a color that looks upscale while also creating a cohesive look with the rest of your decor.