Contemporary Open Plan Kitchen with Multiple Islands Ideas and Designs

This open-plan kitchen was designed as a vibrant social hub for clients who love to entertain, with kitchen and home-bar functionality delivered with warm, mature and inviting aesthetics. A contemporary take on classic inframe shaker cabinetry sets the tone for this sophisticated space, all handmade in our workshop and finished in Farrow & Ball’s richly pigmented ‘Studio Green’. The deep, velvety cabinetry is complemented by slim stainless-steel pulls, while the Pearl Jasmin quartz worktops and splashbacks introduce a crisp contrast to the ornate wood accents. Warm-toned lighting softens the hard angles and edges of modern geometry, for a refined yet homely finish. The L-shaped kitchen wraps effortlessly around a large central island, bringing cooking, cleaning, and storage into one continuous sweep. The island itself doubles as both a spacious prep space and a social centrepiece, with ample seating for quick bites or casual chats. The open layout bridges kitchen, dining, and bar areas devoid of obstruction, offering the fluidity of lounging at the island, fixing drinks, or setting the table—without ever stepping away from the conversation. The fully bespoke wet bar is finished to match the kitchen cabinetry, and is outfitted with its own sink, wine cooler, and integrated spirit dispenser. Glass-fronted wall cabinets with internal lighting elevate the bar’s elegance, while practical in keeping glassware within reach. The warmth and richness of walnut is thoughtfully used throughout the kitchen—appearing in the open shelving, hand-cut dovetail drawers, bar top, and sculpted dining table—weaving a continuous thread of natural luxury and depth into the space. Crafted with both performance and presence in mind, with its layered textures and intuitive layout, the space feels as suited to a quiet morning coffee as it does to a full house on a Saturday night.

A gable roof extension with a modern twist as the contemporary gable follows the existing contours of the traditional roofs above. The clean lines, concealed gutters, frameless glass and smooth rendered finish complement the existing building whilst at the same time providing a contemporary feel. Internally the vaulted ceiling provides a great sense of height and space to this impressive room.

Pantry

When Charles Wainwright was renovating an impressive period property bordering Clapham Common, he knew that the best people to turn to in order to create exactly the look he wanted for its spacious kitchen were award-winning bespoke specialists Mowlem & Co. “We wanted a very grand looking kitchen to suit the high ceilings, but we wanted a classical look without it being too ‘Shaker’ or old-fashioned. A modern, high gloss or minimalist style would have been wrong for the overall feel we were trying to create with this property. However we did not want anything fussy or too traditional. It was important to work with a company that could take into account a room that was a slightly challenging shape. And while we went for the ‘hand-made look,’ we knew we would also be getting expert quality. We are thrilled with the result!” Designer Jane Stewart says, “It is an incredibly imposing and spacious property with a wealth of its own character and elegance. The brief was for a functional yet subtle kitchen that would work equally well for both family use and as the perfect place to host dinner parties and occasions. What I had in mind immediately was something pure - something that did not interrupt the amazing architecture of the room, the windows and the ceiling height. The room really demanded something proportionate to its grandeur but not overpowering in either colour or design.” Jane realised this vision with a hand-painted, solid-framed kitchen with steel square grip handles, crowned with sleek composite quartz tops. The beauty is not only skin deep, however, solid walnut drawer boxes and cabinet interiors create a chic contrast to the fashionably ‘pale and interesting’ colour choice for the overall room and furniture. As classic as this design appears, it is not short on the very best of contemporary functionality. A Gaggenau induction hob is flush fitted into the countertop of the island unit, along with a pop-up Elica Adagio down draft extractor, while a Miele oven and combi micro are wall mounted within easy reach of a large stainless steel Sterling sink with a Franke Olympus tap. The Gaggenau fridge and freezer, plus a Miele dishwasher are subtly built-in behind the vanilla cream units. There is also a pop-up socket on the island unit for easy use of extra electrical equipment. Jane is justifiably very proud of this design, “the serenity of this room is overwhelming. Pale wood wide-board flooring and carefully selected lighting add to the effect. We spent a long time with Charles deciding in which room and, in fact on, which floor the kitchen should be - the final consensus was, we wholeheartedly believe, the right one. The room opens up in to the most elegant dining area, with light flooding between the space, but this also meant that every millimetre of workspace and cabinet storage within the kitchen area needed to be maximised.”

A bespoke kitchen for a large family house in antiqued oak, Carrara marble and stainless steel worktops. Ironmongery is burnished nickel and the sink is stainless steel. Maple end grained chopping block. La Cornue range oven with chrome detailing. Hand painted dresser with bronze cabinet fittings.

Our clients an enormous space where they wanted to incorporate a living and dining space, as well as a play area for the grandchildren with lovely views of the garden. They were very keen on having a double island; one where they could cook and prepare and another that was more for socialising. They also wanted us to incorporate the original, oak floor into the design. The homeowner was a former kitchen designer, so had a very strong vision of what she did and didn’t like. The kitchen has a very industrial, open-plan bistro feel. It has a classic front-way construction, but styled in a contemporary way. In terms of storage, there's a big walk-in larder, along with a pull-out larder for necessities. There are also big drawers under the oven, with big wide drawers adjacent to the dishwasher for cutlery and crockery. We didn't really have any obstacles to overcome as we had a really tight brief. We had to work with some height restrictions as the client wanted everything in easy reach, but really everything was ironed out in the design process. Installation took two and a half weeks. Design process was 2-3 months. This beautiful home is located in Esher, south west London and it's a big detached property with vast grounds. Photo credit: Nicholas Yarsley

We were commissioned to create a contemporary single-storey dwelling with four bedrooms, three main living spaces, gym and enough car spaces for up to 8 vehicles/workshop. Due to the slope of the land the 8 vehicle garage/workshop was placed in a basement level which also contained a bathroom and internal lift shaft for transporting groceries and luggage. The owners had a lovely northerly aspect to the front of home and their preference was to have warm bedrooms in winter and cooler living spaces in summer. So the bedrooms were placed at the front of the house being true north and the livings areas in the southern space. All living spaces have east and west glazing to achieve some sun in winter. Being on a 3 acre parcel of land and being surrounded by acreage properties, the rear of the home had magical vista views especially to the east and across the pastured fields and it was imperative to take in these wonderful views and outlook. We were very fortunate the owners provided complete freedom in the design, including the exterior finish. We had previously worked with the owners on their first home in Dural which gave them complete trust in our design ability to take this home. They also hired the services of a interior designer to complete the internal spaces selection of lighting and furniture. The owners were truly a pleasure to design for, they knew exactly what they wanted and made my design process very smooth. Hornsby Council approved the application within 8 weeks with no neighbor objections. The project manager was as passionate about the outcome as I was and made the building process uncomplicated and headache free.

Kitchen opening through to butlers pantry. Recycled timber benchtop to island, stainless steel bench to centre sink area and black laminate bench to rear. Photo: Lara Masselos Partial house Staging: Baxter Macintosh

Contemporary style shaker kitchen finished with hexagon brass handles, dekton white worktop, large porcelain tiled flooring. Styled vintage oak shelving and modern black and brass barstools.

photo by Adriano Pecchio L'affaccio sulla città.

With the request for neutral tones, our design team has created a beautiful, light-filled space with a white lithostone bench top, solid timber drop-down seating area and terrazzo splashback ledge to amplify functionality without compromising style. We extended the window out to attract as much natural light as possible and utilised existing dead-space by adding a cozy reading nook. Fitted with power points and shelves, this nook can also be used to get on top of life admin.

Küche eines Einfamilienhauses

Mathieu Robinet

Contemporary style shaker kitchen finished with hexagon brass handles, dekton white worktop, large porcelain tiled flooring. Styled vintage oak shelving and modern black and brass barstools.

This was a great project to work on, all bespoke wall and ceiling panelling, with a hidden doors leading to a spacious utility room, all siemens appliances, Quooker Tap and Cube, all design and installation by the team hear at Elite a full project with Plastering, Electrics,

Rénovation complète d'un appartement de 48m² dans le 15e arrondissement de Paris