39 Minimalist Kitchens With Maximum Style

A minimalist decor scheme can make sense in every room in the house, from the bedroom to the living room, nursery, or home office. But a minimalist design approach in the kitchen can sometimes be misinterpreted as nothing more than a stage set for a house where nobody cooks. Fans of a pared down approach to kitchen design know that this could not be farther from the truth.

While a minimalist kitchen design is boiled down to essential elements and free of excess clutter, there is simply no reason that it can't be fully equipped and optimized for meal prep, cooking, and gathering. It just means that it's been designed to be easy to clean and maintain, a kitchen that can quietly fade into the background when not in use thanks to a minimalist color palette, plenty of hidden storage, a pared down layout, or a streamlined design that focuses on a few key decor elements.

Whether you live by yourself in a studio apartment, with your partner in a townhouse, or with your family in a large suburban home, a minimalist approach to kitchen design can help you to turn the hub of your home into a beautiful, organized, optimized space.

Check out these 39 minimalist kitchens in a range of sizes, layouts, and aesthetics that use minimalist principles to make the case for doing more with less without sacrificing functionality or style.

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English Coach House

Design by deVOL Kitchens

This dreamy English coach house kitchen from deVOL Kitchens has a simple layout anchored by a massive central island prep space that keeps the focus on the classic architecture while creating an updated modern feel. A pair of hanging metal pendant lights draw attention to the vaulted ceiling and harmonize with the black metal framing on the ceiling skylight windows and industrial style metal and glass door.

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Parisian Style

Design by Leymarie Gourdon Architectes / Photo by BCDF Studio

This Parisian kitchen from Chloé Leymarie and Eva Gourdon of Leymarie Gourdon Architectes has elegant bones and intricate historic ceiling moldings that are contrasted beautifully with minimalist warm wood cabinetry, a modern waterfall edge island that houses the sink, and a dining room table and chairs. Classic French oak flooring in a herringbone pattern runs throughout the apartment.

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Ibiza Chic

Fantastic Frank

This Ibiza apartment kitchen from Fantastic Frank is nestled into a corner beneath the metal staircase, with clean lines and rough wood cabinet fronts and a matching floating shelf that add contrast.

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Vaulted

Design by Sarah Sherman Samuel / Photo by Nicole Franzen

The minimalist kitchen in this Michigan home from interior designer Sarah Sherman Samuel has dramatic tall vaulted wood-paneled ceilings that add warmth to the airy space. The kitchen is finished in tones of soft white and marble, with a massive island, acres of countertops, and a lush green view from the picture window over the sink. It's a serene space with tons of built in storage that is made for gathering.

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Pure

Design by John Pawson for Living Architecture / Photo by Jack Hobhouse

Award-winning renowned minimalist designer John Pawson designed this spare and spacious kitchen for Living Architecture in a Welsh country holiday house. The designer used a mix of pale bricks, polished concrete floors, and Douglas fir timber ceilings, doors, and furniture for a seamless look.

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Immaculate

Fantastic Frank

This compact all-white kitchen from Fantastic Frank is tucked off to the side of the open dining room, designed to practically disappear when not in use. A large picture window keeps it from feeling too closed off and provides plenty of natural light. Lacquered white cabinetry and silver cabinet pulls and hardware keep it feeling immaculate and sleek.

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Warehouse

Design by Leanne Ford Interiors / Photo by Reid Rolls

This abandoned downtown Pittsburgh warehouse conversion from Leanne Ford Interiors has clean lines, industrial bones, a palette of black, white, and gray, and industrial finishes like concrete flooring and a massive concrete waterfall edge island, with metal accents on the casement windows and overhead pendant lights that define the space.

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Reclaimed Wood

Design by Emilie Fournet Interiors / Photo by Caitlin Mogridge

This lively London kitchen from Emilie Fournet Interiors has painted white brick walls, reclaimed wood cabinets, stainless steel appliances, a single row of open shelving, and a neon lightning bolt mounted to the oven vent that adds a lighthearted touch of decor.

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Coastal

Design by Tyler Karu

This Maine kitchen from interior designer Tyler Karu is located near the water, with a pared-down take on coastal style that includes vertical painted white wood paneling, smoky navy lower cabinetry, silver and glass globe pendant lights, and chunky wood stools around the peninsula.

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Open and Airy

Design by Liberty Interiors / Photo by Eve Wilson

This open and airy Australian kitchen from Liberty Interiors has simple lines, an all-white palette, black accents, and warm wood floors that maximize the spacious, light-flooded space.

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New Classic

Design by Kara Mann

Interior designer Kara Mann used noble materials like marble and wood that honor the historic bones of the house and updated the kitchen with a minimalist contemporary update that seamlessly combines old and new, facilitates cooking, and blends into the traditional, open plan room during off hours.

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Copper Accents

Design by deVOL Kitchens

This homey English kitchen from deVOL Kitchens has simple lines, a mix of pale gray and navy paint on walls and cabinetry, and copper accents on the trio of pendant lights over the island that focus the eye and add warmth and interest.

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Textured

Design by Leanne Ford Interiors / Photo by Reid Rolls

This minimalist kitchen design from Leanne Ford Interiors honors the clients' love of gray with lime and clay-washed brick, walls, and ceilings that add texture and warmth to the streamlined design. A central island floats in the middle of the long space, maintaining a sense of flow and making it ideal for entertaining.

The 9 Best Kitchen Islands of 2023

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Eat-In

Fantastic Frank

This small eat-in kitchen from Fantastic Frank mixes soft shades of white with graphic black accents and midcentury modern touches like the Danish modern pendant light, George Nelson wall clock, and molded Eames Eiffel chairs to lend it some timeless style.

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Paris Industrial

Design by Leymarie Gourdon Architectes / Photo by BCDF Studio

This Parisian kitchen from Leymarie Gourdon Architectes blends seamless built-in oak cabinetry and soft industrial touches like the oval-shaped poured concrete topped, white vertical tile-clad island, polished concrete floors, and a rounded oven hood and industrial light fixture suspended from the ceiling.

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U-Shaped

Design by Leanne Ford Interiors / Photo by Reid Rolls

This functional U-shaped kitchen remodel from Leanne Ford Interiors is finished with pure white finishes on tiling, cabinetry, and walls that make it feel bright, clean, and fresh. A mix of closed, glass-front, and open storage offers plenty of room to keep clutter at bay. Wood floors add warmth and touches of red add color and excitement to the overall minimalist design.

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Open Galley Style

Design by Cathie Hong Interiors / Photo by Amber Thrane

This sunny black, white, and gray galley style kitchen from Cathie Hong Interiors uses mixed metals to add warmth and interest to the minimalist space.

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Midcentury Modern

Design by Sarah Sherman Samuel / Photo by Trevor Tondro and Tessa Neustadt

Interior designer Sarah Sherman Samuel gave this midcentury California kitchen belonging to actress Mandy Moore a fresh makeover that respects the minimal bones of the home while adding a few bold, glamorous touches like a waterfall marble island and massive marble slab backsplash that feel very now.

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NYC Glam

Design by JLA Designs

This open plan NYC kitchen from JLA Designs has plenty of closed storage to hide clutter. Marble-effect quartz and blingy gold-toned cabinet pulls and pendant light shades add a touch of glam that makes the kitchen flow with the rest of the space, fading into the background when not in use.

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Modern Victorian

Design by Leanne Ford Interiors / Photo by Alexandra Ribar

This kitchen remodel from Leanne Ford Interiors honors the Victorian bones of the home with traditional cabinetry, subway tile walls, and mosaic tile floors, done in shades of black and white for a modern minimalist feel with a sense of history.

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California Cool

Design by Handsome Salt / Photo by Jenny Siegwart

This streamlined California kitchen from Handsome Salt has a minimalist palette of white, gray, and black, with pale wood and cognac leather accents that add warmth, and a mix of marble effect quartz and black tile laid in a vertical pattern to add a graphic note.

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Taupe

Design by deVOL Kitchens

This serene kitchen from deVOL Kitchens uses a light taupe paint that keeps the room feeling neutral while helping to ground the lower cabinets and right-hand wall of storage, keeping the wall by the sink open and uncluttered.

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With a View

Design by Maite Granda

This minimalist Florida kitchen from interior designer Maite Granda is designed to blend into the open plan space and allow the wide open coastal views from the floor-to-ceiling sliding glass door windows take center stage. The designer accomplished that by using a palette of white and pale wood, with cool steel accents and seamlessly built-in cabinetry, appliances, and a dropped ceiling with a built-in hood vent over the white central island.

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Galley Style

Fantastic Frank

This galley-style kitchen from Fantastic Frank is clad with oak that adds warmth to the pass-through space. A mix of open and closed storage keeps the space feeling light.

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Open and Airy

Design by Flourish Interior Design / Photo by Jenny Siegwart

In this California home, Jen Bannister of Flourish Interior Design used a minimal palette of white, black, and pale wood tones to define the open plan kitchen space while allowing it to blend into the rest of the decor.

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New Traditional

Design by Urbanology Designs

This kitchen dining room combination from Urbanology Designs has traditional wood furniture, vintage-style lighting, and Shaker cabinetry painted in a deep navy. But the kitchen island, open shelving, crisp white walls, and pared down, open plan layout gives the warm and familiar furniture and decor a more modern minimalist feel.

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Minty Green

Design by Cathie Hong Interiors / Photo by Margaret Austin Photo

This Sunnyvale, California kitchen from Cathie Hong Interiors has custom cabinetry built all the way to the ceiling to maximize storage, painted in a light minty green that adds definition while blending into the minimal Japandi interiors.

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Solid Oak

Design by Julian Porcino

Real estate agent and interior designer Julian Porcino updated this midcentury modern Southern California kitchen with warm solid oak cabinetry that honors the original yet appeals to 21st-century minimalists.

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Wood Accents

Design by Studio Surface / Photo by Jenny Siegwart

This minimalist kitchen from interior designer Michelle Salz-Smith of Studio Surface has enough lower cabinetry to provide ample storage, uncluttered countertops, and a minimalist palette of black, white, and stainless steel finishes. Rich stained wood flooring and ceiling beams add warmth.

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Pastels

Design by DasMod and Handsome Salt / Photo by Jenny Siegwart

This spacious kitchen designed by Eric Gilmer and Sven Simon of DasMod in conjunction with interior designer Sara Simon of Handsome Salt uses mixed materials while retaining a warm, modern minimalist feel. It combines seamless wood and painted mint green cabinetry, marble effect quartz countertops and backsplashes, and a mix of copper accents and multi-colored pendant lighting to add a sense of fun while maintaining the serene and uncluttered feel.

The Best Kitchen Lights to Illuminate Your Kitchen

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Statement Tile

Design by Studio Surface / Photo by Jenny Siegwart

This kitchen from Studio Surface skipped upper cabinets to create a countertop to ceiling backsplash of striking patterned tile in a pared down color palette. The tile makes an undeniable statement without compromising the minimalist feel of the room, while plenty of built-in lower cabinets add storage, accented with gold-toned hardware to add some warmth.

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Dramatic Details

Design Lines Signature

This kitchen from Design Lines Signature has a simple layout that leaves room for a few dramatic details—a massive stainless steel oven hood, a trio of sculptural pendant lights, a colorful painting—without sacrificing the minimalist feel of the space.

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Alcove

Design by Kara Mann

This kitchen alcove from interior designer Kara Mann has seamless built-in cabinetry and a black-and-white palette that give it a polished, minimalist feel. To compensate for the lack of direct natural light, the designer added general, task, and ambient lighting with soft, bright under-cabinet LED lighting, a sleek pendant light over the island, and recessed can lights in the ceiling.

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Retro Modern

Design by deVOL Kitchens

This streamlined modern retro kitchen from deVOL Kitchens has traditional cabinetry, a retro style freestanding refrigerator, bare Edison bulb pendant lighting, and a black and white palette warmed up with gold accents.

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Mixed Metals

Design by Cathie Hong Interiors / Photo by Christy Q. Photography

This light-flooded kitchen from Cathie Hong Interiors has a dense, compact U-shaped layout, with built-in cabinetry to the ceilings to keep things organized. A pared down palette of fresh white, warm gray, and mixed metals add interest while retaining a minimalist feel.

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Light and Dark

Design by Jenn Pablo Studio

This midcentury modern kitchen from Jenn Pablo Studio got a contemporary update that preserved the clean lines of the original space, with trendy dark lower cabinetry and gold-toned cabinet pulls and plumbing hardware, patterned floor tiles, and a subway backsplash that runs to the ceiling, unencumbered by shelving or cabinetry.

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Seeing Red

Design by Maite Granda

This contemporary kitchen from interior designer Maite Granda is sleek and cool-toned in shades of white and gray, with bright red accents on the island stools and pendant light that provide a graphic punch of color.

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California Modern

Design by Cathie Hong Interiors / Photo by Christy Q. Photography

This California modern Eichler house kitchen in San Jose, CA got a 21st-century update from Cathie Hong Interiors with a new kitchen island, luxury vinyl flooring, and modern cabinetry that plays well with the original architecture of the house while feeling fresh and new.

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Zen

Design by Jenn Pablo Studio

This California kitchen from Jenn Pablo Studio mixes soft white and pale wood tones with glass pendant lights and shades of earthy brown and taupe on the kitchen island and backsplash to create an uncluttered zen feel.