NYC Kitchen Design Ideas · Fontan Architecture (2024)

I am Jorge Fontan, an architect in New York and owner of Manhattan-based architecture firm Fontan Architecture. At our office, we work on various project types, including residential interiors. The kitchen photos in this post are all from our projects in New York City. I will use these projects to illustrate various ideas for kitchen design.

Open Kitchen Design

If there is any Kitchen Design Idea that I think is critical for a modern home, it would be having an open kitchen. An open kitchen can be fully open as part of an open plan living space or it can be partially open. Either way, an open kitchen is standard for modern homes. It used to be the case that all NYC apartments and homes had small kitchens enclosed in a small uncomfortable room with little to no thought put on kitchen design. Today, we make larger kitchens and open them up to the living space. Today kitchen design is a focal point and feature not just a utilitarian space.

Advantages to an open kitchen:

• Visual connection throughout the space without barriers.
• Makes the home feel larger due to less walls.
• Has social value allowing more interaction when entertaining or on normal days.
• Kitchen can be a design feature, therefore greater emphasis on kitchen design is necessary.
• Increases the flexibility of the space for example a kitchen counter can double as bar seating.

Below is a before and after photo of an apartment that we renovated in NYC on the upper west side. We opened some of the walls to have a partially open kitchen. It completely altered the space.

Kitchen Island

If you are going to have an open kitchen, you should consider a kitchen island if you have the space. A kitchen island or peninsula can be a great addition to a kitchen. One of the best features is the bar stool seating provided at the counter. Additionally, it creates more work space at the counter and storage below.

Kitchen Bar Stool Seating

Bar stool seating in the kitchen is a great idea for convenience and optimization of your space. Whether you have a kitchen island or peninsula, you can have stools at the counter. Here are a few countertop details and options to consider for stool seating:

• A typical countertop height is 36″
• You can elevate the countertop to 42″ for more bar style seating.
• The countertop can overhang for comfort, typically 8″ – 14″
• Adjustable height stools can be a good option
• Stools can come with or without backs

Below is a picture of stool seating at a kitchen island with a typical 36″ countertop height. The countertop was 3 feet deep to allow for a 12″ overhang, as typical base cabinets are 24″ deep.

Wall Ovens

Some people prefer a wall oven and a cooktop over a range. The range is a stand alone oven with burners on top but alternatively they can be installed as two pieces. One major advantage to a wall oven is that it can be installed high off the floor making it unnecessary to bend over to use the oven.

Below is a picture from one of our apartment renovations in NYC with a wall oven and cooktop.

Contrast

I cannot emphasize the importance of contrast in a kitchen. Kitchens with some color contrast or textural contrast look much more modern and have greater character than a simple all white monotone kitchen. Of course, it is your kitchen, but personally, I think the all white kitchen is a bit out of date and boring. I highly recommend adding some contrast into your kitchen.

Design Ideas for Kitchen Contrast:

• Kitchen Appliances can create contrast in their color and material
• The backsplash can be a feature that adds contrast
• Under cabinet lighting will accentuate a contrasting backsplash
• The counter top and cabinets can be the same color or they can be very different.
• Flooring can be a way to create contrast and add character to a kitchen
• Alternative materials

Below is a photo of a kitchen that we renovated for a client who purchased an apartment in NYC by a well known interior designer famous for making everything all white. When my client purchased the apartment, he said he did not want to feel like he was living in a hospital. There is a great deal of contrast in this apartment between material textures and color. The cabinets and walls are grey to match but the under cabinet lighting and backsplash pop. The floor and surrounding wall color and textures bring a great deal of personal character to the space.

Kitchen Peninsula

If you do not have the room for an island you can build a peninsula attached on one side.

Stone Slab Backsplash

The kitchen backsplash design has a lot of great opportunities. This can provide a sense of contrast or pop of color. When selecting a kitchen backsplash, I would start with considering if you want the backsplash to blend in or stand out. Under cabinet lighting will accent the backsplash. When using a stone slab in the backsplash you can minimize joints creating a sleek aesthetic.

The photo below of one of our kitchens shows a marble slab backsplash.

Panel Ready Kitchen Appliances

Panel ready kitchen appliances are made to be installed with cabinet doors as the face of the appliance. This can make a more continuous minimalist look in the kitchen.

Below is a picture from a modern minimal kitchen from an apartment that we renovated in downtown Manhattan. In this apartment, the owner wanted the cabinet doors, appliances, and surrounding walls to blend in so he had the walls painted to match the cabinet doors and appliance panels.

Second Row of Wall Cabinets

One great thing about NYC apartments and homes is that they often have high ceilings. Townhouses, lofts, and many modern buildings have ceilings higher then the standard 8 foot minimum. If you have the luxury of a high ceiling then a second row of wall cabinets can drastically increase your kitchen storage. The higher cabinets can be for items you do not use very often, as these will be less convenient cabinets.

NYC Kitchen Design Ideas and Pictures

In this article, we discussed some ideas for NYC kitchen designs. Although most of these apply anywhere, these are all our actual projects in NYC. Any reference to Building Codes is based on NYC Codes. All New York kitchen design pictures in this post are of our actual projects.

Thank you for reading our blog post on 21 NYC kitchen Design Ideas.

I hope this was helpful. If you would like to speak with an architect about a potential project you can contact us at Fontan Architecture directly.

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