Kitchen Extension Ideas: 34 Inspiring & Practical Kitchen Extensions

4. Light-Filled Kitchen Extension Idea with a Double-Height Space

Set within the urban Highgate conservation area of north London, Emil Eve Architects transformed this five-storey Edwardian terraced house with a striking and impactful glazed kitchen extension.

Photo: Taran Wilkhu

The London-based architecture firm designed a double-height atrium to open up the home’s interiors, allowing garden views and plenty of daylight to filter throughout the home. The new lower ground floor leads out to a new patio and landscaped garden, bordered by brick planter beds that blend into the structure.

Photo: Taran Wilkhu

When viewed from the outside, the tall brick addition appears as two volumes with glazing defining the levels – a towering rectangular structure that’s reminiscent of the home’s previous rear bay windows.

5. Rear & Side Return Kitchen Extension Design Idea

Housing a cooking area, living area and small gymnasium, this rear period home kitchen extension combines the traditional Edwardian brick features with modern flush metal cladding and glazing. The project was masterminded by Smerin Architects.

Photo: Lyndon Douglas

The slim-framed glazing and grey finishes help to deliver a light-touch aesthetic, allowing the character of the original building to shine through. Where the glazed elevations step back, a small south facing sitting area is formed, with a retractable canopy over the terrace.

6. Kitchen Extension Idea with Light-Filled Interior

Situated in a verdant suburban area in Norwich, Grafted Architects upgraded this family home with a geometric precast brick extension that celebrates creativity and craftsmanship.

Photo: FRENCH + TYE

The practice sought to sensitively restore the home, helping to improve its overall functionality and allow natural light to flood the internal living spaces. The kitchen extension design therefore calls back to the home’s original red masonry exterior and is characterised by a columnal pattern of corbelled red bricks – flanking a set of full-height glazed sliding doors with rust-coloured frames to ensure a seamless design.

Photo: FRENCH + TYE

The top of the extension features a unique, textured red concrete border which frames the addition and the unique brick design perfectly.

7. Open-Plan Kitchen Diner Extension with Timber Details

Paul Archer Design completed a knock-down and rebuild extension project to provide this urban home in Hampstead with a breath of fresh air. Inspired by the clean lines and shapes of Scandinavian design, timber sits at the heart of this project and flows seamlessly throughout the open-plan home.

Photo: Helen Cathcart

Large rooflights and full-height glazed doors both inside and out allow light to travel throughout the entirety of the ground floor. Hipped structural beams have been painted with a soft pastel green to offset their industrial appearance and enhance the home’s bright, calming character.

Photo: Helen Cathcart

8. Contemporary Zinc-Clad Kitchen-Diner Extension Idea

Franklin Ellis Architects designed stunning modern side and rear additions to this brick-built detached house in Nottingham that successfully fuses old and new. The single-storey rear extension now houses a clean, modern open-plan kitchen/dining area. The space is flooded with ample light thanks to its open-corner glazed sliding door system and rooflights supplied by IQ Glass.

Photo: Christopher Terry

The external red zinc cladding complements the existing brick, allowing a modern touch that remains sympathetic to the traditional style of the original building. The same red zinc continues on the metal roof of the two-storey side extension, where black Accoya timber cladding has been used to add to the variety of textures.

9. Seamless Rear Kitchen Extension to a Semi-Detached Home 

Yard Architects drew on this property’s 1930s roots to formulate a plan for its interior redesign and new extension. The clients were after additional space to make room for a family-friendly and sociable kitchen-living-dining area. The home’s location within a conservation area, though, called for a sensitive scheme that would enhance the original property’s character.

Photo: Richard Chivers

A curved wall to the rear mimics the bay window at the front of the property, and the green tiling references the home’s charming  green window cills. Crisp white render flows seamlessly from the main house to the extension for a cohesive  look, and glazed doors with dark frames  add contrast.

10. Bright & Colourful Kitchen-Diner Extension

These homeowners set out to transform their urban property’s dark, narrow kitchen-diner while adding a touch of personality to the space. The design, by Mel Architect, involved building into the property’s unused side return – creating a large, light-filled open-plan zone with a glazed lean-to roof.

Photo: Emily Marshall

The family were after a place they could socialise and relax in with friends and enjoy at all times of day. The previous outrigger blocked any views out to the garden, so the project sought to both enhance the link between indoor and outdoor spaces and allow light to pour into the home. The interior features bespoke timber kitchen cabinets by Johnathan Currie and was designed in collaboration with Palmer & Stone.

Photo: Emily Marshall

The arch-shaped glazing, specified with bright-red frames, references the nearby houses, while the variegated brick exterior adds a traditional charm.

11. London Home Upgraded with a Sensitive Kitchen Extension 

Oliver Leech Architects have transformed this Victorian house, set within a conservation area in Herne Hill. The sensitive project involved a revision of the home’s layout, simplifying the interior spaces while embracing light, volume and natural materials.

Photo: Jim Stephenson

The redesign involved replacing a network of small, disconnected rooms with a stepped extension containing a social, open-plan kitchen-living-dining area. The exterior comprises Con Mosso bricks, covered in a lime slurry to achieve a soft, stone-like textured finish.

Photo: Jim Stephenson

These are carried through to the garden steps and planters to create a seamless result, while a wildflower green roof atop the addition enhances the urban home’s connection to nature.

12. London Townhouse Upgraded with Multi-Storey Addition

A clever angled extension has brought a new, open feeling to this townhouse in London. Fraher & Findlay Architects were behind the design, which involved a full internal restructure.

Photo: Adam Scott

The staircase has been relocated to the centre of the building to allow for maximum floor space and improved, dynamic living areas. On the lower storey, perforated metal cladding and a large pivot door add a contemporary statement.

Photo: Adam Scott

Spectacular glazing wraps up from the ground floor and over the rear extension, making an eye-catching feature and light-filled home.

13. Period Home Upgraded with Two-Storey Extension

Yard Architects worked with the homeowners to rethink the layout and design of this Victorian terrace property in North London. The outrigger bathroom was cramped and the lower ground floor kitchen was dark and surrounded by trees, inviting the perfect opportunity for a structural rethink.

Photo: Richard Chivers

The solution came in the form of a generous rear kitchen-diner extension and an additional storey built on top of the existing outrigger. This extra space allowed the home’s staircase to be relocated to the rear of the property, providing a generous helping of volume and light.

Photo: Richard Chivers

Pale bricks are laid in a mix of vertical and horizontal bonds on the exterior for additional character, and a timber-framed sliding glazed door makes for a bright, light-filled and colorful kitchen.

EXPERT VIEW 5 Top tips for designing a wow-factor kitchen extension James Bernard, Director of Plus Rooms, shares his top pieces of advice on how to create a show-stopping kitchen extension You cannot design your new kitchen extension in isolation. Think about your garden or outdoor space and how you want your kitchen to showcase the view. This is fundamental as it affects your decision on the layout, position of windows, the type of doors and the location of furniture. Using the same tiles inside the kitchen and outside on your patio is an excellent way to create a flush, seamless look. Consider the aspect of the sun and decide carefully how much light you’ll want in your kitchen. Modern glazing techniques will help keep rooms warm in winter and cool in summer, and you can even select a self-cleaning solution. So, if you would like to maximise daylight, think of the angles and where glazing will be best placed. Think carefully about the style. Sleek, minimalist and neutral-coloured kitchens are still popular, but industrial and modern designs are growing in popularity. Copper fixtures and fittings, large sinks, bare light bulbs, chic wooden dining tables and contrasting painted cabinets give a very distinctive and characterful look. Combine your surface textures to add depth and interest to the room. An exposed brick wall offers a clever contrast and breaks up a smooth perfect finishing with the rough texturing. Surfaces need to be functional and non-staining, but mixing in some other materials can soften the overall look and help divide the room up into relaxation and cooking areas. Alternate the ceiling heights. To avoid an extension appearing like a rectangular box on the end of your home, think of using a variety of ceiling heights to create atmosphere within the space.

14. Contemporary Flat Roof Kitchen Extension

This kitchen extension by CDC Studio is a generously-sized flat roof addition that accommodates a new multi-functional family space. The architects worked to a brief that outlined the need for more space while still having functional zones that could be used however the family needed. The new addition, for example, can hold a 20-seater table for special occasions.

Photo: Richard Chivers

Complete with dramatic Douglas fir ceiling joists, a striking rooflight from Glazing Vision and sliding doors that provide unimpeded views to the garden, this contemporary kitchen extension elevates the Victorian home significantly. A Rockwool solution was used to insulate the Bauder single ply roof, too, which provides U-values of 0.15 W/m²K.

15. Small Kitchen Extension in Urban Area

The owners of this Putney home replaced a tired lean-to conservatory with a single storey, flat roof extension that wraps around the side return.

The design brief called for as much natural light as possible all year round, so the couple specified IDSystems’ theEDGE2.0 sliding glazed doors. The system’s ultra-slim intermediate frames, which measure just 20mm wide, enable the glass panels to be as large as possible. This  provides the home with bountiful light and a seamless connection with the garden space.

To enhance this, the doors were installed on an extended track to open into a pocket wall. This has helped to increase the amount of available floorspace for cabinets and the island unit. “Pocket sliding doors have become hugely popular because they overcome the only real drawback of these systems – namely the requirement to have a fixed frame for the panels to slide behind,” explains Edward Stobart, IDSystems’ sales manager.

16. Side Return Kitchen Extension Idea with a Glazed Roof

When drawing up your kitchen extension ideas, it’s important to make note of where you can maximise light. Architects Holland Green transformed this once-redundant side return into a luxurious kitchen space with an exciting glazed roof from IQ Glass.

Photo: Claire Williams

The glazed kitchen extension’s feature roof extends beyond 7m in length, allowing constant daylight to enter the space to create an open-feeling family zone that’s never dull or dark.

The project also makes use of three track glazed doors, also from IQ Glass, with slim sightlines of 21mm. These boast an unbroken threshold to create an awe-inspiring seamless transition between the house and garden.

17. Wow-Factor Glazed Kitchen Extension Design

This home has been upgraded with a structurally-impressive glazed kitchen extension, designed by Scenario Architecture. The addition replaces a once-tired conservatory and makes use of steel beams that span the width of the house in a unique alignment.

Each beam and column is finished with compact insulation to avoid thermal bridging whilst keeping a slender profile.

Photo: Matt Clayton

This rear extension has been meticulously designed to have a minimal impact on the original architectural character and appearance of the original property’s fabric, yet draws daylight right through the length of the ground floor.

18. Multi-Functional Family Kitchen-Diner Addition

This large kitchen-dining-living extension by Plus Rooms combines elements of the existing structure with a staggered back wall to subtly distinguish different zones.

A sleek sliding door, measuring 2.75m x 2.7m, and two folding doors at 4.6m x 2.7m and 2.1m x 2.7m (all in powder coated aluminium) were installed to provide multiple access points and capture the garden views. Frameless solar reflective skylights were installed in the flat roof structure.

19. Glass Box Kitchen Extension Idea

Looking for kitchen extension ideas for a traditional home? AR Design Studio created this ultra-modern glass rear extension, which delivers a bright new kitchen-dining-living hub to this period home. The contemporary zone opens up to the garden and sky through a collection of frameless glazed walls, doors and roofing.

The bright communal spaces of the kitchen extension contrast with the period home without disturbing its original character.

20. Sleek & Modern Open-Plan Kitchen Diner Design

This dilapidated Victorian house has been welcomed into the twenty-first century with a new kitchen extension and complete home refurbishment, masterminded by Oliver Leech Architects.

The home, which acts as a city pad for the Gloucestershire-based family, features a brand-new light and airy extension that’s been built into the homes unused side return. This holds a window seat, contemporary kitchen setup and comfy snug zone.

A neutral scheme characterises the new kitchen extension. It features exposed Dougals fir timber fins that find their structural properties turned into a design feature, alongside plaster walls, brushed copper worktops and concrete flooring that harmonise perfectly.

21. Traditional Home Upgraded with Open-Plan Kitchen Extension

Located in a conservation area near Peterborough, this home has been upgraded with an expansive yet sensitive addition. Studio McW was briefed to modernise the period dwelling through adding a multi-functional space that would allow the owners to enjoy all corners of the home’s plot.

Photo: Lorenzo Zandri

They drew on a kitchen extension idea that would feature an open-plan, L-shaped kitchen that doubles as a space for dining, living and socialising. A large concrete kitchen island takes centre stage, which is paired with sleek kitchen cabinets and an oak parquet flooring. Lofty vaulted ceilings comprised of painted exposed rafters lend the modern addition a barn-like charm, which helps the structure to blend nicely with the original build.

22. Light-Filled Kitchen Makeover

In this transformation of the rear of a Hertfordshire property by Atelier Architecture + Design, a new light and airy open-plan space has been created.

The single storey rear and side extension includes full length sliding glass doors, allowing there to be seamless connectivity with the outside and plenty of natural light to flood into the home. Modern fittings by Kitchen Matters and a neutral colour palette of warm greys and browns complete the scheme.

23. Kitchen Extension with an Industrial Edge

In this beautiful split level family home, the team at TAS Architects came up with a collection of kitchen extension ideas that would redefine the ground floor to create areas for relaxing, eating and entertaining, while retaining a feeling of unity. The project’s final design palette utilises varied textures. Steel frame doors join the inside and external zones.

24. Listed Home with a Wow-Factor Kitchen Extension

Think about how you’re going to add wow factor to your home when collating your kitchen extension ideas. This grade II listed property was formed of an amalgam of three parts constructed in different eras: the initial 15th century oak frame house, a Georgian facade and two Victorian wings to either side of the original structure. Ashton Porter Architects worked to complement this clear historical sequence with a fourth element that is unashamedly contemporary.

Slender steel framing, aluminium cladding, glazed white bricks and structural glass make up the kitchen extension, which is rotated away from the residence to frame the views into the valleys and Souths Downs. A floating aluminium and sedum roof finishes the scheme.

25. Multi-Storey Kitchen-Diner Extension with Striking Glazing

This house had been extensively modified in the 1980s. Studio Octopi was brought on board to design an extension, while recapturing and preserving the original proportions of the Georgian terrace building.

A 10m high glass infill addition forms a double height living room at the lowest level and a master ensuite on the upper level. An open tread stair allows views out while moving between levels. The new sections were clad in bricks that match the existing ones, improving visual connectivity with the main property.

26. Stand-Out Kitchen Extension with a Pivot Door

This newly-formed dining space has a modest footprint of 10m², but combined with a loft extension above creates a distinctive look. Filled with innovative ideas from architects Alma-nac, it transforms the rest of the house, too, allowing for layouts to be reconfigured and encouraging an abundance of light to flood in.

A 3m high glazed pivot door, protruding up from the sloping roof, creates a theatrical link with the rear garden, adding a sense of grandeur to the small yet practical London abode.

27. Kitchen Extension Idea with Expansive Glazed Roof

The owners of this London home wanted to create a large open-plan culinary space that was more sociable and took better advantage of the west-facing sun. Whiteman Architects came up with this kitchen extension idea, bringing light and space to the home.

The ceiling was used as a way of zoning the new room – a small section of overhead vaulting along the length of the addition creates an area for a kitchen-diner, which then wraps round into a larger vaulted ceiling for the living room. A full-width roof window enhances the sense of height and space while retaining the identity of the existing period property.

28. Sleek & Elegant Rear Extension

This grade II listed building, once plagued by heavy window frames, poor thermal performance, limited views and a leaking skylight, has been upgraded with an elegant, virtually-frameless glazed composition by Space Group Architects. The interior has been opened up to enable a better flow of light, function and circulation and new concrete finishes act as a surprisingly warm backdrop for the other materials within the scheme.

Inside the kitchen extension, a large stainless steel storage wall enables light to bounce back into the space. On the opposite side, a backlit etched glass wall conceals a larder under the stairs. To finish the look, bespoke oak joinery has been carefully inserted and wrapped around the newly created zones, softening the new addition’s overall feel.

29. 1950s Home Remodelled & Extended to Create a Spacious Kitchen-Diner

This late 1950s four bedroom semi has gained a large single storey full width rear kitchen extension along with a garage conversion. The contemporary style addition by Model Projects incorporates a new open-plan kitchen dining and family area leading out onto the rear terrace.

The addition features a flat roof with rooflights and full height glazing that maximises the views outside. A combination of grey brick and timber cladding externally breaks up the rear facade. The garage was replaced with a home gym, allowing for bike storage and a workout area.

30. Minimalist Kitchen Extension Design Idea

Previously, the rear garden of this Victorian terraced house was only accessible through a small doorway off a utility room. IBLA Architects removed the rear walls, existing bedrooms and staircase and relocated the kitchen downstairs from the upper level, adding a new plywood kitchen island.

The glazed infill side extension brings light into the middle of the floor plan and a new stair hides ample storage in the form of pull-out larder units, leading up to a family bathroom in place of the old culinary space.

31. Seamless & Modest Rear Extension

Feneley Studio completed this extensive renovation to a five bedroom home – extending it both horizontally and vertically. The remodelled staircase area is flooded with light and leads onto new bedrooms housed within the roof extension.

On the ground floor, the rear kitchen extension idea was designed to provide the family with a large social, cooking and dining area, with utility spaces hidden to the side. A polished concrete floor ensures a good flow between the different zones, and bespoke rooflights capture the morning and evening sun.

32. SIPs Kitchen Extension to a Victorian House

When Caroline and Gustavo Ordonez-Sanz bought this Victorian property, there was an existing two-storey extension to the rear but this required modernising. It featured an arched window opening, which proved to be important to the design of the overall property and was used to get light into the hallway.

The couple wanted to restore this original feature, so they planned to demolish the existing structure and build a new single-storey kitchen extension, incorporating their desired design features.

Photo: David Barbour

The single-storey extension has been constructed with structural insulated panels (SIPs), which ensures a speedy build and energy efficient space, and has been fit with complementing high performance windows and doors. The panels are also made in a factory and assembled on site, so the precise engineering helps to limit thermal bridging.

Amongst the statement roof glazing is a sedum roof, which has ecological benefits in terms of water attenuation and increased biodiversity.

33. Georgian Home Uplifted with Kitchen Extension

David Blaikie Architects was challenged to create a new cooking/eating area that formed a link between the basement storey and the small east facing garden of this traditional Georgian home.

The team controlled the transition from historic building through to the outside space by retaining one of the original outhouses and creating a new addition, with a sequential internal arrangement so that the use of the building changes as you move through towards the garden.

34. Sympathetic Kitchen Extension Idea with Wow-Factor Glazing

The Old Rectory used to be a nursing home in the 1980s but its structure dates back to the Victorian times. It was completely dilapidated and in desperate need of an overhaul until a family spotted the build’s potential.

Photo: FRENCH + TYE

They commissioned Gruff Architects to transform the interior and demolish the rear addition, replacing it with a new, contemporary structure. The rear elevation holds a spacious kitchen-diner perfectly suited to modern family living, establishing a great connection between the home and garden.

Photo: FRENCH + TYE

Light floods the extension through arched and pill-shaped glazing – by IQ Glass – which references the home’s period design details, such as the grand hallway arcs.