45 Galley Kitchens That Are the Epitome of Shipshape

This kitchen, part of an early Frank Gehry–designed house, offers a study in harmonious contrasts; a ceiling of bare wooden planks commingles well with concrete floors and stainless steel appliances. Proof that Gehry’s comparatively aggressive deconstructivism needn’t be at odds with comfortable living.

When Caterina Fabrizio, the second-generation co-owner of her family’s textile house, Dedar, came across the ground-floor flat of a neoclassical 1930s villa, she fell in love with its double-​height ceilings and generous full-length windows, but the narrow galley kitchen was smaller than envisioned. Her solution? Drench it in bright firehouse-red-lacquered cabinets that make a statement and make the most of the small layout.

Just because you have a small kitchen doesn’t mean you can’t adorn it with items you love and use on a regular basis. This dreamy setup in a Hollywood Hills abode, courtesy of ELLE DECOR A-List designer Garrett Hunter, is playful and replete with unexpected touches like the Ming dynasty table, Spanish majolica pendant, and mismatched bohemian prints on the walls. Let loose a little and create a kitchen you actually want to see every day.

When it comes to kitchen design, Joe Lucas adheres to his own golden rule. “No white kitchens,” Lucas explains. “Before, the cabinets were all white… so we immediately painted them.” This high-gloss galley kitchen—elevated with a splash of blue bird–blue—in Lucas and David Heikka’s sunny California home proves the timeless appeal of blue cabinets. This blue kitchen is always azure to impress!

This high-in-the-sky kitchen, located 821 feet above TriBeCa, features vertiginous floor-to-ceiling cabinetry in a shade that matches the blue sky just beyond. Our favorite detail? The kitchen island houses the stovetop for ultimate space optimization that is honing all the galley-style vibes at no expense to openness.

Remember when we said navy cabinets are bold? Enter: this vivid green wonder, which takes 2024’s “Brat summer” trend and absolutely runs with it. The home of an artist practically demands riskiness in its aesthetic identity, and Julie Polidoro’s Roman apartment is a case in point. Polidoro tells us she “went for a greengrass that reminds one, in a subliminal way, of where our food comes from.”

This isn’t your run-of-the-mill tile mosaic and sunshine-yellow kitchen! The cabinetry in the pictured Hamptons cooking space is intentionally made of ebony-stained ash, while the counters are decked out in a carbon gray stone. Designer Eve Robinson framed and contextualized light neutrals (like the overhead oak paneling you see) with dark surroundings throughout the whole home—so that it never, ever feels too predictable.

The color palette of this kitchen is oh-so-soft and was actually inspired by Prada stores! It’s not all eye candy though, trust us: Couple Daniel Cole and Nick Grinder, with the help of architecture and interiors firm Studio DB, ensured the small space was both integrated and insulated. This was achieved through the addition of porthole windows, inserted into the dual pocket doors that separate the kitchen from the rest of the apartment.

These stainless steel shelves, bought by designer Timothy Brown from a restaurant supply store, would be 100 percent approved by the entire cast of The Bear. They’re a less conventional choice than, say, millwork ones, but are more resistant to the wear and tear that inevitably comes from cheffing it up 365 days a year.

The blue-stained pine kitchen in this Brooklyn triplex is more like a galley kitchen that has been stretched out across one wall—but there are lessons to be learned from this similarly compact setup. Observe the one feature that is cropping up in kitchens more and more: open shelving. Keep all your essentials just an arm’s reach away with a fixture that showcases your finest culinary treasures. It makes for a cooking space that is as pretty as it is functional—that is, if you keep the shelves as uncluttered as possible.

Just because a galley kitchen has limited square footage doesn’t mean it can’t be a multipurpose space. In his Milan apartment, Dimorestudio’s Emiliano Salci placed a petite bistro table and chairs by the window, making the kitchen an even more high-trafficked room. Dinner with a view? Yes, please.

Want your galley kitchen to pull double duty? Turn your countertops into an island by scooting a few chairs on the opposite side. Augusta Hoffman’s East Village home nails the look with the help of three woven stools.

There was nothing that designer Angie Hranowsky could do on the inside of this Maine vacation house to compete with the view overlooking the Atlantic Ocean and Crockett Cove. So taking her cues from the original architect, Emily Muir, she didn’t try. Here in the kitchen, she simply added a fresh coat of paint to the kitchen cabinets and covered the counters with new sheets of Formica. In this rustic-yet-colorful galleylike space, we’d wager that nothing further is required.

Ahh, mirrors: the quintessential element needed to make any room feel twice as big as it is IRL. The mirrored kitchen wall here, designed by L’Artigianato, provides just that kind of effect and pairs especially well with the moody, dark color scheme. The kitchen is in an 1890s Milanese apartment, so it deserves to be a little dramatic.

This kitchen, in a West Village townhouse, literally says: Let there be light! While petite in size, the space’s skylights instill it with just the right level of brightness—moderated as it is by the monochromatic color palette. Stargazing while cooking late-night pesto pasta is in your near future.

The kitchen in this Los Angeles home may be small, but its practical spatial solutions and custom redwood materials create a homey culinary space that punches above its weight. The oven and dishwasher are by Miele, and the sink fittings are by Vola.