Best Kitchen Design & Remodeling Books

Remodeling is no easy task and it’s especially grueling for new homeowners. Undergoing a complete kitchen remodel takes a thick skin and serious compromise.

But whether you’re completely gutting the kitchen or just re-designing some cabinets, the books in this post are sure to help you get through the process.

All of these books are worth checking out because they each take kitchen remodeling with a totally different perspective. Not to mention the photos in each book are sure to give you some cool ideas.

Everything And The Kitchen Sink

Everything And The Kitchen Sink takes a cheerful look at kitchen remodeling from the ground up. It discusses the entire process with advice on how to pick the right materials and design accents.

This reads very much like an intro book or a “for dummies” book where the contents are incredibly basic. If you’ve never done any kitchen remodeling before this would be a nice starting point.

But don’t expect this to cover everything in only 200 pages!

Most of the value comes from the many awesome photos you get in each chapter. I would definitely consider this an inspirational book over anything else, but there are practical design tips littered throughout these pages too.

Affordable Kitchen Upgrades

Nobody wants to go broke trying to renovate their kitchen. But how do you know which items are worth spending on vs which are okay to go cheaper?

Reading through Affordable Kitchen Upgrades you’ll find some great tips on redesigning your kitchen without breaking the bank. This book features advice from a handful of professional contractors and remodelers who have decades of combined experience in the field.

Another nice thing in this book is the DIY mentality. There’s no denying that you can always save more money by doing the work yourself.

I covered a lot more DIY-type books in my home renovation list but this one specifically targets the kitchen.

Each chapter delves deep into a specific area from countertops to tiling and appliances. For anyone working on a budget this book will prove immensely useful.

Kitchen Ideas That Work

Pro kitchen designer Beth Veillette wrote this book as a resource for homeowners who want to understand all their options.

Kitchen Ideas That Work is pretty large with 230 pages of design styles, materials, and suggestions for renovations. The book assumes you’re only tackling one project at a time so it covers each area individually.

This is great for homeowners on a budget who can’t completely gut the kitchen all at once. Cabinetry, lighting, countertops, bar stools, sinks, everything gets covered in great detail with suggestions along the way.

Take a look over this book and see what you think. It offers a nice mix of design advice along with DIY/remodeling advice that go very well together.

BHG Kitchen and Bath Renovation Guide

The team at Better Homes and Gardens publish a lot of great books. I usually recommend them when I can because the quality is so impressive.

BHG Kitchen and Bath Renovation Guide mixes a combo of kitchens and bathrooms together. Since this doesn’t directly pertain to the kitchen you may not feel compelled to pick it up.

But let me say the photos inside are absolutely gorgeous and sure to inspire your decorating side.

The first two chapters talk about the basics of a redesign like setting a budget and defining your goals. The authors include a few before & after projects to help you gather ideas for your own home.

Plus the topics break down nicely explaining unique design concepts like floor plans, storage, and building spaces that work with your day-to-day routine.

This Old House Easy Upgrade Kitchens

Everyone knows This Old House since it’s practically a staple of American culture. They publish a lot of great materials with books on DIY projects and home design.

Easy Upgrade Kitchens offers trustworthy advice from editors of the This Old House magazine.

One thing to note about this book is the semi-misleading title. I wouldn’t call many of these upgrade ideas “easy”. A lot of them suggest tearing down walls or expanding kitchens further off the house.

Will these upgrades look amazing? Of course. But can the average person afford these projects? Debatable.

Still I recommend this book because it’s full of smaller gems you may not have considered for a remodeling project.

Kitchen Idea Book

I’m a grade-A sucker for home idea books. I love a beautiful interior and I’m always grabbing these books to improve my mental library of ideas.

The Kitchen Idea Book by Joanne Bouknight is one of my personal favorites. With 220 pages and hundreds of photos this book is sure to inspire any homeowner to look around their kitchen and start planning some new decor.

While reading you’ll notice this book is very easy to consume and it’s well organized from start to finish. The first chapter explains kitchen layout & style, two very important points that apply to any kitchen design.

But as you go further you’ll find larger ideas for structures like kitchen islands, shelving, and breakfast nooks.

Absolutely one of my favorite design guides for kitchen work. Grab a copy if your kitchen needs some serious TLC.

House Beautiful Kitchens

Another popular interior magazine is House Beautiful which publishes many books just like BHG. The House Beautiful Kitchens guide is absolutely massive with 330+ pages and hundreds of great ideas.

In this book you’ll learn more about styles and matching colors, textures, and materials together.

This feels much more like a decorator’s guide to re-doing a kitchen with some pizzazz. The photos are simply stunning and you’ll find dozens of cool styles littered between these pages.

Ideas like space, rhythm, balance, color, and mood are all discussed at length. Anyone aspiring to learn more about home decorating should keep this book nestled nearby.

Small Kitchen Solutions

We can’t all have massive spacious homes with endless cabinetry. Sometimes you have to work with a kitchen that’s a little smaller than most, but luckily you can still have a beautiful design even with less space.

Small Kitchen Solutions has tons of published kitchen galleries with ideas for smaller spaces.

You’ll learn how to map your kitchen for “crunch zones” that might be too tight or make the room feel even smaller. With the right decorating approach you can really open up a small kitchen and reclaim that space.

Most chapters talk about decorating and simple redesigning on a budget. However the last chapter touches upon some DIY tasks like installing a new kitchen sink or making your own cabinets from scratch.

Renovate Your Kitchen The Smart Way

When you’ve never done a home renovation before it can feel like the toughest job in the world. But surviving and staying on-budget while getting your dream kitchen is possible.

Renovate Your Kitchen The Smart Way is a super cheap intro to kitchen renovation. It’s a shorter book with only 120 pages but it comes with a lot of practical DIY knowledge.

While reading through each chapter you’ll pick up a general framework you can follow for a simple remodeling job. This applies to all kitchens and all budgets so the knowledge is truly universal.

Just note this isn’t really a detailed guide to the specifics of remodeling. It’s very much a beginner’s guide to planning and structuring their new kitchen.

Still it’s a nice read and certainly won’t break the bank so if you’re curious check it out.

The Kitchen Bible

With over 250 photos and dozens of kitchen designs I have to say The Kitchen Bible is one of the best books on kitchen design.

Through visuals you’ll pick up on design trends you never even noticed before. This can help you understand more about the renovation process and how to plan a kitchen that works well for your home.

Plus with each kitchen design you get to dig into their process learning about materials, the workload, and how the project was ultimately completed.

I do not think everyone will enjoy this book only because it’s not very detailed. It’s much more of an idea book for homeowners who want to plan a beautiful kitchen from scratch.

But regardless of what you want in a dream kitchen I know these books can help you make it a reality.