Large, airy, and light-filled kitchen extensions are fast becoming one of the most sought-after features in modern homes. Not only do they open up a space, maximising and adding square footage to a property, they also create a more open plan layout and flood a home with natural daylight. Modern rear extensionstransform formerly cramped kitchens and lean-tos into the heart of the home, creating inviting modern spaces for living, dining and entertaining. It's no wonder kitchen extensions are one of the mostpopular home improvement projects. These gorgeous Crittall style rear extensions are full of great ideas, from expandinginto side returns and gardens to adding sky lights to help bring in more natural light. Fabulously tall floor-to-ceiling storage and low-hanging pendant lights make the most of dramatic new ceiling heights while installingbi-fold doors helps merge the indoor and outdoor spaces. Get inspired by these modern kitchen extension ideas...

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Old Meets New

Old Meets New

This kitchen extension is thoroughly modern, while still complementing the original Victorian terrace bones.

Old Meets New

Old Meets New

This kitchen extension is thoroughly modern, while still complementing the original Victorian terrace bones.

Upside Down

Upside Down

This kitchen extension is actually upstairs on the top floor. Up here, flow-through spaces, natural tones and contemporary art keep things open and easy. Everywhere in this home, materials are seen at their simplest and best – from the pitted surface of Victorian brickwork to the sections of smooth concrete in the dining area. This space leads on to a roof terrace. Frondy plants and large-scale glazing add to the feeling of openness. The dining table was repainted to give it a crisp, dark silhouette. Get the look: Dining table, Ikea. CH36 dining chairs, Hans J Wegner for Carl Hansen & Søn at The Conran Shop. Pendant, Cox & Cox

Inside Out

Inside Out

Floor-to-ceiling sliding doors add light, width and height in the kitchen and dining area, making the whole space feel like part of the garden. Light wood Wishbone chairs and a modern dining table add to the crisp and bright aesthetic. Get the look: The Konstantine dining table is from Living Space. These are Hans J Wegner’s Wishbone chairs for Carl Hansen & Søn from The Conran Shop.

Glass Panels

Glass Panels

Floor-to-ceiling glass panels ushern in incredible light – you almost feel as if you’re outside.The sky light illuminates the dining area. Get the look:This is the Bolt table by Amode.The Eames DSW chairs are by Vitra. The rattan hanging chair is from Scandinavian Design Centre. The polished-concrete floor is by Lazenby.

Garden View

Garden View

Glass features prominently on this ground floor, with an internal window pulling light from the south-facing garden into the dining and living rooms. It means you can keep an eye on the children while cooking, and enjoy the garden from the living area, without seeing kitchen mess.

Double Height

Double Height

Double-height ceilings and a glazed façade create anawe-inspiring new kitchen.The chandelier was painted bright pink for a modern look. Get the look: The kitchen units are from Krieder and are finished in sprayed lacquer, with worktops in Corian and banana leaf veneer. The walls are painted in Farrow & Ball’s Charleston Gray estate emulsion. These are Argento Larch porcelain planks from Mandarin Stone. This is the Josef armchair from Swoon Editions. These are Jerry dining chairs by Habitat.

Pivot

Pivot

Despite being on the lower ground floor, this kitchen dining extension is a surprisingly light space, with iconic design shapes set against pale timber cladding and flush cabinetry, black-framed glazing and seamless terrazzo flooring.A pivoting door leads out into the garden and helps provide end-to-end natural light, while designer lights add illumination. Toys, games and the stuff of family life are stored in the run of handleless cabinets. Get the look: The table is a bespoke design by Clayton Cabinets. The Mobile chandelier and Tube wall light are by Michael Anastassiades. The dining chairs are vintage Mart Stam for Thonet. The concealed storage is by Tamzin Greenhill Designs, made by Grovecourt.

Pitched Roof

Pitched Roof

Everything about the kitchen extension, from the full-width glazing to the additional windows in the pitched roof, is designed to bring in as much light as possible.A chunky chandelier would have been too heavy above the table. The Ingo Maurer paper light gives the size without the weight. Get the look: These are Oka chairs reupholstered in Christian Lacroix Butterfly Parade in Opalin from Designers Guild.

Open Plan

Open Plan

The dining area is in the new extension, which has opened out the interior, creating a fluid link between the inside and the garden, where the yew hedge has been scaled back to let in more light.The garden can be viewed through steel-framed windows in the live-and-eat-in kitchen, with its leather, felt and hide furnishings.This contemporary extension with Crittall-style doors features a quirky mix of styles; Scandinavian, industrial, with a dash of glamour, while still conserving the traditional feel of the house and preserving period details. Get the look: The flooring is by Dinesen. The bespoke dining table is by Benchmark. These are CH24 Wishbone chairs by Hans J Wegner for Carl Hanson & Søn at The Conran Shop.

Living Extension

Living Extension

You often see a beautiful kitchen extension that makes the living room redundant, as everyone loves the new area so much. Not so here. This layout features an inviting and informal living area within the kitchen and dining extension. Get the look: This is the Branagh ottoman from Made.com. Source a similar sofa at The Conran Shop. The rug is from West Elm. The print is by South African artist William Kentridge – find his work at artspace.com.

A Little Goes A Long Way

A Little Goes A Long Way

This open-plan layout is perfect for entertaining. The extension only adds a few extra feet, but with glass ceiling panels and floor to ceiling glass doors, it not only floods the kitchen with light, it also helps create a bigger and more generous sense of space. Get the look: The cabinetry and worktops are from Roundhouse. These are Midas bar stools from Rockett St George. The Amp pendants by Simon Legald for Normann Copenhagen are from nest.co.uk. The oak herringbone flooring is from Siberian Floors. This is the Psychedelic Cactus coat stand by Paul Smith for Gufram.

Modern Rustic

Modern Rustic

This living room has been opened up to introduce more light and connect the inside with the garden.The inside and outside merges in this new extension, where the comfortable window seat is an ideal spot to perch and chat. Furnishings are spare, but not spartan, with pieces – such as the vintage leather sofa and the bench designed by Pinch – chosen for warmth and texture.Natural textures, light, honest materials; that more or less sums up the style of this calm sanctuary. Get the look: This is the Lars sofa by Bonaldo at Go Modern. The Be Modern Ohio solid-fuel stove at B&Q is similar. The flooring is by Dinesen.

Crittall Style

Crittall Style

A grid of über-chic Crittall-style glazing is a masterstroke in this living room extension. They exude a feeling of modernity that gives older heirlooms and vintage finds a bit of a “lift”.In the summer, these doors tend to stay wide open for most of the weekend, but on cooler evenings, they’re brilliant at keeping the house warmly insulated. Get the look: The windows are by Steel Window Service. The sideboard is vintage Ercol, bought on eBay. The flooring is from Jordan’s Wood Flooring.

Sky Light

Sky Light

Sky lights prevent this corridor and corner of the kitchen from feeling dark or cramped. Get the look: The extension was created by MK Architects. The flooring is from Parquet Flooring.

Textural

Textural

Lush velvets and a texture-rich wall covering help soften the sharp edges of the metal-framed glazing. The ordered mood of the black-framed glazing is matched by the clean, sleek lines of the super-wide floorboards. The floor was inspired by Dinesen’s Douglas fir flooring at the Saatchi Gallery. This more budget-friendly alternative in oak means it can run through the entire ground floor and up the stairs for a seamless flow.The coffee table is made from a galvanised water tank which is brilliantly robust and can take kids sitting on it, even jumping off it. Get the look: The windows are by Steel Window Service. The coffee table and antler side table were found at Antiques by Design. The sideboard is vintage Ercol, bought on eBay. The floor lamp is from Rockett St George. The flooring is from Jordan’s Wood Flooring.

Industrial

Industrial

Bricks were salvaged from the demolition of the building’s interior to create the wall of the side extension. Similarly, the wood ceiling joists are left exposed, giving an indication of how the structure fits together. Ceiling joists are left exposed, both to reveal the structure of the property and to create extra height. Get the look: The Terence Woodgate sofa is upholstered in a Kvadrat fabric. The Crawford coffee table and Corona oak side table are from Swoon Editions. The artwork behind the sofa is Exodus IX by Marcus Lyon.

Garden views

Garden views

Garden views are uninterrupted thanks to the floor to ceiling windows. Get the look: Table, Cattelan Italia. Chairs, Camerich. Murano pendants, 1stdibs. Tree, The White Company. Baubles, Habitat.

Lotte Brouwer

Lotte is the Digital Editor for Livingetc, and has been with the website since its launch. She has a background in online journalism and writing for SEO, with previous editor roles at Good Living, Good Housekeeping, Country & Townhouse, and BBC Good Food among others, as well as her own successful interiors blog. When she's not busy writing or tracking analytics, she's doing up houses, two of which have features in interior design magazines. She's just finished doing up her house in Wimbledon, and is eyeing up Bath for her next project.