3 Styles To Inspire Your Kitchen Upgrade
Revamping the kitchen remains a popular remodeling trend in 2014.
There are different levels of remodeling that can occur in the kitchen. Some homeowners may take part in a major kitchen overhaul as part of a large remodeling project. But according to the 2014 Houzz & Home Survey, more homeowners are choosing to keep their existing footprint and home size. They are choosing to update the interior of their kitchen for better aesthetics and function.
Today, we are going to take a look at three popular kitchen styles, with products and design ideas to insipre your kitchen remodel.
The Modern Makeover
Modern kitchen styles feature clean lines, less seams, and superb functionality for a sophisticated yet minimalist look.
Cabinets
Modern kitchen cabinet styles may not be flashy, but they are tastefully designed and the overall sense of organization and function is so apparent. You can replicate this with International recognized Kitchen company Bulthaup.
Opt for monochromatic wood cabinets and islands. Natural and neutral tones like beige, gray and white remain the most popular colors because of their understated elegance, and to act as a versatile backdrop for the overall design.
Veneer style wood cabinets, indicative of a mid-century modern look, show off the interesting color and grain of the wood if you want something a bit more “flashy”.
Keep cabinet hardware to a minimum. If you do add it, choose simple symmetricl designs, versus those intricately styled, to maintain the modern look.
Countertops
Engineered Quarts countertops are a great choice for the modern kitchen.
While all countertops will have some degree of variation, because the material is engineered, it provides greater color consistency when compared to other countertop options, like granite. US Based Silestone has a variety of great colors from which to choose.
If you are going for a modern kitchen design that leans more industrial, consider stainless steel for your countertops.
Wood Floors
Despite the somewhat consistent design of most modern kitchen cabinets and countertops, wood floors remain a versatile backdrop to the overall design.
Some kitchens will feature more trendy gray, driftwood style flooring. Others may maintain a neutral tone. Very dark wood floors are also extremely popular, although they require more frequent cleaning due to the dark color. Choose floors with a more subtle grain. For example, choose Quartersawn Oak floors as opposed to Plainsawn Oak or floors with a naturally subtle grain like Cherry wood floors.
Appliances
Because the modern kitchen is all about consistency, consider fully integrated wood facing refrigerators that can be designed to match the rest of your kitchen.
See examples at Liebherr.
Endless Inspiration for the Floor of Your Dreams
GET DESIGN BOOKA Traditional Approach
If you are neither flashy nor rustic you may be leaning toward a more traditional kitchen design.
Cabinetry
Traditional kitchen cabinetry will feature more timeless designs like shaker style or raised panel.
Oak cabinetry remains popular, especially given the variety of natural finishes that can be applied. But white painted cabinetry has become quite popular as well. Beadboard adds a touch of craftsmanship to the backside of the island.
Wrought iron cabinetry hardware adds to the traditional look, but bronze is also making a comeback in 2014.
Countertops
When you think of countertop options for your traditional kitchen, granite and wood butcher blocks are going to be a great choice.
If you are using an island, you can even use granite on the perimeter counters and a butcher block on all, or a portion of the island, to add variety to the overall design, and incorporate more natural wood.
Wood Floors
Pine flooring and Oak wood flooring are going to be the top two flooring styles for a traditional kitchen.
Eastern White Pine flooring is ideal for historic restoration or reproduction era kitchens, especially those along the Eastern seaboard. Long Leaf Heart Pine flooring provides a Southern Plantation look, hailing from the South in areas like Alabama. Wide Plank oak floors are perfect for a traditional kitchen, especially if you prefer a hardwood floor. Keep in mind they have a more prominent grain no matter what stain you choose.
Appliances
If you are creating a traditional style kitchen look for legacy appliance styles with detailed front doors, knobs, and overall design, versus the traditional flat front appliance.
AGA has a variety of appliances that suit this style.
Eclectic Escape
Perhaps no kitchen is more fun to design than one that is eclectic. After all, anything goes!
Cabinetry
For the eclectic kitchen, don’t be afraid to mix up your cabinet styles. In this Atlanta home you see glass-facing cabinetry on the upper levels, and raised panel cabinetry on the oversized island.
Note the combination of colors in the cabinetry – white painted cabinets around the perimeter and light gray on the island.
Countertops
For eclectic kitchens color consistency may not be as much of a concern. In this case, granite or marble countertops are the perfect product because they feature a dynamic, and sometime unpredictable, range of colors.
Wood Flooring
The final color of your wood flooring will depend on your overall color scheme, but the aesthetics and texture of your floor should feature characteristics that let people know it is a “real wood floor”.
This includes wider planks, ideally in a random width to minimize the consistent look. You may want to consider distressed wood flooring for this same reason. The natural character of the wood – color variation, knots, and grain patterns – should also be embraced.
Appliances
From the range vent, appliances and abundant shelving, stainless Steel is abounding in this kitchen. But it pairs nicely with the farmhouse style dining room table and chairs.
When it comes to an eclectic kitchen you can go with traditional stainless steel, as seen here, or why not opt for something a little more colorful with appliances in your favorite color. See examples from BlueStar.
General Guidelines
Designing a new kitchen takes time. It can be a challenge to coordinate all the various components.
Here are a few guidelines to keep in mind:
- Don’t try to 100% match your cabinets and your floors. It will never happen. Opt for complimentary colors instead.
- Design your floors at least 8″ or wider. Your floor will look better and your room will look less busy with wide plank floor boards.
- Remember, hardware is permanant.
- Don’t just choose a countertop from the aesthetics of one sample. Understand the pro’s and con’s of each option and the potential variation of color. Here’s a guide from Houzz that can help.
- Make sure you know how you WANT TO cook in your kitchen so you know what kind of appliances you will need.
- Take the time to plan out your desired functionality and storage options