What Style Is Your Dream Kitchen?
Many people feel a little lost when it comes to defining the style of their new kitchen. Some people know what they like but are afraid of getting the terms wrong, or they might be afraid of being pigeon-holed into one style when they’re in between one or another. When it comes down to it, most spaces have elements of different styles and aren’t all one way.
When looking to re-style or renovate your kitchen, it is a huge help to be familiar with different looks. So here are a few defining elements and trends of each kitchen style, to help you shape your dream kitchen. Classic, traditional, modern or contemporary design, what styles will your kitchen be?
Contemporary
Contemporary style refers to the designs of the moment or the design of ‘right now’ – it’s trendy, and usually modern.
Bold splashback options
In a contemporary kitchen there is often a lot of pattern when it comes to back tiles. This means, you can have a neutral kitchen, and with the addition of a fun tiles, can move your kitchen from modern to contemporary.
Glass tiles are a favourite, as are mosaic, stone and ceramic. Contemporary kitchens often express personality and let homeowners really express themselves through the use of different materials, and the splashback is a great place to do that.
Cutting-edge appliances
Now it’s all about sleek, stylish and high-functioning electronics in the world of appliances: built-in coffee makers, high-performance hoods, induction cooktops and more. With many bold colours of appliances available, why not use appliances to add another touch of personality to your kitchen.
Bar stools and decorative lighting
The use of texture and pattern really moves a modern kitchen into a contemporary kitchen. The bold, whimsical lighting and bar stools add another layer of personality to the kitchen without overwhelming the space.
Modern
Modern refers to the design touches of the early to mid-20th century that broke with the traditional styles before the Industrial Revolution.
Lack of Ornamentation
Always a signature of modern, this is often where contemporary and modern stop being similar. Whereas you might see patterned tile shapes or multiple materials with texture, colour and patina in a contemporary kitchen, you wont see much of that in a modern kitchen.
Consistency in style of accent pieces
Accents like lighting, tables, chairs and bar stools all have to be considered when designing a kitchen. In a modern kitchen these elements will stay consistent rather than deviate like you’d see in an eclectic kitchen. The pieces here show simple, clean lines and lack of ornamentation.
This means sleek bar stools and pendant lights.
Emphasis on horizontal lines
You might not notice at first, but many modern kitchens share a tendency toward the horizontal: long, wide lines, stacks of drawer cabinets lined in a row, hardware set long and horizontal to accentuate the lines of the drawers.
Industrial elements
There’s something about the raw elements of industrial details that are intensely modern. This might mean exposed brick, or a cement wall, or even industrial style kitchen appliances.
Classic
White Marble Countertops
Are you a lover of a beautiful marble? Then a classic kitchen is for you. Marble bench tops are often the focal point of a classic kitchen. Although there can be maintenance issues with marble, with the right care and consideration your marble bench tops can be a statement and perfect addition to a classic kitchen. Granite or engineered stone are also great options as well as acrylic.
Natural Palettes
Classic kitchens don’t have to be all white. Alternative palettes like brown and white or black and white also find their way into classic kitchen design. Here, walnut cabinets, white benchtops and classic door style have all the elements of a classic kitchen.
White or Cream Cabinetry and White Subway Tiles
Classic kitchens are known for being timeless, yet fresh. White and cream cabinets combined with a classic subway tiles match perfectly to this description. Subway tiles can be any size and texture. Tiles can be glossy, crackle, bevelled or square edged, handmade or machine made, or even in white marble, all these factors can really change the look of your kitchen, as can the grout colour.
As for the cabinetry, the classic look is very simple door styles, which are not too modern, but at the same time not too ornate.
Traditional
Architectural details
Traditional kitchens focus on the details in all areas. There’s a little bit of embellishment or adornment everywhere you look. This means arches, mouldings, framed and raised cabinets, and chandeliers. Because of this it’s important that the area doesn’t end up feeling too cluttered, this means making your kitchen look more layered than overbearing.
Apron-front or Butlers sinks
Another name for these trendy sinks are farmhouse sinks, because they look as if they are pulled straight from, well, a farm house. Although they are very popular in a traditional kitchen, you’ll also regularly find them in a classic kitchen.
Luxury Counter-top materials
Natural stone, engineered stone and even acrylic are ideal choices for traditional kitchen bench tops, this leaves the kitchen looking simultaneously luxurious and old-timey.
Decorative Lighting
The lighting you’ll find in a traditional kitchen is usually what you’d expect to find in a dining room. It’s bold and extravagant chandeliers or lantern-style lights.