Get our opinion on some of the kitchen design elements you may be considering
Are you building a new home, or considering remodeling your old one? Naturally you want to create a look that will stand the test of time. Here are our ideas on the most important design elements to embrace or avoid for a beautiful kitchen.
Embrace
Open Layout: At this point, it’s hard to imagine going back to the boxy, enclosed living spaces you often find in homes of decades past. Open concept is here to stay, especially for the kitchen. For many people, the kitchen is the new family room—but this only works if you have a large, open kitchen with space for informal dining and comfortable seating for just hanging out.
White Cabinetry: You simply can’t go wrong with white cabinetry. White forms the perfect backdrop for virtually any style, and it is so easy to change the look depending on what types and colors of accent pieces you put on display.
Pendant Lights: If you have a kitchen island, pendant lights are practically a must-have. They help to fill the vertical space in your open-concept kitchen and make any island seating more inviting.
Smart Storage: Stuffing your kitchen with cabinetry is no longer on-trend. Many designers are taking down the upper cabinets entirely, opting for open shelving instead or even for a blank wall. So as you design your new kitchen cabinetry, consider how much storage you really need and then work to maximize it. Items you don’t use regularly could be stored in a pantry or dining room hutch instead of a cabinet.
Avoid
Naked Windows: The tendency towards a more minimalist look in the kitchen has led some people to eschew window treatments entirely. And while you certainly don’t want anything flouncy or dated, simple, understated shades or blinds are actually more practical than naked windows that can let in blinding afternoon light or peeping toms.
Kitchen Desk: A built-in kitchen desk for paying bills and such is a dying trend. Most people work on laptops these days, so there’s no real need for a dedicated workstation. Get rid of your desk and give yourself more storage or work space.
Wall-Mounted Microwave: Whether you put the microwave over the wall oven or over the range, it’s going to look like something from a different decade. Now, it is much more popular to put the microwave in a specially-designed cabinet or drawer.
Concrete Countertops: While this is an emerging trend that is popular now, you may want to avoid jumping on the bandwagon. Concrete countertops may complement the industrial look some designers are embracing right now, but they can be expensive to install because your cabinets must be reinforced to withstand their weight. Plus, they require a lot of maintenance.
Recent Comments