It seems like (at least in our homes) that the kitchen is the heart of the house. It’s where people gather and where we end up spending a lot of time. And such, you want yours to look nice. Here are some modern kitchen design ideas that can help.
1. Handle-Less Cabinets
Years ago you would’ve never seen a kitchen cabinet without some sort of knob or handle. It just wasn’t done – how would you open the cabinet without one anyways? But now, in the age of technology and more advanced/modern cabinetry materials, we’re seeing a more streamlined cabinet design. IKEA, for example, offers sets of cabinets that are completely flat on the front. To open them you press in, and that unlocks the mechanism. To close them, you just shut them as usual. Aside from the tension-clasp cabinets we also see choices that have a ridge on the bottom or the side of the door. That way your fingers have something to grasp onto, but the front of the cabinet is still flat. If you think you can keep them clean, we recommend going for white or black (black matte, if you’re brave) in this trend. Yes, you’ll have to clean off fingerprints more often, but there aren’t any details that are hard to clean/clean around. If you’re looking for a modern kitchen or just a smoother sight line, this is the way to go.
2. Color Accent Pieces
Have you ever seen (in person) one of those monochromatic pink or green 50’s kitchens? Or maybe you’ve seen a photo of one on the internet? That’s what most people think of when it comes to colored appliances. But don’t worry – the trend isn’t for everything in your kitchen to match. Thankfully we can leave that trend almost 70 years in the past. Instead, the trend is to have one color accent piece, like your stove and range. The rest of the kitchen stays in traditional colors, like woods or vinyl (like the kind of cabinets above). Instead of using that color for everything under the sun, you pull your accent color through in things like kitchen towels and placemats. If you’re opting for our next trend, you can find bowls, plates, or dishes in that color as well. The idea is to have the accent piece be a focal point in the kitchen, but not the only thing you can focus on. These color ranges are usually a little more expensive. They come in retro-like styles or a full commercial kitchen type range. There are plenty of benefits to having more power on a stove than you need, so we’d recommend the latter. This trend is modern, but with a twist.
3. Open Shelving
We’re seeing open shelving more and more when it comes to interior design in 2019. It doesn’t mean that you can’t have regular cabinets, but that you replace some of them with open shelving. Why is open shelving so trendy? It gives more space to the room and has a very calming organizational quality to it. When you can see the things you have, you know what you do and don’t need more easily. Most people store matching things on their open shelves, like plates, dishes, or pantry staples in cute containers. Like we said in the point above they’re a great way to feature color or even a pattern in your kitchen. When it comes to materials, you really can’t go wrong. Matchy-matchy to the color of your cabinets is fine, but so is a contrasting element, like naturally treated wood. Some people choose to do monochrome in the sense of materials but add a patterned or colored backsplash behind the shelving. What and how you choose to display your goods is up to you. Just make sure you’re committed to keeping it organized. If you don’t put things back where they go, this trend will go from mesmerizing to messy, real quick.
4. Kitchen Island Accents
If you have a kitchen island in your kitchen, what does the back or plain side of it look like? It’s probably the same material as the rest of the island base, right? Well, why make it boring (or cohesive) like that? You can transform a pre-existing island by jazzing up the plain side. This may mean adding some decorative tile to it or painting it with an accent color. Some people go even bolder, by adding gold metal tiling or gold leaf accents. This is a fun way to add some color to your kitchen without spending a large amount of money. If you really want to go for the gold, you’ll get a new countertop for that island as well.
5. Noteworthy Light Fixtures
Most of us have the same type of light fixtures in our kitchen. There’s whatever overhead light we bought our house with and some sort of small but decorative hanging light over the island. Well, we have some news for you. Subtle is out and conversation pieces are in. Why not upgrade those tiny accent lights for something 5 times their size? Who says that chandeliers are for dining rooms and not for kitchens? As long as you can adjust the height on your end, the options are endless.
Modern Kitchen Design Ideas
We love all these modern kitchen design ideas, but not together. What we’ve learned in interior design in the last 70 years is that there should be one accent color or feature – not an entire room of it (50’s kitchens). Combine one, maybe two of these trends for the ultimate modern kitchen that’s great for entertaining looks beautiful, but is still functional.
