A modern kitchen perfectly complements a modern home. As the kitchen is considered the heart of every home, it’s expected that you want it to look its absolute best. After all, it’s where food is prepared and it’s usually the spot where family memories are made and treasured.
While not every homeowner has the same taste and needs when it comes to this particular part of the house, there are still some exceptional features that all modern kitchens should have, including yours.
Modern Kitchen 101
In a nutshell, a modern kitchen is described as a design that streamlines a minimalist style. It features open spaces, clean lines, and a combination of highly functional elements and appliances. The key is to incorporate simplicity, accuracy, and efficiency in all aspects of the design.
Whether you’re buying a new home or remodeling an existing kitchen, it’s important to look into every detail if you want to achieve the overall look that you’d usually see in beautiful modern kitchens. If you need ideas and inspiration, take a look at these exceptional features that your modern cooking area should have:
1. Sleek And Stylish Cabinetry
Cabinets are one of the most noticeable and functional parts of the kitchen. One look at the cabinetry’s design can immediately indicate the style that a kitchen is trying to convey. Thus, to achieve a modern look, your cabinets should be highly functional and decorative at the same time.
Some of the most popular colors for modern kitchen cabinets are gray, white, black, and, sometimes, two-toned. Drawers, knobs, and handles are usually made of stainless steel and chrome. For a sleeker semblance, some people prefer simpler and unadorned cabinets that provide smart storage for all their kitchen tools and equipment.
2. Smart Appliances
Your modern kitchen won’t be complete without equally modern and smart appliances to go with it. Thanks to the advent of technology, you have a lot of options when it comes to picking the right appliances that’ll complement your new kitchen design. You might also want to consider choosing space-saving appliances so you can better achieve a modern look.
Think about a coffee maker in a more compact style, an instant pot that can easily replace your pressure cooker, slow cooker, and rice cooker, or a portable dishwasher that’s less bulky than standard ones. If you’re trying to have a thematic color palette, consider that as well when shopping for smart appliances. For example, if you’ve already installed gray cabinets, a gray two-door refrigerator with a freezer would finish off the sleek look.
Remember that smart appliances shouldn’t only look nice. They’re called that way because they’re supposed to make your life easier, especially in the kitchen. For example, there’s the self-cleaning oven or a refrigerator that helps you update your grocery shopping list.
3. Clever Worktops
Countertops with a clean and sleek appearance are getting more and more popular in modern kitchens. Apart from visual appeal, you should also consider the ease of maintenance and durability of the materials. Since you’ll be doing most of your cooking preparations on your kitchen’s worktop, it has to be easy to clean without sacrificing style and longevity.
Here are some of the most commonly used materials in modern countertops that you may want to consider for your kitchen:
- Granite
- Marble
- Wood
- Glass
- Stainless steel
- Concrete
If you don’t feel like sticking to just one material for your worktop, you can also mix up two or more finishes. Doing so can make it more visually interesting.
4. Versatile Kitchen Island
Regardless of the size of your modern kitchen, a kitchen island should fit right into it. The good thing about kitchen islands is that they’re very versatile and can be easily scaled up or down depending on the space available. An island unit can instantly make any open space visually appealing and it also allows you to make the most out of the storage space available.
To add a modern touch to your kitchen using the island, work with the space that you have while also taking into account your other accessories and appliances that require the opening of doors, such as your fridges and oven. For the kitchen island to be really versatile, it should be able to provide multiple functions and uses. Some examples of these uses include sinks, shelving, a workstation, wine racks or coolers, shelving, and extra storage.
5. Smart Kitchen Storage
If there’s one thing that all homeowners can agree on, it’s that you can never have too much kitchen storage. No matter how many cabinets and storage units you’ve incorporated in your modern home, there’s always a need for more. Thankfully, there are several clever ways to add more storage without ruining the contemporary look of your cooking space.
Consider squeezing in cubby holes and extra shelving around appliances such as your cooker. You can also add clever racks and pull-out units where you can store cooking essentials. Cutleries may be stored separately in a stainless tray or container so you can easily get what you need without having to unnecessarily dig through a tangle of different utensils.
6. Diverse Yet Sophisticated Lighting
Kitchen lighting is just as essential as any other component of your modern space. To create a more contemporary feel, consider having halogen or recessed lighting that you can install in the ceilings or under the cabinets. Aside from saving space, this type of lighting also lets you highlight the features of your modern kitchen by giving off intriguing shadows.
Another trend that you can consider is pendant lighting with metallic or chrome finishes. This type of lighting usually illuminates more softly compared to spotlights and yet it appears to be more flattering and effective in featuring certain spots in your kitchen.
In Summary
Complete the look of your modern kitchen by making sure that you have all the exceptional features mentioned in the list above. Start by installing sleek and stylish cabinetry made from any materials that you prefer. There also needs to be a clever worktop and a versatile kitchen island for multiple purposes. Don’t forget to have smart appliances and kitchen storage. Lastly, make use of sophisticated lighting to highlight the different features of your modern kitchen.
