Updating the kitchen to look more updated and modern can do wonders for the rest of the home. Since the kitchen is the busiest room in the house, updating to clean lines and a modern cabinet design will help improve the look and functionality of the room.
A modern kitchen refers to the specific design style from the early to mid-20th century that broke traditional styles of kitchens dating from the Industrial Revolution. The term can be confusing, since it is often used to describe something that is opposite of traditional. This can vary depending on the time period being referred to.
Modern kitchen designs incorporate frameless cabinets, sleek hardware, clean horizontal lines, and not too much ornamentation along with the use of natural and eco-friendly materials.
A flat panel door style for cabinets is a signature element of modern kitchen design. While shaker door designs are popular in modern kitchens, they are more of a transitional style than modern. Shaker styles can still be used, but it is not the best option for those who want a truly modern look.
Frameless and full overlay cabinet construction is when the cabinet door overlays the cabinet box. This is most often used in modern kitchens because it is sleeker than a flush inset cabinet. Flush insets are associated with traditional cabinet and furniture design. In a frameless cabinet, people will not be able to see a face frame at all.
There will be consistent spacing between all of the doors and drawers and even between two cabinets. In a framed overlay, there is still face frame and varying space between doors and cabinets. When the door is closed on a frameless cabinet, the frame cannot be seen except for one eighth of an inch shadow line between the cabinets.
Sleek and simple hardware, such as C-channel hardware integrated into the cabinet, tubular pulls, and flat linear pulls, are used to create the look of a modern kitchen. Horizontal lines of the cabinets are accentuated by cabinet hardware that runs the full length of the drawers and doors.
The signature look of a modern kitchen is a lack of ornamentation. There is no patterned tile shapes, multiple materials with texture, or color in a modern kitchen. The flat panel doors and sleek hardware combine with a full height glass backsplash and countertops without any pattern or veining.
Use of natural materials, such as bamboo, is another great way to make a kitchen scheme modern. When modern kitchens have ornamentation, it comes from the natural characteristics of materials used in cabinetry and countertops. This can be the veining of marble or the vertical or horizontal look of cut bamboo cabinets.
Modern kitchens emphasize horizontal lines in their design. The lines are long and wide with stacks of drawer cabinets lined in a row along with hardware set long and horizontal to accentuate the lines of the drawers. Cabinets can also have horizontal grooves in addition to the grain being horizontal on all cabinet fronts.
Accent pieces need to be consistent in a modern kitchen. Accents can be lighting, tables, chairs, and bar stools. These elements need to stay consistent, unlike eclectic kitchens where every piece is different. They should show simple and clean lines with a lack of ornamentation.
Sleek bar stools and pendant lights are consistent with modern style. However, the architecture of the actual kitchen does not have to be modern in order to match the design scheme. There can be a hundred year old stained glass window over the sink with full overlay cabinets surrounding it. Color can also be introduced as accents in a modern kitchen.
