How to create a modern kitchen

Updating the kitchen to look more up to date and modern can do wonders for the rest of the house. Since the kitchen is the busiest room in the house, updating it with 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 of the early to mid-20th century that broke with traditional kitchen styles dating back to the Industrial Revolution. The term can be confusing, as it is often used to describe something that is the opposite of traditional. This may vary depending on the time period being referenced.

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 cabinet door style is a hallmark of modern kitchen design. While swing door designs are popular in modern kitchens, they are more of a transitional style than a modern one. Shaker styles can still be worn, but it’s not the best option for those who want a truly modern look.

Frameless, full-overlap cabinet construction is when the cabinet door overlaps the cabinet box. This is most often used in modern kitchens because it is more elegant than a built-in built-in cabinet. Flush inserts are associated with traditional cabinet and furniture design. In a frameless cabinet, people won’t be able to see a face frame at all.

There will be a constant gap between all the doors and drawers and even between two cabinets. In a framed overlay, there is still a front frame and variable gap between doors and cabinets. When the door is closed on a frameless cabinet, the frame cannot be seen except for an eighth-inch shadow line between the cabinets.

Sleek and simple hardware such as built-in C-channel cabinet hardware, tubular pulls, and flat linear pulls are used to create the look of a modern kitchen. The horizontal lines of the cabinets are accentuated by hardware that runs the full length of the drawers and doors.

The characteristic aspect of a modern kitchen is the lack of ornamentation. There are no patterned tile shapes, multiple materials with texture or color in a modern kitchen. Flat-panel doors and elegant hardware are paired with a full-height glass backsplash and countertops without any pattern or grain.

Using natural materials, such as bamboo, is another great way to make a kitchen scheme modern. When modern kitchens do have ornamentation, it comes from the natural characteristics of the materials used in the cabinets and countertops. This can be the veining of the marble or the vertical or horizontal aspect of the cut bamboo cabinets.

Modern kitchens emphasize horizontal lines in their design. The lines are long and wide with stacks of drawer cabinets lined up in a row along with hardware placed lengthwise and horizontally to accentuate the lines of the drawers. Cabinets may also have horizontal grooves in addition to the grain being horizontal on all cabinet fronts.

Decorative pieces must be consistent in a modern kitchen. Accents can be lighting, tables, chairs, and bar stools. These elements must remain consistent, unlike eclectic kitchens where each piece is different. They should display simple, clean lines with a lack of ornamentation.

The elegant bar stools and pendant lights are consistent with the modern style. However, the actual kitchen architecture does not have to be modern to match the design scheme. There may be a hundred year old stained glass window over the sink with stacked cabinets around it. Color can also be introduced as accents in a modern kitchen.