Deciding it’s time to renovate your kitchen is easy. But deciding which style of kitchen you want to go for can be a little harder and usually requires some good thought and a heavy dose of inspiration and guidance. The key to ending up with a new kitchen that you will love now and for years to come is finding balance between what your taste is, what your needs are, and what style suits the rest of your home.
Contemporary kitchen
Contemporary kitchens are a popular choice right now. Including streamlined, expertly-coordinated designs that foster an effortless kitchen experience, they are as much about form as they are about functionality. If your idea of a beautiful interior space includes clean lines, refined materials and a touch of modernism, contemporary is the route for you.
To elevate the sense of modernism, incorporate a single point of uniqueness and focus on replicating it throughout various aspects of the design. For example, if you pick black cabinets, make sure your chairs, lamps and shelving are chosen to match. By keeping the overall aesthetic committed to a single point of difference, the kitchen will remain elegant and refined while achieving a uniqueness that qualifies it as contemporary.
Hamptons-style kitchen
Emulating a Hamptons home is a great way to create a kitchen that marries traditional design with modern features. The style originates from homes in The Hamptons in Long Island, New York, but has since evolved to represent relaxed, coastal-style design that makes use of natural materials, classic shapes and plenty of natural light.
Hallmarks of a Hamptons-style kitchen include detailed white cabinetry, a large island bench and white crockery on shelves. For a hint of vintage, try glass-fronted cabinetry and a tiled splashback. To complete your kitchen in true Hamptons style, include some elements of coastal memorabilia.
Scandinavian kitchen
To create a real Scandinavian kitchen, a good amount of natural wood, suggestive of solid craftsmanship, is mandatory. Wooden floors, wooden cabinetry, wooden benchtops and even wooden spoons – there is no limit. Coupled with white walls and charmingly simple decor, the sense of warmth and cosiness should be positively engulfing.
Scandinavian-style kitchens are perfect if your priority is creating enough space for your family to cook, eat, work and make a mess. The use of natural materials will mean that enlarging the space will never have an overwhelming or overly-dominant aesthetic effect – it will only improve with size. The more floorboards, tables, benches and chairs for accommodating your family, the better!
Classic kitchen
Finally, there is the classic kitchen. Some designs are timeless and never go out of fashion, so if that’s what you feel most comfortable with, a kitchen that doesn’t stray too far from traditional is a great choice. Examples of the types of qualities that create a classic kitchen are beautiful handles in place of modern, soft-closing cabinets, framed cabinets instead of flush ones and clear palette and material contrasts between the flooring, cabinetry and benchtops.
With these more traditional looks, creating a sense of long-lasting quality is easy. Simply ensure your space is expertly calculated and crafted using only the highest quality materials.
Whichever direction you choose, make sure it feels like it’s you. Have a think about how you and your family use your kitchen on a daily basis and determine what style is suited to your lifestyle and your personal taste.
Whether you’re still unsure about which style is right for you or your mind is made up and you’re ready to take the leap, now is the perfect time to have a chat with one of our experts at smarterBATHROOMS+. Give us a call today on 1300 662 838.