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If you’re moving into a home with an older kitchen or if your current home has a more dated style, consider bringing it up-to-date with contemporary design. This style can freshen up your kitchen while giving it a more inviting atmosphere. Contemporary design includes a mix of minimalist, modern and classic elements that can enhance your kitchen’s appearance and give it a more organized yet comfortable look and feel. Keep these tips in mind if you’re thinking of choosing a contemporary design for your kitchen.
White and stainless steel appliances give contemporary kitchens a clean and streamlined appearance. These appliances tend to pair well with warmer wood tones that are a common feature in contemporary kitchen designs.
Wood floors in kitchens provide an organic, contemporary style compared to tile floors or other flooring materials. Consider putting in a hardwood floor, along with wooden shelves, to achieve this look. You might also want to include warm wood cabinets in your kitchen, especially if the rest of the room has a cooler color scheme.
Slab door cabinets are ones that don’t have panels or frames as more traditional kitchen cabinets do. These slab door cabinets are an ideal choice for contemporary kitchens, since they offer a more streamlined look with straighter, flatter edges. You can choose darker tones for a more sophisticated look, or go with white or light gray tones for an airier appearance. Warm wood slab door cabinets are another option to consider for a more cheerful look.
Contemporary kitchens tend to emphasize the cleaner lines and minimalist designs of modern interior design. However, they also typically have elements that are bit bolder, such as tile backsplashes in vivid patterns. Add a tile backsplash to your kitchen in an eye-catching design to get this look. This backsplash can add visual appeal to your kitchen, especially if it’s surrounded by white or neutral counters and cabinets.
Contemporary kitchen design can include a mostly black or mostly white color scheme. If you choose a white color scheme, add touches of color and warmth to wood shelves and cabinets or natural stone counters. If you choose a black color scheme, add other colors, such as blues, for a dramatic appearance, or touches of light colors to keep it from being too dark overall.
Sleek cabinets give contemporary kitchens a stylish and streamlined look. When you combine these with natural wood features, you get a blend of modern and classic styles. Cabinets with a sleek, shiny finish can be done in a wide range of colors, depending on the color scheme you want to go with. For natural wood features, such as countertops, floors and shelves, you can choose warm woods or darker woods that pair well with your cabinet color.
Pendant lighting can give your kitchen a touch of luxury. You can hang this type of lighting over your kitchen island or over a kitchen table. Choose light fixtures with a classic look if the rest of your kitchen is filled with more modern elements, or pair a more modern pendant light fixture with minimalist elements.
Kimberly Kelly decided to get her real estate license when she moved to South Orange with her family and fell in love with the classic, period homes of the area. Having worked in the city for many years for LexisNexis, Kim understands the appeal of an easy commute to NYC. That’s why she specializes in towns along the Mid-Town Direct train line, offering welcoming communities, good schools, and space to grow.
Very active in her children’s school PTA, Kim knows firsthand how important a school system is to parents looking to make the move to the ‘burbs. She volunteers with fairs, fundraising, and other activities that bolster support for education. Kim also believes involvement in the greater community enriches us all and has sat on various boards & associations throughout the years.
Kim Kelly has lived many places throughout her life, from Pennsylvania to Oregon, but has found New Jersey to be the ideal place to raise her family and put down roots. She loves nothing more than helping others discover their special place as well. Kim’s extensive knowledge of the area, combined with her sense of community, offers clients a personalized guide to finding the right house - and town - to call home.