[part one]

In our modern and busy everyday life, a kitchen is no more a secret place where we only cook our food.  It became an important area of our home. It has a social role of a place where our family gathers in the evenings for dinner or we meet our guests. Very few people have time to prepare food to carry it to another room and then bring the dishes back for cleaning. In our daily routine, we have no time for that anymore. Therefore, nowadays our kitchens are such important places, so we want them beautiful, functional and easy to maintain.

Choosing new cabinets is a fun endeavour when refurbishing the kitchen space but is always a smart approach to think and plan in advance. First, you should decide what type your new furniture would be, ready-made or bespoke. The ready-made kitchens often have limitations and rarely fit perfectly the available space. Why should compromise when you can choose an option which will tick all boxes. When purchasing bespoke cabinets, you have the freedom to select without limitations a preferred style, materials, design, size and all features of your new perfect kitchen.

Let look at each of these elements.

Style

The style is important. Whether you want your new kitchen to be in harmony with the rest of the home or distinct. Minimalist, Modern, Contemporary, Traditional, Country, Rustic, Industrial, Eclectic etc. depends entirely on your taste and preferences. Let us have a look at some of the most popular design styles for kitchens.

Minimalist

Style key features:

• Geometric and simple design;
• Colour palette white, cream, grey, brown, black;
• Super thick or super thin countertops;
• Handless doors;
• Hidden lightings;
• Hidden appliances.

This type of design gains a lot of attention last 10-20 years. It is an answer to the consumerism. Adopting a minimalist style means having low-key but timeless and perfect quality furnishing.  

Choose minimalist style kitchen if you like simplicity and order, monochrome colours and geometric lines or your space is scarce.

Modern

Style key features:

• Sleek;
• Clean lines;
• Minimalist appearance;
• Smooth surfaces;
• Handless doors;
• Tempered glass backsplash;
• High tech appliances;

Though modern imply something that is in fashion now choosing modern style kitchen doesn’t mean you have to change it at the moment it is not actual anymore. A modern kitchen means it is convenient, practical, easy to manage and maintain. This style is flexible, and versatile, and fits a vast number of tastes.

Choose a modern style if you like tidiness smart solutions and your end goal is a simple and effective kitchen.

Contemporary

Style key features:

• Variety of materials;
• Rich textures;
• Patterned backsplashes;
• Old materials used in a new way;
• Modern classic elements;
• High tech appliances.

The contemporary style fits perfectly with vast ranges of other interior design styles. You could combine for example a contemporary kitchen with a modern or industrial type of interiors or even traditional or classic ones. It allows a vast variety of options in terms of combining with the rest of the home design as well.

Choose contemporary style if you want a more colourful but not messy look for your kitchen.

Traditional

Style key features:

• Rich in detail;
• Neutral colour palette;
• Natural materials like hardwood and stone;
• Ornamented glazed doors;
• Ceramic or stone backsplash.

Traditional means exactly that – tradition. It implies a classic, staple, and timeless. These days tradition is associated with stability, family and wealth. Selecting this style guarantees comfortable and toasty interior, which in the same time is eye-pleasing and luxury. 

Choose a traditional style for your kitchen if you are a classic loving person with an affinity to detail and quality.

Country

Style key features:

• Natural materials;
• Neutral pastel colours;
• Pattern tiled backsplash;
• Wooden or natural stone worktops;
• Cast iron elements like handles and visible hintches;
• Freestanding country style appliances;
• Apron front ceramic sink.

This design is suitable for town and country residency, and big homes. Simple wooden or rustic furniture and industrial pendant lights are obligatory. Exposed beams emphasize a relationship with nature. The focus is on function rather than elegance.

Choose a country style kitchen if you like natural colours combined with rich textures, ornamented details, natural materials and authentic traditional feel.

Rustic

Style key features:

• Dark neutral colours;
• Rough, weathered surfaces;
• Bulky appearance;
• Natural wood texture;
• Re-purposed wood
• Highly textured fronts;
• Shabby painted  or raw looking cabinets;
• Opened shelves;
• Stone walls;
• Large lighting fittings;
• Metal accents and decoration.

This style is characterised as rough, simple, unsophisticated but charming and homely. It favours the raw beauty and organic warmth of natural wood and thick fluffy textiles.

If you are feeling bold and want to be closer to nature, choose a rustic style kitchen. Have in mind though, this design is more suitable for a country site or residency constructed on mountains, lakes, forest, etc. It fits better with bigger spaces and higher ceiling areas.

Industrial

Style key features:

• Often rich, dark, neutral colours combined with rich, striking hues;
• Industrial pendant lights;
• Both rustic and/or modern style furniture;
• Cast iron and/or brushed steel elements;
• Open metal shelves;
• Freestanding appliances;
• Steel worktops and backsplashes;
• Visible pipes and ducts;
• Bare bricks walls;
• Bare concrete walls and/or floors.

This style emerges as a result of transforming old factories, warehouses and industrial areas into living spaces. The big open areas become homes. The design adopts the aesthetic features of these buildings and combines their antique beauty with sleek, modern convenience.

Choose this style if you own a dynamic personality, enjoy the mix of machinery and technologies in your life.

Eclectic

Style key features:

• A creative mix of different styles
• Lively colours
• Variety of materials and textures
• Contrast

Eclectic is a style that derives ideas from a broad diversity of styles and combines them to create an original, harmonic environment. The essence is the ability to put together pieces or elements that seemed incompatible at first.

Choose this style if you feel artistic, creative and love challenges.

In Part II we will continue with some important rules that need to apply and you should look for when planning your new kitchen.

to be continued….