When it comes to the custom kitchen design process, there are two major styles that you can choose from: traditional and modern kitchen design; or a blend of both, also known as transitional kitchen design, but let’s focus on the two major popular kitchen styles now. In general, traditional kitchen design is characterized by intricate design details, the use of warm natural material, such as stone and wood, and an overall classic or country-inspired aesthetic and look. Contemporary, or modern kitchen design, on the other hand, embraces a very sleek, fresh look that incorporates polished surfaces, sleek elements and a minimalistic design approach.
Modern Kitchen Considerations
By its very nature, contemporary kitchen design is meant to feel as though it is cutting edge and of the current times. Keep in mind that this means that contemporary design is not necessarily timeless as it clearly represents ongoing kitchen cabinet design, finish and color trends. Within about ten years of your kitchen installation, many modern or contemporary designs may need an overhaul if it is the latest kitchen trends you are looking for to impress your friends and family when inviting them over to your home. This is particularly true in do-it-yourself contemporary kitchen approaches, where upcoming trends may not be known, hence making it difficult to anticipate them. Professional kitchen designers, like our team at Modiani Kitchens, work to curb this effect by layering cabinet texture, color, and style elements to create a look that is contemporary in its feel yet not as modern that it would quickly become outdated.
Traditional Kitchen Considerations
Similarly, by its very nature, traditional kitchen design is meant to feel classic and therefore, in many ways is. Traditional design in the US works to embrace styles that have long been popular in the United States, hence why traditional kitchen styles often have a rural-inspired look and feel. Due to the traditional use of wood and stone for the kitchen cabinetry and countertops in traditional kitchen designs, traditional kitchen projects often feel as though they could have been in existence for many decades – of course in a classic, not dated, way.
Which Kitchen Style To Choose?
When you are deciding, whether or not you would like a modern or a traditional kitchen design in your very own interior space, here are a few things you may want to consider when choosing the right style:
- How long are you planning on living in your home? If you are remodeling the kitchen for the purpose of enhancing the sales value of your home, a modern kitchen may be a very good way to go. Many prospective homeowners – particularly first-time homeowners – want the best and most modern kitchen appliances and appearances in their kitchen space. Conversely, if you are planning to stay in your home for another 10-15 years and then you may want to sell it, a traditional kitchen design may retain its relevance better for those future buyers.
- What is your personal style? Some people would not necessarily like a contemporary style kitchen, while others would recoil at the detailed appearance of a traditional design. Have a look at our Modiani kitchen portfolio to learn more about what style of kitchen it is you like. It is important to know what type of style you want in your home since the kitchen is a very important, if not the most important, place in the house.
- What is the style of the rest of the home? Plopping an ultra-modern kitchen in an otherwise traditionally designed home will lead to an incongruence throughout the home. This can affect whether or not someone will buy the house at any given moment in the future, as many “would-be home buyers” often want a cohesive home and design that feels like it is one sturdy unit.
- What will serve you the best? How is the kitchen used? Some last questions you may want to ask yourself could be if you tend to entertain and invite over friends a lot at home, or if you don’t usually cook for yourself and/or others. Know how much foot traffic usually goes through your interiors and kitchen space, how much the kitchen tends to be used, what it is typically used for, and how each design element in your kitchen space might complement those uses versus negate them.
- There are many more things to be considered, and if you still haven’t made up your mind about your desired kitchen style, feel free to contact our Modiani kitchen showroom for some further assistance, good tips and/or a complimentary kitchen design consultation at our boutique style kitchen showroom in Englewood, NJ.