How to transform your kitchen into a modern space

For those of you who spend most of their time in the kitchen, when they begin to look a little dated, it’s only natural that you want to bring it back to life with some modern touches. A streamlined, contemporary modern kitchen design, combined with integrated appliances, thoughtful lighting and a mix of levels that helps to keep your room clutter free whilst leaving you more space to relax and entertain might sound like a dream – but it can be a reality.

Worktops

Contemporary kitchen designs look great with both plain white or vibrant coloured worktops. If you want a slightly less clinical feel to plain bright white then manufacturers such as Silestone and Ceasarstone are now producing man-made composites that look like natural materials. 

Of course, while they can look just like marble or concrete, the real benefit of these surfaces is that they are much easier to look after than natural stones, particularly very porous ones such as marble. They’re also fabulous for creating feature splashbacks – for instance book matching a faux marble – with less of a financial outlay than, say, Carrara. Kitchens have evolved and as their colour and any pattern are consistent, the choice has grown over the past few years to include everything from pure brilliant white to zingy orange.

Clean lines

Handleless cabinets are great for creating clean lines throughout your kitchen space. The in-frame construction of handleless cabinets gives your kitchen an edge on some flat fronted designs and makes it extremely durable. In smaller kitchen spaces, the absence of handles helps to make a room feel bigger, while in a kitchen with lots of cabinetry, it prevents an overload of steel handles. If you don't want to commit to all handleless doors then you can give a run of classic cabinets a modern edge by dressing them with sleek bar handles, adding modern built-in appliances and topping with cool composite worktops. For added contemporary chic, mix and match styles incorporating flat-fronted wall cabinets. 

Appliances

Clean lines are important in contemporary kitchen design, and they don’t stop with your cabinets. If you think of yourself as the next master chef and have your heart set on a range cooker, choose one of the more modern steel models from Mercury, Smeg or Rangemaster. Integrate as many appliances as you can as clean lines must continue across appliances too. If possible, place items such as washing machines and tumble dryers in utility rooms. Keep sightlines clear by installing simple below cabinet, in-ceiling or pop-up extractors rather than fancy hanging pendants, keep fridges and freezers behind closed doors and invest in good-looking, hardworking built-in cooking appliances and a sleek glass zoned induction hob. Finish off with a few modern day luxuries such as a boiling water tap offered by Quooker, pop-up power points and cool lighting. 

Stay neat

Keep all your kitchen paraphernalia neatly stored away; whilst it’s good to have a focal point in your kitchen, and make a statement, it doesn’t necessarily work for all kitchen paraphernalia. Focus on one appliance, a KitchenAid mixer for example. The key to maintaining the clean lines in your kitchen is keeping it uncluttered. Hiding kitchen clutter, particularly in open-plan kitchens is essential, so plan in plenty of storage with deep pan drawers, tambour units to keep small appliances, crockery and china out of site. Floor to ceiling handleless cupboards can hide a multitude of sins so if you have space, they’re a good investment. Remember, though, for your kitchen to work efficiently, you’ll want easy access to all these things when you do need them, so we recommend sitting pan drawers by ovens, larders close to prep areas and china close to the dishwasher.

Design tips for modern kitchen designs

Ultra-fine worktops

Choose ultra-thin worktops to create an illusion that your units are a piece of furniture – for an ultra-modern look. Or try wrapping a composite work surface in a contrasting shade or material around cabinetry on islands and at the end of runs.

Pick simple surfaces 

Keep your design sleek by choosing glass or composite used for a splashback and large-format floor tiles with a matching grout.

Multi-level islands

Think about adding a high breakfast bar to an island for relaxed eating or create several levels on a peninsula with a raised area to hide the washing-up from dinner guests.

Creative lighting

Lighting can create the perfect mood for almost any occasion – choose carefully and be creative with it. Use plinth lights to make base units look like they are floating or adding LED strips to the interior of wall cabinets or shelves to highlight favourite accessories.

* Guest post and images courtesy of Harvey Jones Kitchens *