Kitchen Design
New This Week: Try Contemporary Style for a Bright, Airy Kitchen
These spaces show the power of minimalism with their clean lines and crisp materials
Homeowners looking for bright, airy and clean-looking kitchens tend to focus on the color white. While that approach has its merits, other decisions, such as cabinet and material selections, can alter the effect. Contemporary style — with its straight lines, smooth cabinet fronts, and sleek hardware and materials — delivers a crisp look that’s also rich and complex. Here, three great kitchens show how it’s done.
2. Rich and Refined
Architect: Aleck Wilson
Builder: Bay Area Custom Homes (general contractor)
Location: Aptos, California
Size: 190 square feet (17.7 square meters); about 15½ by 12½ feet (about 4.7 by 3.8 meters)
Contemporary style: Dark vertical-grain engineered wenge-veneer cabinets. Minimalist cabinet pulls. Custom concrete niche and concrete countertops. Custom furniture-style island with powder-coated blue steel base and walnut butcher block top. Flushed ceiling hood above induction range in the island. Multislide glass doors that connect the kitchen to an outdoor barbecue area.
“Uh-oh” moment: “One such moment was a beautiful decorative pendant we had chosen for over the peninsula,” architect Aleck Wilson says. “A stick pendant, very light and simple sculpturally. However, despite how light and open the fixture was, it was in the way. Visually it obscured the view of the ocean through the open living space. Spatially there was just not enough room or ceiling height to allow the pendant to have the room it needed to complement the spatial experience. So, we all agreed to remove it and turn the [junction] box into a recessed light. We think the pendant was a great idea, but in reality, there are enough visually and spatially prominent design elements that this one was one too many.”
Concrete countertops: custom, Monterey Bay Cast Stone; cabinets: custom, The Village Collection; cabinet finish: engineered wenge veneer, Echo Wood; island countertop: walnut butcher block, John Boos & Co.; recessed lights: Element, 3-inch LED, Tech Lighting; range hood: Cirrus, Best Range Hoods; integrated refrigerator: Sub-Zero; microwave drawer: 30-inch transitional, Wolf; built-in oven: E series, 30-inch transitional, Wolf; cooktop: induction, 30-inch contemporary; glass doors: multislide, thermal frame, Fleetwood Windows & Doors
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Architect: Aleck Wilson
Builder: Bay Area Custom Homes (general contractor)
Location: Aptos, California
Size: 190 square feet (17.7 square meters); about 15½ by 12½ feet (about 4.7 by 3.8 meters)
Contemporary style: Dark vertical-grain engineered wenge-veneer cabinets. Minimalist cabinet pulls. Custom concrete niche and concrete countertops. Custom furniture-style island with powder-coated blue steel base and walnut butcher block top. Flushed ceiling hood above induction range in the island. Multislide glass doors that connect the kitchen to an outdoor barbecue area.
“Uh-oh” moment: “One such moment was a beautiful decorative pendant we had chosen for over the peninsula,” architect Aleck Wilson says. “A stick pendant, very light and simple sculpturally. However, despite how light and open the fixture was, it was in the way. Visually it obscured the view of the ocean through the open living space. Spatially there was just not enough room or ceiling height to allow the pendant to have the room it needed to complement the spatial experience. So, we all agreed to remove it and turn the [junction] box into a recessed light. We think the pendant was a great idea, but in reality, there are enough visually and spatially prominent design elements that this one was one too many.”
Concrete countertops: custom, Monterey Bay Cast Stone; cabinets: custom, The Village Collection; cabinet finish: engineered wenge veneer, Echo Wood; island countertop: walnut butcher block, John Boos & Co.; recessed lights: Element, 3-inch LED, Tech Lighting; range hood: Cirrus, Best Range Hoods; integrated refrigerator: Sub-Zero; microwave drawer: 30-inch transitional, Wolf; built-in oven: E series, 30-inch transitional, Wolf; cooktop: induction, 30-inch contemporary; glass doors: multislide, thermal frame, Fleetwood Windows & Doors
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3. Cool and Colorful
Designers: Adam Osterhoff of Heartwood Studio (architect); Kate Van Sluyter of Kimball Modern Design + Interiors (interior designer)
Location: Boulder, Colorado
Size: 189 square feet (17.6 square meters); 13½ by 14 feet (4.1 by 4.2 meters)
Contemporary style: Clean-lined dark wood cabinets with flat fronts and chrome bar pulls. Bright white quartz countertops. Stainless steel appliances. Minimalist pendants.
Other special features: Raised marble bar counter. Aluminum-and-wood 18-foot folding door that opens to a backyard patio.
Folding door: LaCantina; builder: CDW Homes
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More
6 Elements of a Contemporary Kitchen
12 Great Kitchen Styles — Which One’s for You?
Other resources on Houzz
Search for kitchen products
Find a professional
Designers: Adam Osterhoff of Heartwood Studio (architect); Kate Van Sluyter of Kimball Modern Design + Interiors (interior designer)
Location: Boulder, Colorado
Size: 189 square feet (17.6 square meters); 13½ by 14 feet (4.1 by 4.2 meters)
Contemporary style: Clean-lined dark wood cabinets with flat fronts and chrome bar pulls. Bright white quartz countertops. Stainless steel appliances. Minimalist pendants.
Other special features: Raised marble bar counter. Aluminum-and-wood 18-foot folding door that opens to a backyard patio.
Folding door: LaCantina; builder: CDW Homes
See more of this home
More
6 Elements of a Contemporary Kitchen
12 Great Kitchen Styles — Which One’s for You?
Other resources on Houzz
Search for kitchen products
Find a professional
Designer: Upside Development
Location: Richmond Hill, Ontario, Canada
Contemporary style: Clean-lined Italian cabinets in Navajo oak finish with minimalist hardware. Dashes of orange in cabinet niches. Paneled Italian appliances. Gray Corian countertop with double-sided waterfall edge. Suspended combination range hood and light fixture. Stainless steel sink. Tile floor that resembles wood.
Cabinets: Evolution in Navajo Oak finish, Scavolini; appliances: Scavolini; countertop: Corian in Pearl Gray; sink: Hahn; wall paint: Chantilly Lace, Benjamin Moore; flooring: Regency collection, Stone Tile; find floor tile
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