Additional Kitchen Interior Design Options To Consider

For many homeowners, designing and decorating a kitchen is an opportunity for self-expression. It’s important to choose a kitchen style you love. Recently, we posted Part I of an article outlining the various kitchen styles. There are so many ways that you can design a kitchen that we were only able to get through half of them in that first article. In this article, we’ll finish our exploration.

Industrial

The Industrial style is easy to recognize. With its exposed brick, wood beam ceilings and large windows emitting natural daylight, Industrial styles are usually found in urban settings like converted lofts and old warehouses. Gray and brown are the colors of choice in these spaces, where iron, wood and steel come together to create a rugged and edgy ambiance.

Feel free to mix and match metals in these spaces including copper, brushed brass and stainless steel. Reclaimed wood floors, Edison bulbs in pendant lights and black granite or gray soapstone counters help set the tone.

Japandi

Japandi combines Scandinavian design and Japanese elegance, using blond wood, sleek lines and minimalist sensibilities. Colors in the Japandi style tend to be neutral, including brown, gray and white. Despite the very simple design, some surfaces in Japandi style tend to be pleasantly textured with natural materials like stone and wood.

Mediterranean

Mediterranean style is a heavy-handed design, consisting of warm tones, elaborately decorated wood fixtures, and patterns and textures on nearly every surface. To decorate your kitchen with a Mediterranean ambiance, install a mosaic tile pattern backsplash and install faucets made of warm-colored metals like copper or brushed brass. Replace doorways with archways. Consider installing white or green marble countertops, or an engineered stone that looks like marble.

Mid-century

Mid-century styles were popular in the 1940’s through the 1960’s, but it’s a style that’s never gone completely out of fashion. Characterized by clean lines, minimal ornamentation and organic shapes, Mid-century is a style that many might refer to as simply “retro”. Mid-century prioritizes functional and practical design over all else. For this look, we recommend an understated countertop stone such as white quartz.

Minimalist

Minimalist design is easy to recognize. White furnishings and cabinets of plain wood are typical in a minimalist kitchen. Wood floors coordinate nicely with the other features in the room, and hidden hardware keeps the focus on the larger forms. Uncluttered countertops of gray or white stone with few veins are most appropriate for this type of space.

Modern

Modern is a less defined type of style, but similar to minimalist, featuring a sleek and streamlined ambiance, some patterning on the walls and large fixtures like cabinets. The limited color palette keeps attention on the larger forms. Install quartz countertops to match or coordinate with whatever colors you can see in the space. Modern kitchens have plenty of light, artificial as well as natural, to ensure any easy cooking experience for homeowners.

Rustic

Rustic is a style that’s similar to the Mediterranean kitchen, with exposed wood beams, brick and rough stone, and a large space with vaulted ceilings. Rough reclaimed wood on the floors or in the furnishings adds to the ambiance in the room, while warm candle chandelier lighting prevents the space from feeling a little too unfinished. Dark countertops, like soapstone or a warm brown granite, look great in this type of kitchen.

Scandinavian

Scandinavian has a less-is-more aesthetic with white and blond wood features laid out in a functional design. With the occasional pop of artistic flair, Scandinavian has a contemporary/minimalist feel with extra personality mixed in. Choose a white quartz countertop for the Scandinavian look.

Shabby Chic

Shabby Chic style is feminine and flouncy, with richly patterned upholstery, painted wood cabinets with distressed edges, and an eclectic feel that seems as random and charming as if it just came out of your grandma’s attic. This look is best for kitchens with lots of space, and wood or tile flooring. Warm brown granite countertops add to the casual, family-like feel.

Southwestern

Southwestern style is easily recognized by its warm colors like burnt sienna and beige, combined with crisp, clean white on the walls or cabinets. In a southwestern kitchen, you’ll see clay tile floors, textured walls and warm metals like copper or brushed brass. Warm brown granite or white quartz look perfectly at home in this type of kitchen.

Traditional

A traditional style kitchen style is hard to define. Overall, traditional kitchens have white cabinets and white granite countertops (or white quartz). All that white exists in stark contrast with dark hardwood floors, which add a sense of gravity and beauty to the space. Small decorative elements like a fruit bowl or a potted plant stand out in this dark-against-white space.

Transitional

The transitional kitchen is a blend of contemporary and traditional kitchen styles, with Shaker style cabinetry, modern hardware, modern pendant lighting and soapstone countertops. In this space, you’ll find natural materials like hardwood floors, wood beams in ceiling, leather stools and so on. Paint the cabinetry for a pop of color, and coordinate the countertop with the cabinetry for best results.