Decorating & Design
Discover The Most Coveted Kitchen Styles & How To Get The Look
Updated on February 26, 2021
Kitchens are the heart of the home for a reason: it’s the place where families and friends make memories over delicious dishes, and this year, a hardworking hub for homework, answering emails and much more. Your kitchen really has to do it all, so why not make it a space you never want to leave? We share six looks we’re loving right now, plus the design recipe you need to achieve it. Let us know in the comments below, what’s your kitchen style?
Blond Kitchen
Discreet hardware + pale floors + pale counters + stainless steel appliances
The combination of blond cabinets, white walls and stainless steel appliances gives low-contrast calm to these contemporary kitchens.
For an unexpected design moment, a dropped light panel with wood trim inset into glass provides a modern alternative to pendants. “We were sick of pendants, so we went for it,” says designer Christine Johnson.
Homeowner and Mjölk co-founder John Baker wanted to create a kitchen that felt like “a woodworker’s studio, where all the tools are on display.” The open-concept, white oak space feels like it’s filled with furniture, not built-ins.
For a modern Scandi look, tall, flat-front maple cabinets with built-in niches provide a clean, timeless look.
Eclectic Kitchen
Layers + vintage elements + personal details + color
Eclectic kitchens don’t hew to one look. Rather, they create a highly personal combination of vintage furniture, sleek cabinets, large-scale lighting and carefully chosen accessories.
Open shelving doesn’t take away from the natural light in design duo Les Ensembliers‘ kitchen, while chevron floors and deep plum Shaker-style cabinets add character. The star of the show is the luxurious range with gilded hardware.
Character Kitchen
Unfitted furniture + textured surfaces + open display + warm tones
Even if they’re not historical — though they often are — character kitchens give you a feeling of worn-in beauty. Natural materials such as stone walls and knotty hardwood floors are allowed to shine. Cutting boards, baskets and even pots and pans decorate while adding quirk.
In chef Jamie Kennedy’s Prince Edward County kitchen, a spacious island (built higher than normal to accommodate his tall frame) and oversized pendants create a hardworking hub for prepping his farm-to-table feasts.
A mixture of woods adds dimension to this rustic, Georgian-style farmhouse kitchen. The homeowners chose freestanding cabinets, a side counter and spacious island – all custom-made – because of the original stone walls.
Color Kitchen
Painted cabinets + brass hardware + pattern play + bright white counters
Create a richly decorated look by layering pattern — through wallpaper, tile or blinds — against moody blues and greens.
Swathed in Benjamin Moore’s Starry Night Blue, this feel-good kitchen makes a case for decorating with cobalt. “This is where everything happens in our house,” says homeowner Michelle Gemmill. “It’s a total mix of styles, and I think it really reflects who we are as a family.”
An organized farmhouse pantry gets taken up a notch with emerald green paint and starburst tile floors, making this spot a destination for culinary inspiration.
“The color is so soft and subtle it can feel like a neutral,” says designer Ami McKay of the millennial-approved mint cabinets. “It can read more gray in the morning, depending on the light, and bluer at other times. We get tons of compliments on it.”
Modern Glam Kitchen
Black and white + dramatic lighting + warm metal accents + shine
Black is back, in a big way, from stone to cabinets to sinks to hardware. Balancing a dark scheme with white, warm metals and wood keeps the look contemporary.
Dental specialist by day and gourmet baker by night, Philip Haddad needed his kitchen to be equally handsome and hardworking. The giant marble waterfall island beckons guests to gather around.
More is more in this glamorous penthouse kitchen. “With such a large open-concept space and a relatively small run of cabinetry and backsplash, we needed something with wow factor — the countertop was it,” says designer Trevor Ciona. Its dramatic black Zebrano veining exudes luxury.
Simply White Kitchen
Slab marble counters + white oak floors + gooseneck faucets + elegant black stools
Sleek, white kitchens have mass appeal for a reason — they feel bright and clean, and they’re easy to update. Choosing contrasting elements, through hardware, faucets or stools, keeps things feeling fresh.
When you’ve got a lush ravine right outside your window, the key is to keep it simple. Capitalize on all of the natural light pouring in by opting for a bright and airy palette and minimal accessories.
There are plenty of elements that call our attention in designer Sarah Hartill’s fresh and inviting kitchen, from the dark wood herringbone floors to the bistro-style bar stools and timeless HanStone quartz countertop.
House & Home Kitchens + Baths 2020