Designing a kitchen: an expert guide to planning a kitchen

The black and white patterned backsplash pulls the whole space together. And to ground your all-white kitchen and to create a focal point, add in a deeper more dramatic color like a dark blue, green, or black. Here the island provides the contrast but if you don’t have an island you could paint a feature wall, choose a dark colors floor or tile a splashback in a darker hue. When it comes to kitchen ideas, we do tend to think of traditional wall and floor cabinets as being a must, but what if in fact all your space needed was a sizable kitchen island?

  • ‘Kitchens can be quite stark spaces, filled with hard surfaces and reflective finishes.
  • Open kitchens are great for those who want a more connected and inclusive living space where cooking, dining, and entertaining can all happen within an eye’s view.
  • If you’re running low on space in a small kitchen, find another home for bulky pots and pans to clear up some room in your cabinets and drawers.

Finally, decorative lighting is used to add visual interest to the space and highlight decorative elements like artwork or architectural features. It can be achieved through overhead fixtures like recessed lights, or even through natural light sources like windows or skylights. Ambient lighting sets the tone for the space and creates a warm and inviting atmosphere. The cabinet style plays a crucial role in creating a timeless kitchen because cabinets are a dominant visual element in the kitchen. The layout should be functional, with an emphasis on practicality and efficiency. It will often include features like ample storage, easy-to-clean surfaces, and high-quality appliances.

Be sympathetic to the original design

There’s a lot you can do in the way of layout and design to up your decor scheme in big and small spaces alike – whatever your budget. A glass-and-metal partition will give an open-plan kitchen of any size a modern feel. This Scandinavian galley-style kitchen from Fantastic Frank includes industrial-style black metal-and-glass partitions to help to elegantly divide the pass-through space without inhibiting natural light or flow. Create a modern organic feel with natural greenery and wood accents. This award-winning space from Sola Kitchens mixes slat wood paneling, black and white finishes, and a massive olive tree that hugs the ceiling and brings the space to life. A color family of beige, brown, and oatmeal-cream set the stage for this stunning modern kitchen by Abby Hetherington Interiors.

KITCHENS DESIGN

If you can avoid losing the storage, replacing wall cabinetry with shelving really opens up a kitchen and provides the perfect space to add a ton of character to the space. Architect Poonam Khanna’s design for a Hamptons kitchen features a custom island clad in brass that is designed to patina over time. A vivid blue La Cornue range was the jumping off point for Summer Thornton’s design of a Chicago kitchen. Cerused oak cabinetry, a counter in heavily patterned marble, and Roman and Williams Guild pendants add to the room’s dazzle.

marvellous kitchens filled with marble

Whether an L, U-shaped or even galley configuration will suit you and your space will depend on a number of factors. You’ll want to consider ease of movement, cooking and entertaining of course. Ruth Mottershead, Creative & Marketing Director of Little Greene and Paint & Paper Library, has been working in her family’s business since 2011. Her role includes creating concepts for paint and wallpaper collections to overseeing marketing material and coordinating shoots. Passionate about the transformative power of color she also hosts talks and presentations within the industry with end-consumers, interior designers, architects, journalists and Little Greene staff.

Moreover, the bigger story of thisfeature was not so much an ode to marble but the very fact that the family had picked up and left behind theirCalifornia home. “One thing I can promise you,” Berkus commented toAD this spring, “is that I will never again tell a publication that a house is my ‘forever home.’” “We learned our lesson,” Brent added. ” Given that self-awareness, it should come as no surprise that just two years later, the couple and their two children opened the door to a different Manhattan townhouse they’d swapped this one for.