Are you planning a new build in the Kelowna and Okanagan area? A renovation? One of the first things you want to identify when planning either, is your style.
At The Spectrum Cabinet Gallery, we get a lot of questions about kitchen and bathroom styles. Just like home exteriors and layouts have different architectural styles, kitchens also come in many styles. Out of all the rooms in your home, your kitchen finishing will cost the most and last the longest, so choosing a kitchen style requires serious thought.
First of all, you want to ask yourself what the overall style of your home is, and you want to make sure that your kitchen style is congruent with the rest of your home. Is it a country charm farmhouse style home with functional shutters, decorative porch railing, and dormer windows? Then a modern, minimalist, geometric style kitchen will look completely out of place. Similarly, if you are in the process of renovating an older home, but cannot afford to renovate the entire home at once, you want to make sure that you have an overall plan and vision for the entire home and make sure that the kitchen lines up with the end result you are going for, especially if you will be changing the style of the home (from perhaps a 1970’s to a more sleek modern look).
Some clients who come to us are in the beginning planning stages of a home renovation or new build and they have no idea what they want. At this point it helps to know if you prefer a more classic or more modern look.
Here are the three main styles and their attributes:
Traditional
Formal, Elegant and Classic
Traditional kitchens have a formal, elegant look characteristic of American and European homes of the 18th, 19th and early 20th centuries. Expect to see:
- Crown and rope moulding, fluting, corbels and other ornamentation and trim
- Cabinets in cherry, walnut and mahogany
- Raised panel cabinet door styles
- Antique fixtures and appliances
- Wood, stone or other natural materials
Contemporary
Modern, Minimalist and Geometric
Contemporary kitchens tend to be described as modern, minimalist and geometric. The characteristics include horizontal lines, asymmetry and a lack of molding and other ornamentation. Materials often are man-made rather than natural: stainless steel, laminate, glass, concrete, chrome and lacquer.
Contemporary encompasses styles from the 1940s to the present, with Europe-especially Italy, Germany and Scandinavia-leading the way.
- Frameless cabinets with oversized hardware
- Cabinet material: stainless steel; white or bold-colored laminate; or subtly grained woods such as birch, ash or maple
- Cabinet door style: slab or horizontal lift-up
- Frosted glass inserts
- Stainless steel and other metallic accents
- Curved cabinets and counters
Transitional
Mixing Traditional With Contemporary
Transitional kitchens include elements of both traditional and contemporary design. Eclectic in nature, they mix natural and man-made materials as well as finishes and textures.
For example, an Arts & Crafts or Shaker kitchen can be made transitional rather than traditional by lightening the color palette, adding bamboo flooring, and showcasing appliances rather than hiding them behind wooden panels.
Molding and fixtures aren’t elaborate but do have some ornamentation.
Once you have an idea of the overall style that you like, it will help the team at The Spectrum Cabinet Gallery to come up with ideas and designs to plan out the kitchen of your dreams.
The Spectrum Cabinet Gallery | Your Kelowna Cabinet Specialists | Helping You Make Informed Buying Decisions Through Inspired Design