Believe them when they tell you that “the kitchen is the heart of a home”. Not only is it a place to cook up a storm that will nourish your body, but it is also a social hub for gathering with those who mean the most to you.
Naturally, you want the kitchen to reflect your lifestyle and a touch of your personality, and it’s amazing to consider that you can style your kitchen to do so! Read along to see what kitchen styles are taking over, and which one would suit your next kitchen renovation project.
Transitional
Transitional home styles typically blend elements of traditional décor with contemporary. This achieves a look that has a bit of old-world charm with the freshness and clean appeal of the most popular current styles.
The key is to balance classic decorative elements with a touch of something new. You could achieve this perhaps by installing the classic, wood shaker cabinets – with wood knots and all the beautiful “flaws” you can find in wood, and pair it with sleek, clean line countertops. Think popular materials – quartz or marble. White is a great countertop colour choice to juxtapose the warm wooden tones.
Another way you can achieve the transitional look is to style a contemporary kitchen with vintage accessories. Switch out your contemporary hardware for more artisanal pieces that are reminiscent of the old world. Consider decorations like pot hangers or perhaps switch out your modern kettle for a quaint stovetop kettle instead! There is a lot of opportunity in the smaller details to create a space that invokes the charm of the past, with all of the comforts of the present!
BOHO
Bohemian style kitchens, or boho for short, are fun, eclectic, and carefree. If this describes your personality, then this is the kitchen style for you! This is the kind of kitchen that is designed to be fun and relaxed, as opposed to being formal, and there are a myriad of ways that this can be achieved.
Boho kitchens are defined by a combination of fun colours and unique textures. Generally, warm and bright colours best support this look – think burnt orange, or sunset yellow, but the best thing about boho is that your ideas do not have to be bound!
A colourful and patterned backsplash is a great way to bring colour into your kitchen, paired with a great number of plants hanging from above to bring life and nature into your kitchen. You can also introduce colour to your kitchen through the use of curtains, which can also add texture depending on the stitching and patterns you choose.
Industrial
Industrial kitchens are all about function first. All frills are put on the back burner for this one. This makes sense, given that the industrial style became popular around the 1970s and 80s when old factory buildings started to get converted into private, loft-style residences – taking a lot of the building’s unique quirks along with it. However, this kitchen style is bold, unapologetic, and unconventional, which is no wonder why it started to gain popularity in the past, and is re-emerging again in the present.
The key feature of any industrial kitchen is the use of exposed elements. Brick is popular, as this is primarily what factory buildings were made of, and it can add a great amount of texture and draw the eye in as an accent wall in any kitchen.
Other elements, such as wood and metal, can be great additions to your industrial kitchen, perhaps as alternative types of countertops or even as accessories, such as a metal pot hanger. Open shelves are also a great storage solution to enhance the “bare bones” look of an industrial kitchen, and having them carved out of wood or made from metal can also be a nice touch.
Black and grey are great colour choices for an industrial kitchen as these colours and bold and dramatic, and often tend to be the focal point of any space. Consider black finishes or perhaps metal finishes like brushed nickel that have more of a grey-ish appearance. Earthy tones are also useful for achieving the industrial look if black or grey aren’t satisfying your palette. Browns and charcoals have a moodiness about them that can help to offset the sometimes cold and sterile appearance of an industrial kitchen.
Farmhouse
If you are even the slightest bit chronically online, then you would know how popular the “cottage core” trend has grown in recent times, and if you have been at all influenced by this trend, or are simply a lover of the charming and rustic way of life, then the farmhouse kitchen would be the best pick for you!
Farmhouse kitchens are emblems of natural materials and bring out their beauty. Wooden floors are a staple for the farmhouse kitchen, and bonus points if you can get flooring with a lot of character marks, such as knots. Wooden countertops are also beautiful, but if you are looking to diversify the materials, textures, and colours in your kitchen, consider a natural stone countertop instead.
Having a honed finish as opposed to a polished finish to your stone countertop will beautifully bring out the texture and appearance of the stone, although this honing does require slightly more maintenance.
Brass is a stunning addition to any farmhouse kitchen, especially unlacquered brass that gains more character with continued use as it patinas, adding to the rustic charm of the kitchen and the timelessness of its appeal.
The last finishing touches you may want to consider for your farmhouse kitchen are including unfitted objects such as an unfitted island, fridge, or even a few other storage options. This adds to the “off-the-grid” appearance of the space, but can also provide added flexibility and functionality, as well as the ability to incorporate some vintage finds with a little bit of rustic “wear and tear” to bring your farmhouse fantasy to full fruition.
And last, but not least, consider an apron front sink (aka, a farmhouse sink), which is large and strong enough for washing produce and holding large pots and pans suitable for big and hearty farm-style meals. Interestingly enough, farmhouse kitchens also have the appearance of being unfitted even though they are, which ties in the look of the whole kitchen together beautifully!
Colonial
The most popular ways to achieve a contemporary colonial look are to put together timeless elements like shaker cabinets and subway tile backsplashes. This combination is the most timeless and is sure to outlive most trends. Classic white is always a failsafe choice, especially for cabinetry and backsplash tile colour; however, having too much white in a kitchen can easily make it feel too bland and sterile, which is more consistent with contemporary styles as opposed to colonial.
You can balance this out by painting your cabinets – paint is generally a fairly low investment if you wish to change your cabinet colours every few years. Bold and moody colours like dark green or blue are beautiful colours that fit the colonial style very well.
Wood floors are a great choice for colonial style kitchens as well as they also have an elegantly timeless appeal, and wood cabinets are also a great choice to help contrast white backsplash and countertops!
Traditionally, fireplaces were used to cook food in kitchens, but given modern developments, this is not common anymore. The use of gas stoves offers a wonderful alternative – allowing you to still cook over a fire but in a more up-to-date sense! Large ranges with many stove pans and sizeable ovens for baking all the delightful treats of your heart’s desire are a beautiful addition to any kitchen – especially if you can enhance the range with brass details, such as knobs, but of course, any gas stove that fits your kitchen size and budget is a good choice!
Fireplaces can also still be a great addition to your kitchen, especially if your dining area is in proximity to it, or if you have a breakfast nook in your kitchen. It can create a cosy and welcoming environment for your family’s dining.
Conclusion
Every house has its own flair, and there is a message to be communicated through what your kitchen looks like. At JG Contracting, we pride ourselves on bringing your home renovation dreams to life, to see your eyes brighten up as your home transforms into everything you have always wanted it to be.
We want to walk with you through every step of the crazy renovation process. If you would like some ideas for what your next project should be, or if you are ready to take that leap, contact us today. We are always happy to help and to serve you.
📧 Email: jgcontractingyyz@gmail.com
📞 Phone: 437-259-9632
🌐 Website: https://jgcontractingyyz.com
