Kitchen Style

Traditional Kitchen Style

The traditional kitchen style is a blend of English and American designs from the eighteenth- and nineteenth-century designs. The meticulously-crafted, formal details are usually seen in perfect symmetry and balance.

The traditional cabinetry is usually finished with cherry or mahogany stain, even more usual to see is the cabinetry being painted white. The trim for traditional kitchen cabinets includes fluted panels, corner blocks with rosettes, beaded trim, and dentil crown molding. The door panels that are very fitting with the style would be a slightly arched panel. The countertops would be something along the lines of marble or granite. Polished brass fittings details would pull the traditional look together.

For embellishment of windows and doors in traditional kitchen you might consider more elaborate wood trim. The windows should be dressed in a formal way, with swags and rich fabrics. Formal stripes, floral patterns, and tapestries would really tie the elements of the room together. The traditional kitchen could be furnished with antique hutch to display formal china and other accessories, the table and chairs in the traditional Windsor or Queen Anne Style.

Contemporary Kitchen Style

The association that most people have with the word "contemporary" is something along the lines of clean and simple architectural lines, simplistic interior void of any personal touches and decorative elements. The materials that are identified with the contemporary kitchen style are chrome, glass, and stone. The beginning of the movement was due to the fact that the designers began to reject the faux Victorian details that were popularized at the time, giving room for more natural products and simpler forms of design. During the various movements, man-made materials and sleek forms were introduced and popularized closer to the end of the 1970s.

In the kitchen, the contemporary style is more updated and refreshed. It is a place where the reflective surfaces, hard, straight edges, and the latest technology abound. The original contemporary style forms are spiced up with the designers giving the style a new spin. Newer versions of contemporary kitchen lighting in improved finished make these products make them much easier to maintain. In the beginning of the contemporary movement, the popular pallets were black and white or white on white; the pallets that were used have been replaced by more earthy hues and tones.

Even with this slick look, wood is still in. A contemporary kitchen is also thought of as a monochromatic place, but several colors, patterns, and textures could be mixed together. You may combine wood with some sort of a metal - stainless steel, copper, brass, pewter, or chrome on surfaces such as countertops, cabinet doors, and floors - it makes a strong statements, just as with stone and glass. This is a way to make a room look sleek and streamline while keeping it cozy and look as if it is "lived in".

You may like to install casement style windows and door-frames that will bring out the contemporary style out of the architecture. For window treatments, Roman shades or vertical blinds would give it a more crisp and sleek look. Taking the principles of the style in mind - concentrate on the function of what you are putting into the kitchen to eliminate any object that are there for only "frills".

The design of the furniture also follows the classic contemporary architectural elements - the chairs and tables look straight, with no real turnings or ornamentation. A glass table top would make a great touch to the kitchen.

Country Kitchen Style

There are many different twists to the country kitchen style - English, French, American, etc., but the fact remains that it is one of the favorites due to the comfortable environment that this style creates. The word itself has implications to the outdoors.

For the kitchen cabinets, you should start by staining it with a maple stain, adding some distressed elements, a crackled finish, or a pickled finish. It is one of the easiest styles in which to mix and match finishes and furniture pieces due to the fact that it is an underlying element of a country kitchen.

The cabinet doors may even be left off to display colorful dishes, making the inside of the cabinets part of the decor or the overall space. A butcher block or hand-painted tiles are both great countertop pieces. You may add charm to your kitchen by putting potted herbs in the windows of the kitchen.

Wood floors or natural tiles would be a great choice for such an environment, but do not forget to add throw rugs for comfort on the cold floor. The key to the Country style kitchen is to keep it simple. Adding a few whimsical elements will look great in the kitchen when if they happened to be well-crafted. You might like to consider fruit, vegetable, or animal designs.

The Cottage Look for Kitchen

This is a vintage look that is inspired by the English country side, it is a cozy and warm environment. To create a cottage style kitchen you could use cabinets that are unmatched or even unfitted; you may also mix different. You should look at the honey colored stains and then you may give the cabinets a bit of a distressed look. Milky or clear glass knobs and details will add a great touch to the kitchen environment; metal hardware will add a great an Old World charm.

Lovely hand-crafted wood rosettes will contribute to the kitchen identity. Rosettes with flower design like California rosettes or Carolina wood rosettes can be added to the corner blocks of window and door trim; they also will add a lot of charm to the kitchen cabinets.

Using brick as a backsplash would add a charming touch. On the floor, you may use wood planks or stone. To add flair to the stone, you may hand-paint the top of them with a large pattern. It would bring more color into the room—using brighter colors such as blue and green accented with shades of rose or cream colors.

The overall look relies on being a bit worn, but not completely worn out. You can make it look worn with a hammer or some other metal object. You can use a crackle finish on painted surfaces. Using natural dyes on white linens will not only add a cozy lived in feeling, but will make you feel more connected with the space because you would have been the one who has made something yourself for it.

Provincial Kitchen Style

To begin your Provincial style kitchen, you should whitewash the walls with a glaze finish, then finish in an earth tone—such as rose or sienna. Ceiling beams with an aged or distressed look would be a great way to add to the kitchen.

Provincial kitchens have included fireplaces, but you may not be so lucky as to have one in yours. You may be able to bring limestone by installing it as flooring. You can also use rustic clay items in place of the limestone, to add a rustic and earthy appeal. Accenting the cook-top with colorful tiles or brick.

Add a range hood (preferably copper), it will look great if you decide to buy copper pots and sauce pans to hang. Buy a heavy duty deep sink with an exposed apron—a practical porcelain model would look great. Pair it with a chrome high-arc spout.

Cabinetry in the form of a dresser or an armoire is an essential part to the style. You would need more contemporary and efficient storage as well. You may be able to substitute cabinets for open shelves and use an accent piece of furniture as storage. To incorporate wrought-iron by incorporating a wrought-iron chandelier or a baker’s rack.

Embellish your cabinets with wonderful grape motif wood carvings or quality carvings with leaf design. Carved wood embellishments like Monterey wood carving or pierced wood molding can be used as applied ornamentation on the kitchen cabinets. These carvings can also be used as wall adornments, adding personality and style to the kitchen.

Mini-print fabrics and wall-coverings in earthy tones of red, yellow, and deep blue. By adding a more French Provincial authenticity to the kitchen, you may like to consider painting the window frames and door trims blue. The windows would look great in a case café curtains with a few floral details. Display oils, vinegars, pickled vegetables, and spices in clear containers as part of the decor.

Shaker Kitchen Style

The basis of the Shaker style is a sense of humility. The main idea is that the beauty of objects is found in its utility. They used elements that would only be essential, no useless frills. The cabinets are usually finished with dyes and oils to enhance the wood while staying close with the natural wood.

Lately, the style has been showing up in many designs. When trying to get cabinets in the Shaker-style, you should look for ones with plainer finishes and details.

The finish should also hold up against all the kitchen elements—moisture, grease, and heat. The Shaker style furniture would include qualities such as tapered legs, ladder backs to the chairs, or even woven backs.

The decor of this kitchen is not difficult—you can take a few boxes that you could find at a craft store. You may paint the boxes to add a splash of color. Concentrate on colors such as earthy tones of red , yellow, green, and blue. You can also use tiles that do not match to make a pattern resembling a quilt—making it a countertop piece, a backsplash along the wall, or as a mural on some part of the wall. Pewter metal details will look the best with the Shaker style. Wood shutters and panel windows finish out the room very nicely. Tin light-fixtures will finish out the room quite nicely - chandeliers or sconces.

Arts and Crafts Kitchen Style

The movement began at the beginning of the 20th century. It was a countermovement to the new found way of production—mass production. Its main philosophy is to concentrate on the organic and beautiful in the house and how interacting with those natural elements in the house will make someone feel.

A nice basic of this style is plain cabinets with no particular designs on them with a grained wood, such as oak. To accent that grained wood, use copper, brass, or pewter hard-wear.

Wood is essential in the Art and Craft movement—that means that the more wood in this kitchen, the better the style would look. To put oil on the wood, the grain will come out and if you use a proper sealant, it will protect against humidity and water damage. For the walls, you can use stylized wall paper—you should think about patterns such as floral or geometric shapes. Stay close to natural hues. Don’t forget to use textiles in the kitchen—look for the more Native American styled textiles.

Because Arts-and-Crafts style (also known as Mission style) is an apogee of craftsmanship and quality the use of hand-crafted kitchen details is not just recommended, but must have. Hand-carved corbels and wood brackets are true essentials for Arts-and-Crafts kitchen. InvitingHome.com offers a whole collection of Craftsman and Mission corbels. The vast selection of shapes and sizes provides endless opportunities for kitchen embellishment. For example large size of a Fluted Mission Corbels can be used to support kitchen countertops, while small size of the same corbels can be uses to add details to the kitchen cabinets. Or take a look on the beautifully designed Delray Craftsman wood bracket for counter support; design of this bracket exudes elegance and proudly showcasing quality craftsmanship. If you kitchen plans include a kitchen island you might consider using kitchen island legs. Island leg's ability to provide a maximum support to the countertop will give you an opportunity to have a maximum overhang of the granite counter and create an additional comfortable sitting for guests and family in your kitchen. For Arts-and-Crafts style kitchen island Mission Island Legs are the perfect addition.

When thinking about kitchen lighting, think about more Tiffany-styled lamps and shades. When thinking about dressing your windows, think in the direction of simplicity. Find simple shapes and maybe a little embroidered edges.