Interior design is one of the most complex parts of a home; if not the most, however, once you get your head around the different styles, and what their themes are, you’ll be able to get a grip on what works and what doesn’t.
To gain an understanding of the history of interior design you should be reading modern home magazines. For example, there is a style called ‘classic’ and it's one of the more popularly chosen styles. It's not quite a traditional kitchen, as it doesn’t use aged and or varnished wood. It uses modern wood that isn’t as expensive and is painted and not kept separate from the background theme. However, there’s also another more popular style called ‘contemporary’ which is as the name would suggest. It utilizes modern materials like glass, fibreglass, steel, and vinyl.
So, what if you wanted a few contemporary materials and design, merged with the classic style, could such a kitchen exist?
Just like the traditional style, the classic style always uses wood for the cabinets and cupboards. However, this would be slightly frowned upon by contemporary kitchen lovers. However, you can merge the two styles by having an oak or beech wood cabinet door with stainless steel handles. You may also wish to include the glass windows but if you’re going to do that balance it back with some wooden shelves inside. Rather than having glass shelves, the additional wood would be the yang to the yin that is the metal and glass.
Now for the look. Classic kitchens don’t always stick to white. They feel most comforting when they’re following a slight country house vibe. So go with a rustic blue or perhaps a cool grey. It should be a kind of matte finish with a hint of sheen. Laminate wood would give off an artificial shine, but one layer of low-gloss paint will do the trick.
Standing with your elbows out
A contemporary kitchen has somewhat of a small island because the edges now provide a great surface. However, in a classic kitchen, the larger cabinets don’t provide a lot of headroom for you to utilize the surfaces. They are usually used for open storage of items like knife blocks, fruit bowls, decorative plants, and flowers as well as kitchen appliances like dough mixers. Other than that, the island will be the only working surface to a classic kitchen. But if you’re going to do it right, it must have it's elbows out. In other words, it has to look like an aircraft carrier in size. The island should dwarf the edge surfaces and demand respect in the kitchen. Yet, we’re also trying to merge it with a contemporary vibe so using a lighter wood such as maple or yew would be authentic. It's a good idea to laminate the wood too to give you a smudge-resistant effect.
Still unsure of yourself?
If you’re new to interior design or perhaps, just don’t quite know how to merge such dominant styles together, contact a professional kitchens and bathrooms designer. They will have a process whereby they sit down with you to discuss the kinds of styles you want and like. You’ll consult with their designers and using their knowledge and expertise, they’ll draw a clear picture of what your kitchen will look like. This company will not only design your kitchen with you, but they will deliver the new kitchen as well as fit it for you. Their professionals will install the kitchen to the design spec and take all the worry and hard work out of it. This is a great way to begin your home redesign journey. Once you feel comfortable with this process, it can also be repeated in your bathroom.
Contemporary lighting
There is no compromise to be made on your lighting. It's perhaps the weakest part of the classic style, so you’re only going contemporary on this one. Glass light shades in the form of pendants, dropping down from the ceiling would be the icing on the cake. Don’t be afraid to be outlandish here, choose complex glasswork light shades and copper or iron stems.
It seems like if you give the larger items in the kitchen to the classic style, it overshadows the contemporary effort. Flip roles and you allow yourself a contemporary kitchen, using modern materials, but with a classic layout. It's the best balance and successfully merges two styles that are separated by several decades.
*Collaborative post
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