1 of 16
1. Flat-panel door style. This is sometimes referred to as a slab-door style and is a signature element of modern kitchen design. You might see a modern kitchen using a Shaker door style, but that often falls into transitional rather than modern — which is not to say it can't be used; it's just not a purist's perspective.
2. Frameless, full-overlay cabinet construction. A bunch of terms are thrown around to describe this type of cabinet construction: frameless, Euro frameless, overlay, full overlay. They all mean the same thing, that the door overlays the cabinet box. This style is the most often used in modern kitchens because it's sleeker than a flush-inset cabinet, which is often associated with more traditional kitchen, cabinet and furniture design.
by Alterstudio 2. Frameless, full-overlay cabinet construction. A bunch of terms are thrown around to describe this type of cabinet construction: frameless, Euro frameless, overlay, full overlay. They all mean the same thing, that the door overlays the cabinet box. This style is the most often used in modern kitchens because it's sleeker than a flush-inset cabinet, which is often associated with more traditional kitchen, cabinet and furniture design.
In a true frameless cabinet you won't see a face frame at all, and you'll get consistent spacing between all the doors and drawers, even between two cabinets. In what's called a framed overlay, you will still have a face frame and varying space between doors and cabinets.
Diagram courtesy of Kitchens Made New
http://www.kitchensmadenew.com
Diagram courtesy of Kitchens Made New
VÄRDE Glass-door wall cabinet - $199.00 [ Link ]
When the doors are closed on a frameless cabinet, you can't see the frame at all except for about a ⅛-inch shadow line between cabinets.
by IKEA
3. Sleek and simple hardware. In modern kitchens you'll most often see C-channel hardware that's integrated into the cabinet, as well as tubular pulls or flat linear pulls. Lots of times the horizontal lines of the cabinets will be accentuated by cabinet hardware running the full length of the drawers and doors.
by Cary Bernstein Architect
4. Lack of ornamentation. Always a signature of modern, this is often where contemporary and modern stop being similar. Whereas you might see patterned tile shapes or multiple materials with texture, color and patina in a contemporary kitchen, you won't see much of that in a modern kitchen. Flat-panel door styles and sleek hardware are joined here by a simple full-height glass backsplash and countertops without any pattern or veining.
by Webber + Studio, Architects
5. Reliance on the beauty of natural materials. It's not to say that modern kitchens can't have a little bit of ornamentation, but when they do, they get it from the natural characteristics in a material, such as the horizontal grain of oak when it's rift cut or the natural beauty and veining of marble.
by Chelsea Atelier Architect, PC
The grain of the walnut on this island is all this modern kitchen needs in terms of ornamentation.
by J. Weiss Design
6. Emphasis on horizontal lines. You might not notice at first, but many modern kitchens share a tendency toward the horizontal: long, wide lines, stacks of drawer cabinets lined in a row, hardware set long and horizontal to accentuate the lines of the drawers. In this kitchen the floating panel of the back wall and the cutout accentuate the horizontal theme.
by David Wilkes Builders
These cabinets have horizontal grooves in addition to the grain being horizontal on all the cabinet fronts. In a traditional kitchen the grain might be run vertically on doors or center panels with a vertical orientation.
by SB Architects
In this kitchen the island itself makes a strong horizontal statement.
by Mal Corboy Design
In this kitchen the tile's natural grain is like rift-cut wood, and the tiles themselves are set and stacked on a horizontal grid.
by Croma Design Inc
Even in a kitchen that skews toward transitional, a standard 3-by-6 Cararra marble set in a stacked pattern rather than a brick pattern can make it more modern.
by Melissa Miranda Interior Design
7. Consistency in style of accent pieces. Accents like lighting, tables, chairs and bar stools all have to be considered when designing a kitchen. In a modern kitchen these elements will stay consistent rather than deviate like you'd see in an eclectic kitchen. The pieces here show simple, clean lines and lack of ornamentation.
by Amitzi Architects
Sleek bar stools and pendant lights are consistent with modern style, but this modern kitchen is in a Victorian home complete with leaded glass windows and arches with columns. There's no rule that says the architecture and the kitchen have to both be modern — hundreds of century-old apartments and farmhouses with modern kitchens in Italy, France and Spain can attest to that.
by Rebekah Zaveloff
There's nothing to say that color can't be introduced into a modern kitchen, whether it's in the accents or the cabinets.
by Stephanie Norris
8. Industrial elements. There's something about the unadorned elements of industrial details that are instantly modern. This natural and untreated concrete wall has a visual interest and patina all its own and is as interesting as patterned wallpaper for the modernist. What looks like epoxy-painted concrete floors and the complete lack of ornamentation on the cabinets complete the look of this modern kitchen.
In this series:
How to Remodel Your Kitchen
Find Your Kitchen Style
by Elad Gonen & Zeev Beech In this series:
How to Remodel Your Kitchen
Find Your Kitchen Style
Today's Articles
