There are a great variety of styles of kitchen design to consider for your home.
When it comes to furnishing and details, it is a good idea to follow a certain style. This way you can ensure that everything harmonizes perfectly with each other.
In this article, we will present four different types of kitchen styles that you can use for your kitchen.
Most Popular Kitchen Designs
The following styles are the most popular kitchen designs right now:
- Industrial
- Country kitchen
- Natural
- Luxury kitchen
The Industrial Kitchen
Imperfection is the focus of the industrial look in your kitchen. This means straight quirks and edges, exposed pipes, unplastered walls, and cracked paint give the furnishing style its special charm.
The Origin
As the name suggests, the origin of the industrial kitchen style lies in industrialization. Factories designed primarily for functionality sprang up in cities around the world.
With the shift to industrial areas, factory buildings in the downtown cores were abandoned. They stood empty until they were discovered by artists in the 1970s and 1980s.
These buildings were used as cheap living spaces and worked well as a studio. The partially remaining furniture in these old factories was reused.
Metal lockers became cupboards, and the workbench became a table – illuminated by the bare industrial lights.
How To Build It
Cold steel, bare lightbulbs, and untreated wood do not immediately suggest a cozy kitchen. But the style can be implemented very well in an open-plan kitchen. This is because the open design is very close to an industrial loft.
To implement the style in your kitchen, it is best to leave the walls neutral white or even unplastered. As a result, rough materials such as dark wood and metals come into their own.
It is best to choose the kitchen colors in a darker, matt tone and combine them with worktops made of stainless steel. They appear particularly robust and reflect the industrial metal look.
For an attached dining area, it is worth browsing flea markets and second-hand furniture stores for vintage furniture. A wooden table with chairs made of metal, which already shows slight quirks and cracked paint, fits well into the concept.
Materials To Use
Materials such as shiny metal, solid concrete, and stone as well as natural wood with quirks and edges give the industrial look and charm.
It is up to you to decide to what extent you would like to use them in your kitchen.
Would you like to design an entire wall or your dining table with a concrete look? Or would you limit yourself to individual concrete accessories? If you need some help, reach out to a professional.
How To Decorate
In general, less is more in your industrial kitchen. If consistently implemented, the kitchen unit, table, and chairs are all eye-catchers.
Choose a few statement pieces that support the industrial atmosphere that you could find at a flea market. Maybe use things like old picture frames, oil lamps, or a tin bucket that works as a flowerpot.
You can also build the right decoration yourself. Concrete and steel or copper pipes can be used to create individual accessories with an industrial look.
Country Kitchen
The country house style always seems to be in trend – and there are good reasons for that. The traditional style kitchens have always evolved and are now interpreted in very different ways.
Implement it in your home in a classically romantic way. You can also adapt it to your lifestyle – with a pinch of shabby chic or modern touch.
The Origin
In the 18th century, there was a trend among the upper class of Great Britain to have a second residence in the country – the so-called country house.
At that time, however, the furnishings were still quite flashy, which was appropriate for the upper class.
However, all that changed in the 19th century. The writers and artists used these quiet country houses to seek inspiration away from the hustle and bustle of the city.
How To Build It
Light colors such as white and cream as well as neutral earth tones such as beige and brown characterize the harmonious image of the country house style kitchens.
But make sure to also use light splashes of color – such as a delicate green. Fit it into the style and give it a more modern fresh look.
Furniture made of solid wood goes best with the natural colors that exude country air. Local woods such as pine, oak, and birch look particularly good in your country kitchen.
Whether you keep the natural color of the wood or paint it white is up to you. To round off the country style kitchen remodel, you can choose furniture with playful decorations or carvings.
To break up the classic, playful style, you can use furniture with a shabby chic look for the kitchen or dining area. The look is naturally rustic with peeling paint, aged wood surfaces, and rusty metal.
Another option is to combine a classic wooden table with modern designer chairs. Just try it out and find your personal style.
Materials To Use
The typical materials were shaped by the rural environment. Wood is used not only for the kitchenette but also for the seating area and is therefore predominant in the country kitchen.
Linen, wicker, stone, and clay are also typical of the kitchen style. The dishes are washed up in a ceramic basin in the proper style.
How To Decorate
With the country house style, the decoration can be functional at the same time. For example, to implement the style holistically, you could use:
- a cutlery basket made of wicker
- tea towels with floral patterns
- shelves made of metal or wood
- matching mugs made of enamel
To bring the countryside to the table, you can place a clay vase with a bouquet of fresh flowers or dried flowers on the table.
The Natural Kitchen
The trend toward natural materials, eco-friendly furniture, and longevity have long since arrived in the kitchen.
Shiny and bulky kitchen fronts and plastic have had their day. Instead, many are going back to nature to be inspired while they cook.
The Origin
With all the technology, prosperity, and luxury that surrounds us these days, the trend has been going back towards nature. This seems to be the case for a long time – including in the kitchen.
For many people, sustainability plays a major role in their kitchen design styles. This is not only reflected in terms of the longevity of the materials but is also noticeable in the look.
A natural kitchen has soft ceramic tones, gray or green-tinged natural stones, or soft sand tones.
How To Build It
The kitchen has always been the area where the whole family gathers. Here you spend most of the night with friends, not only eating, but also playing, drinking, and laughing.
Cooking, eating, and living merge into one unit. The return of the natural kitchen ensures more comfort.
Kitchens include untreated wood, lots of ceramics, and accessories. They radiate warmth and make the kitchen an absolute favorite spot.
Natural shades of green, brown, or gray set great color accents and give the kitchen an additional natural flair.
Materials To Use
All materials that are close to nature find their place in the natural kitchen. These include:
In general, people tend to prefer matte surfaces to glossy ones. There are many cost-effective solutions.
In the natural kitchen, appearance, material, and the original idea of the trend go hand in hand with natural colors and durable materials.
How To Decorate
Simple accessories such as ceramic dishes, wooden picture frames, and matt metal candlesticks go well with the often-grained wooden cabinets. Copper is still very much in vogue.
Here are some more options for a natural kitchen:
- statement pieces made of concrete
- cachepots made of seaweed
- recycled items
The Luxury Kitchen
Time to roll out the red carpet and all the bells and whistles.
The trend towards more luxury, intelligent household appliances, and kitchen helpers continues. They take care of all your tasks independently and culminate in the fully automatic luxury kitchen.
The Origin
The general trends are not only going back towards natural kitchens with sustainable materials and simple basics. As with almost all trends, they also work in the opposite direction.
Smart devices with sophisticated sensors and control mechanisms play a major role here. They relieve us of our tasks, which is also reflected in the look.
How To Build It
Since our daily work routine is tight anyway, we like to be comfortable at home.
In conjunction with ever more sophisticated technology, this also leads to smart devices in the kitchen. These devices make our work easier or even do it completely for us.
However, a kitchen cabinet made of grained wood does not necessarily go well with:
- ultra-modern high-end kitchen appliances that bake almost independently
- dishwashers that give themselves exactly the right dose of dishwashing detergent and start all by themselves
- ovens that open on demand
- an antique table with a patina that has worked for years
Instead, functionality, minimalism, and strict clarity come into play in the luxury kitchen.
Monolithic kitchen islands made of high-quality materials, and matte and noble-looking cabinets without handles convey the highest level of luxury and make the kitchen a prestige space.
The Materials
If you think of marble in connection with your luxury kitchen, you are right and wrong at the same time.
Materials such as marble certainly play a role in a luxury kitchen. But since marble is extremely sensitive material, quartz or ceramics are used as well.
Depending on taste, both materials can be found in the luxury kitchen in light white or beige tones, but also in elegant anthracite.
The cabinets are handleless and the sinks, often made of the same material, fit seamlessly into the countertop.
How To Decorate
Fittings in gold or copper provide a great contrast to the minimalist cabinets in an elegant matt look. Cool concrete accessories, dark colors, and precious items made of gold or silver also fit into your luxury kitchen.
In general, however, there is not much standing around. Most of it is hidden behind the cupboards and the kitchen looks rather tidy and simple.
Conclusion
Kitchens built using industrial design rely on imperfection – flaws are welcome here. Exposed walls, pipes, or lamps make up the special charm of this style. Furniture and accessories made of concrete or copper tubing complete the look.
Modern country kitchens haven’t lost their popularity. People like the original country style. The classic light and neutral earth tones can either be complemented with solid wood furniture or softened with pastel colors or shabby chic style furniture.
Naturalness and sustainability are also playing an increasingly important role in the kitchen. That is why untreated wood and ceramics meet accessories in designs and tones, as well as unpackaged food in the natural kitchen.
The focus in the luxury kitchen, on the other hand, is on smart devices that do much of the work that needs to be done on their own. These are paired with worktops and fronts in a marble look made of ceramic or quartz, in elegant anthracite or light white or beige tones, as well as fittings in gold or copper.
Hope you’ve enjoyed this article about the different styles of kitchen design. If you are looking for more tips, check out our how-to guide on kitchen remodeling.