Three Places To Start Modernizing Your Kitchen

If you’re thinking of a kitchen home improvement project, one of the best things you can do for your home’s look and to add value to your property is to modernize the look. This is especially crucial if you’re moving into an older home, where the previous owners may have lived there for decades and never updated the kitchen. While it’s common to find kitchens that were last renovated in the 00s, or even 90s or 80s, sometimes a home will still have a kitchen from the 50s!

If part of your kitchen home improvement project is modernizing your kitchen to give it a contemporary look, here are the three aspects you should look at.

Materials

This, more than anything else, will make the biggest difference. Different decades have favored various building materials based on trends of the era. The 1950s, for example, found the diner aesthetic fashionable, so linoleum was a popular material in that era. In the 80s, honey oak cabinets and tile countertops were the distinctive looks many Generation X children grew up with.

Today, of course, most contemporary kitchens eschew tile in favor of a material like granite or quartz as a solid countertop. And cabinets come in a variety of materials, from plywood to stainless steel, with a spectrum of colors to show off, instead of just natural wood paneling.

Appliances

Unlike other parts of the home where exchanging old furniture for new instantly updates a room’s look, the kitchen isn’t so easy. Sinks, dishwashers, stoves, and refrigerators are large and, in some cases, directly installed into the home and, therefore, impossible to remove. Even if a 30-year-old stove is still working, its design immediately gives away its age and dates the look of a kitchen.

If you’re upgrading the kitchen anyway, it’s always a good idea to start fresh and get new appliances that match the contemporary look your kitchen design will give you. The exception, of course, is if you’re deliberately pursuing a more retro kitchen look, in which case decade-specific appliances may be just what you’re looking for.

Space

Another area that is often a giveaway for how old a kitchen is is the design philosophy behind its space. Throughout the first half of the 20th century, for example, kitchens were regarded as workspaces for just one person, the housewife, and therefore built to accommodate one person working in the area, with no intent for having meals or socializing in this space.

Modern kitchens are often social spaces and sometimes even auxiliary workspaces. Opening up a kitchen to make it a place for meals, conversation during meal preparation, or even a corner dedicated to setting up a laptop and doing work is another sign of a modern kitchen with a modern look. For homes with space, a kitchen is no longer a narrow workspace with a dining room being the showpiece; the kitchen itself is an important room and is no longer hidden.

If you’re planning a major kitchen home improvement project and want to work with an experienced professional, contact us today.