One of the most obnoxious aspects of contemporary lighting is how sterile it can be. Early incandescent and LED bulbs were too bright and seemed better suited for office settings. The issue is that classical warm-colored lights, like Edison bulbs, are inefficient energy-wise and disallowed in many places. Luckily, tremendous strides have been made in contemporary light design to mimic the warm light of Edison bulbs. For instance, LED filament bulbs can give your kitchen a classic nostalgic glow that will make it feel cozy and inviting!
When balancing elegance and coziness, nothing is more effective than wood flooring! However, wood flooring can be prohibitively expensive for some people and requires a level of upkeep that many might find unreasonable. While cheap alternatives, like linoleum flooring, are sometimes opted for because of these reasons, faux wood flooring has improved dramatically! For instance, vinyl plank kitchen flooring does an incredible job imitating natural wood flooring, with the added benefit of being more affordable and better able to withstand water, stains, and other things that destroy wood flooring!
Range hood covers help bring a kitchen together. They serve the purpose of ventilating smoke, steam, and odor and as a focal centerpiece. Historically, they have often been bulky, ornate, imposing, and pricey. However, specific stylistic and material changes mean that one can get a more affordable range hood cover and even give it a more modern flair that still serves its central functional and aesthetic purposes. For instance, minimalist metal hoods are very much in vogue and generally much more affordable than their ornate counterparts, and they’ll give your kitchen a sleek, modern look!
With technological progress in the 20th century came a deluge of new kitchen appliances Americans couldn’t access. This led to a substantial aesthetic change where new appliances, such as a large brightly colored refrigerator, starkly stuck out in the American kitchen. There is a desire to reclaim uniformity and return to the earlier norm. For instance, many Americans now opt for a paneled or integrated refrigerator that matches their cabinetry. Often, purchasable covers can be affixed to kitchen appliances to achieve this uniform look!
There has been a recent resurgence of interest in traditional stone countertops, given their classical rustic charm. Unfortunately, they’re often expensive and subject to chipping, water retention, scratching, and stains. However, numerous “unnatural” countertop alternatives are often aesthetically indistinguishable from stone countertops. For instance, engineered quartz is highly durable, non-porous, and resistant to scratches and stains! Numerous such countertop alternatives bring the charm of a stone countertop without the costly downsides.
Crown molding adds a touch of elegance to kitchen space and has long been popular in traditional and farmhouse-style kitchens. However, crown molding in the past was often subject to deterioration without proper upkeep. Also, some might find traditional crown molding a bit tacky nowadays! Luckily, new forms of crown molding provide that aesthetic framing while having a more modern look. Shadow line molding, for example, can give a more minimal look and make a space feel more open or airy! Also, they’re often less subject to deterioration. Modern twists on crown molding can help a kitchen reclaim elegance without garish opulence!
As the heart of the home, the kitchen should be as functional as it is beautiful. These tips only show how a few timeless kitchen design components can be reimagined with modern developments to be more affordable and have a more contemporary flair. There are many ways to modernize a kitchen while holding on to time-tested tradition!