Contemporary kitchen ideas to refresh your home

Despite this place of honor, modern kitchens can still be a challenging space to decorate. After all, it is one of the most functional rooms in the house and often comes fitted with kitchen features like wood cabinets and countertops that you may not have chosen for yourself. It can be difficult to envision how you might renovate or even re-decorate a kitchen that doesn’t match your personal tastes. Luckily, styling a contemporary kitchen doesn’t have to be a major undertaking. Below, we’ve pulled together some contemporary kitchen ideas and tips to suit any budget.

What is Modern Contemporary Kitchen Design?

What makes a designed kitchen feel contemporary, rather than dated? For one thing, modern contemporary kitchen design feels open. Rather than a separate room hidden away from view, many contemporary homes often integrate the kitchen into the living room or dining room, perhaps using a kitchen island rather than walls, so that family, friends, and conversation can flow from one space to the other. Don’t worry if this isn’t the case in your own home: you can still create an airy, welcoming kitchen by taking inspiration from the other hallmarks of contemporary decor. These include simplicity of form and lines, a refined use of color and texture, and an emphasis on airy, light-filled spaces.

Easy Contemporary Kitchen Updates

Contemporary design is all about creating clean, open spaces that feel both calming and personal. That means sleek decor with unique touches that reflect your own, individual tastes. You can achieve this by streamlining your kitchen’s fixtures to emphasize clean, geometric lines. One easy way to do this is to replace kitchen cabinets, which tend to feature more embellished woodwork, with open shelving. Open shelving looks sleeker and also allows more of the walls to be visible, which makes the room seem larger. What you store on these functional shelves can also make a style statement: an elegant collection of contemporary dishware is worth displaying!

If your contemporary kitchen is on the smaller size, make the most of vertical lines to create the illusion of more space. Install contemporary light fixtures like pendant lights to draw the eye upwards, and switch out your chairs for bar stools – they take up less floor space and have a slimmer silhouette. A lighter color palette is also an easy way to make a space seem visually larger and more inviting, so choose white or light-colored neutral paint for the walls. You can then introduce fun pops of color with accessories like dish towels, wall art, or even the kitchen appliances themselves, whether you choose eye-catching stainless steel or a colorful refrigerator. These details will stand out even more against a neutral background, maximizing their visual impact.

Clean and Fresh Contemporary White Kitchen Ideas

An all-white kitchen, from the countertops and appliances to the dishware and accessories, creates a beautiful, light-filled effect that instantly opens up even smaller spaces. Play with different textures with contemporary white kitchen ideas to keep a contemporary kitchen from looking overly cold or harsh. White marble countertops, white linen curtains or rugs, and white ceramics on the shelves add subtle contrast that is very pleasing to the eye.

Contemporary Black Kitchen Design Ideas to Make a Statement

If you’re planning a full kitchen remodel, why not go bold? For high-impact contemporary style, consider contemporary black kitchen design ideas. For the ultimate high-contrast decor, choose black and white together. Black and white tiles make a bold statement and are perfect for kitchen floors or backsplashes, especially when complemented with white walls and black cabinets and appliances. For a softer take on the same style, pair dark wood cabinets, countertops, and flooring with lighter-colored walls and appliances.