A kitchen design can make or break a home, as it is the center of family life and strongly influences the style of your home living spaces. A busy kitchen needs to be both highly functional and stylish, since it is a place where we spend so much time. From entertaining to working, you do so many things in your kitchen, so when planning a kitchen remodel, you need to take every family member’s needs and every functional requirement into account.
Many of us have embraced cooking at home and invested in specialty appliances and recipe books for everything from healthy diets through to world cuisine. For a lot of people working from home, the kitchen has become a multi-functional space that needs to transform into everything from a dining room to a home office to an evening relaxation zone.
When you’re designing a kitchen for yourself, it’s important to make it as luxurious as possible to fit your personal needs and budget. You might like a rustic look, or maybe want some Scandi chic, but regardless of the style you favor, there are several factors that apply to achieving any high-end kitchen design. If you are planning to sell your home and are designing with potential buyers in mind, carefully select luxury materials or design features that will increase your home’s resale value and make you competitive in your local real estate market.
Functional luxury is the key to this year’s kitchen design, so why not avail of all the fresh ideas out there to make your remodel practical yet stunningly beautiful?
Layout
These days kitchen remodels are very much focused on open plan design. Social dynamics mean everyone wants to be together, and hosts want to be at the center of the party as they prep and serve food. Modern kitchen design concepts encourage sleek, simple looks that conceal clutter and enable functionality. This lets in as much light as possible, resulting in a bright, contemporary space.
Multi-level islands, L-shaped or T-shaped islands, or even more than one island in a large kitchen design are appearing more. This flexible design increases prep space and seating areas and helps to delineate individual zones in a kitchen layout. Living room furniture is becoming more popular incorporated into kitchen remodels. Choose sofas and armchairs that reflect the overall style of your open plan kitchen design and incorporate them into the heart of your home.
If you prefer having a sink work area in your island, consider installing the revolutionary Galley Ideal Kitchen Workstation. This multi-functional kitchen appliance transforms your everyday sink area into a one-stop-shop for everything from food prep to cooking to serving and clean up, all performed in a stylish setting with ease with the Galley accessory packages. Visit our showroom to see the Galley in action and to learn more from our design team about this amazing kitchen design feature.
Lighting
A clever lighting scheme is essential to a well-planned luxury kitchen design. It must be multi-purpose and layered to perform key tasks while being stylish and inviting. There’s a huge selection of lighting options to highlight, soften and zone areas but remember to keep it simple and incorporate multi-functional lighting fixtures that work in different ways.
Strong task lighting is important in busy areas such as under kitchen cabinets, over islands and in pantries. Include sophisticated skylights or spotlights at the planning stage of your remodel. Ambient lighting, such as ceiling fixtures or track lighting, creates a warm glow but also gently differentiates areas of your kitchen remodel. Dimmer switches and color options can change the mood of a room in an instant. Accent lighting is perfect for showcasing artwork or items in display cabinets or shelving. It highlights individual touches and adds a bit of class to any kitchen remodel.
Decorative lighting is the ideal way to demonstrate your personal flair. It can be the most expensive element of lighting design, but the benefits are worth it. Go for at least one designer lamp and be bold in your choice of lampshade. This year’s biggest lighting trend is woven-style pendants for a light, modern nod to organic design. Bar-style pendants are also a hit with their sleek, futuristic appearance. Select light fixtures that complement your design style in materials that accent the metallic features and color scheme of your kitchen remodel.
Countertops and Backsplashes
Choosing a countertop and backsplash is the perfect opportunity to marry function and form. There are many durable, luxury countertops available. Marble is a classic choice for luxury but granite and quartz, especially in white, are durable and contemporary without compromising on style so make excellent investments. You could opt for dark countertops either. They look stunning against white cabinetry and work equally well with warm wood or a high-end gloss finish, depending on your style and requirements. Wood countertops are more popular than ever and beautifully accent dark cabinet finishes.
Backsplashes are finding this year really is their time to shine. Sleek and modern slab backsplashes in veined marble, resin or contemporary metal are making a huge impact in kitchen design. They are installed in one piece and are extremely low maintenance but high on impact. Another way to make a splash is to go for a pop of color and pattern. Tiles are being manufactured in larger sizes and different shapes so there’s no excuse not to bring personality into your backsplash, even if it’s through interesting textures in a monotone display. High shine is also huge this year as mirrored and glossy backsplashes are increasing in popularity.
Extractor hoods are also becoming a focal point, coming in impressively decorative materials. Investing in the finer details always takes your kitchen design to the next level, achieving a high-end, luxury look.
Cabinets
Kitchen cabinets are the defining feature of a kitchen design. Choose carefully, as they set the tone for your entire remodel, and they define your kitchen layout and provide essential storage and workspace. Once you have decided on the style and color of your cabinets it will influence the rest of the decisions for your luxury kitchen design.
Choose a quality material for your cabinets to set the standard for a high-end remodel. Here at Guthrie Kitchen & Bath Plus LLC, we offer cabinets that are crafted to the highest standards in materials and styles to suit your needs and taste.
The latest trends in luxury kitchen design include sleek, touch-release cabinets with no hardware. This modern, minimalist style works well in reclaimed wood, which is seeing a huge increase in popularity due to its sustainability and one-of-a-kind appeal. These kitchen cabinets are rustic in approach but more contemporary and very desirable.
Classic styles, such as shaker, are still popular due to their timeless appeal and can be updated with the latest colors, like deep green or black for a modern twist. In 2021, a luxury kitchen design finds the perfect balance high end materials, stunning style, and little fuss.
Hardware
If handleless cabinetry is not your thing, there are many hardware options out there to add instant glamor to your kitchen cabinets and drawers. Why not consider an unusual but quality material such as leather for smart, eye-catching hardware? Brass is really on trend as a sophisticated option for your cabinetry hardware. It especially complements cooler toned cabinets in blues or greens. Don’t be afraid to highlight and include detail in your hardware to inject personality with individual but high-end finishing touches.
Faucets
Faucets are another kitchen design essential that are available in many materials and styles. They’re the ideal way to make an impact in a utilitarian part of your kitchen design. As with hardware, brass is a trendy but luxe option to really take your sink and surround to the next level. Copper and gold are also eye-catching and work really well with unusual faucets for a designer touch. Whether you choose sleek, minimalist designs or opt for classic or vintage faucets, investing in quality products will raise the bar in your kitchen remodel.
Sensor-operated faucets that detect when hands are underneath, voice-controlled faucets, or touch tap faucets are the latest in motion technology. Faucets that produce boiling or carbonated water are also luxurious additions to a kitchen design. It’s a good idea to co-ordinate the style, color or material of your faucets with your cabinet hardware to give your kitchen design a unified, polished look.
Storage
Recent times have seen an increase in people working from home. This, in turn, leads to a focus on well-being, where clutter is detrimental to our health and daily routine. In addition to investing in cooking appliances, many people are seeking to keep fully stocked pantries to prepare wholesome meals easily. The result is that kitchen remodels need to accommodate and conceal everything. Clever, custom storage is the key to functional and aesthetic design.
Last year saw a rise in replacing upper kitchen cabinets for open shelving. This year welcomes the wall to wall, top to bottom cabinet trend in kitchen design. It’s a sleek, modern way to store everything while enhancing the style of your remodel. Your kitchen design expert can work with you to decide where to locate your discreet storage to maximize the potential of your remodel. Refrigerators should be seamlessly integrated into your kitchen design for a calm, streamlined flow. Trash and recycling should be concealed. Apart from being unhygienic and obstructive beside your food prep area, it greatly improves the sleekness of your design to incorporate them into custom storage pull outs. Any countertop essentials such as soap should be in attractive dispensers and keep foodstuffs in stylish containers in your pantry.
Appliances
Concealed beverage bars are the ultimate in luxury countertop features, meaning a dedicated area for everything from coffee through to cocktails can be revealed when required. However, if you’d like to leave appliances on display on your countertop, invest in aesthetically designed models with state-of-the art features, preferably in the same finish or accent color. Highly functional but stylish appliances do not constitute clutter. Include pop up sockets or angled powerstrips to make sure you have space to plug everything in without intruding on your design.
High-end ranges, ovens and cooktops all take your kitchen to the next level and improve efficiency in your life. Investing in smart technology not only helps with convenience, it transforms your kitchen into a modern space. Refrigerators that know when to re-stock or coffee machines that greet you with a morning coffee are impressive technology at your fingertips. Smart ovens, controlled by your phone mean dinner can be waiting for you when you come home. Let your kitchen do the work as you relax in its luxurious surroundings.
Put the finishing touches to your upmarket kitchen remodel with plants and fresh flowers in beautifully crafted pots and vases. You can’t go wrong with trendy and low-maintenance succulents on a windowsill or trailing ivy in a hanging planter.
For a luxury kitchen remodel, high quality materials combine with a multi-functional design to subtly cater for your every need. Contact us at Guthrie Kitchen & Bath Plus LLC to discuss your requirements and we can advise you how to achieve the kitchen of your dreams.
