Kitchen Design
New This Week: 3 Great Contemporary Kitchens
See how clean lines and low-maintenance features contribute to bright, family-friendly designs
Designer secret. “The floating shelves, instead of upper cabinets, allowed us the ability extend the watery glass backsplash from the countertop to the ceiling,” Krahn says. “This created a wall-to-wall effect with greater impact.”
“Uh-oh” moment. “The fridge door needed to clear the sliding glass barn door to the adjacent pantry,” Krahn says. “The solution was to install a vertical wine storage cabinet with a pullout pantry below to allow for the required clearance. Another key item was to have the fridge door preset so it doesn’t open more than 90 degrees.”
Pendant lights: Firefrost in red, Tech Lighting; wall paint: Oxford White, Benjamin Moore; contractor: Naikoon Contracting; millwork: Duke Architectural Millwork
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“Uh-oh” moment. “The fridge door needed to clear the sliding glass barn door to the adjacent pantry,” Krahn says. “The solution was to install a vertical wine storage cabinet with a pullout pantry below to allow for the required clearance. Another key item was to have the fridge door preset so it doesn’t open more than 90 degrees.”
Pendant lights: Firefrost in red, Tech Lighting; wall paint: Oxford White, Benjamin Moore; contractor: Naikoon Contracting; millwork: Duke Architectural Millwork
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2. Cabin Cool
Designer: Chris Hawley of CHA Architecture + Construction
Location: Nisswa, Minnesota
Size: 232½ square feet (22 square meters); 15½ by 15 feet
Homeowners’ request. A low-maintenance kitchen with lots of natural light, views of the nearby lake and openness to an adjacent dining area and living room for frequent extended-family gatherings at this Minnesota cabin. “The cabin was asked to be evocative of a cabin in terms of scale, playfulness, flexible spaces and form while approaching the project with a contemporary aesthetic,” architect Chris Hawley says. “The low-maintenance approach to all finishes allows the owner to enjoy the setting and not be bogged down in work.”
Contemporary style. “Elements like the exposed concrete floors with high-efficiency hydronic heat, and the custom steel panel on the kitchen island, allow for a contemporary aesthetic and low-maintenance finish,” Hawley says. “The waterfall wood countertop also brings playfulness into this daylit space.”
Special features. Birch cabinets. Concrete floor. The white subway tile backsplash goes behind the floating shelves and to the ceiling on the range wall.
Designer secret. “The playful mix of materials and the natural light make this space a success,” Hawley says. “The wood countertop, steel panel on the island and exposed concrete floor create a memorable and happy space.”
Designer: Chris Hawley of CHA Architecture + Construction
Location: Nisswa, Minnesota
Size: 232½ square feet (22 square meters); 15½ by 15 feet
Homeowners’ request. A low-maintenance kitchen with lots of natural light, views of the nearby lake and openness to an adjacent dining area and living room for frequent extended-family gatherings at this Minnesota cabin. “The cabin was asked to be evocative of a cabin in terms of scale, playfulness, flexible spaces and form while approaching the project with a contemporary aesthetic,” architect Chris Hawley says. “The low-maintenance approach to all finishes allows the owner to enjoy the setting and not be bogged down in work.”
Contemporary style. “Elements like the exposed concrete floors with high-efficiency hydronic heat, and the custom steel panel on the kitchen island, allow for a contemporary aesthetic and low-maintenance finish,” Hawley says. “The waterfall wood countertop also brings playfulness into this daylit space.”
Special features. Birch cabinets. Concrete floor. The white subway tile backsplash goes behind the floating shelves and to the ceiling on the range wall.
Designer secret. “The playful mix of materials and the natural light make this space a success,” Hawley says. “The wood countertop, steel panel on the island and exposed concrete floor create a memorable and happy space.”
3. Peak Performance
Designer: Robert Linn of Moskow Linn Architects
Location: Cambridge, Massachusetts
Size: 390 square feet (36 square meters)
Homeowners’ request. “The home is sited between a noisy thoroughfare and a tranquil urban park, creating two entirely different site conditions,” designer Robert Linn says. “The design goal for this space was to create a multipurpose space with an island and table as the center of all activity for a family of three. Cooking, dining, homework, socializing all happen around the long table. Long views to the park were maximized while screening traffic on the road side.”
Contemporary style. “Clean lines, design details and material choices put it into the contemporary category,” Linn says.
Special features. Four-inch radiant-heat concrete slab floor with a steel troweled finish. Rift-sawn white oak wood panels and trim. Flat-panel cabinets with a conversion varnish finish. Honed Super White quartz countertop.
See how to work with a design professional to get radiant-heat floors
Designer: Robert Linn of Moskow Linn Architects
Location: Cambridge, Massachusetts
Size: 390 square feet (36 square meters)
Homeowners’ request. “The home is sited between a noisy thoroughfare and a tranquil urban park, creating two entirely different site conditions,” designer Robert Linn says. “The design goal for this space was to create a multipurpose space with an island and table as the center of all activity for a family of three. Cooking, dining, homework, socializing all happen around the long table. Long views to the park were maximized while screening traffic on the road side.”
Contemporary style. “Clean lines, design details and material choices put it into the contemporary category,” Linn says.
Special features. Four-inch radiant-heat concrete slab floor with a steel troweled finish. Rift-sawn white oak wood panels and trim. Flat-panel cabinets with a conversion varnish finish. Honed Super White quartz countertop.
See how to work with a design professional to get radiant-heat floors
Designer secret. “The concrete floors, white cabinetry and white building shell [Decorator’s White by Benjamin Moore] could have been somewhat austere or cold without the introduction of the rift-sawn oak, which was used to fabricate the table [and] as wall panels and highlight trim around the cabinetry,” Linn says.
“Uh-oh” moment. “Fly ash was added to the concrete mix to darken the floor,” Linn says. “When the floor first began to cure, the concrete had a very even, dark tone that the clients liked. As the curing process continued, the floor lightened and began to have a more mottled quality that didn’t look anything like the initial pour, which was worrisome to everyone involved. As it continued to dry, the overall tone evened out again and the raw, mottled areas added some variation and interest to the finish.”
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More
How to Warm Up a Contemporary White Kitchen
Homeowner’s Workbook: How to Remodel Your Kitchen
12 Great Kitchen Styles — Which One’s for You?
Other Resources on Houzz
Find a kitchen designer near you
Get contemporary kitchen ideas
Shop for contemporary kitchen furniture and products
“Uh-oh” moment. “Fly ash was added to the concrete mix to darken the floor,” Linn says. “When the floor first began to cure, the concrete had a very even, dark tone that the clients liked. As the curing process continued, the floor lightened and began to have a more mottled quality that didn’t look anything like the initial pour, which was worrisome to everyone involved. As it continued to dry, the overall tone evened out again and the raw, mottled areas added some variation and interest to the finish.”
See more of this home
More
How to Warm Up a Contemporary White Kitchen
Homeowner’s Workbook: How to Remodel Your Kitchen
12 Great Kitchen Styles — Which One’s for You?
Other Resources on Houzz
Find a kitchen designer near you
Get contemporary kitchen ideas
Shop for contemporary kitchen furniture and products
Designers: Lynda Krahn and Slavica Paulic of Synthesis Design
Location: Deep Cove, North Vancouver, British Columbia
Size: 352 square feet (33 square meters); 16 by 22 feet
Homeowners’ request. Create a clean but warm contemporary kitchen that captures the views to the ocean. They also wanted a central fireplace for warmth and ambience while cooking and entertaining.
Contemporary style. “The lines of the architecture, the interior cabinets and details are clean, yet the use of natural materials adds warmth and echoes the West Coast,” says designer Lynda Krahn, who helped determine the design direction after reviewing photos in a Houzz ideabook the homeowners made.
Special features. Cabinets paneled in ivory oak veneer. Architectural back-painted glass panels in a watery pattern. Grayish-brown wide wood-plank flooring. Natural slab wood dining table.
Browse and save photos of contemporary kitchens to your own Houzz ideabook