Scout Island Midcentury Kitchen, Austin

The kitchen was designed with no upper cabinets to keep the space open and clean, but lower cabinets offer plenty of storage. The kitchen island is made with Caesarstone's Blizzard, and the stone floors are Israeli Blue. The clients had a moderate budget and wanted to get a crisp and clean look while still using off-the-shelf materials. "Working with commonplace materials can make it more difficult to create a certain result," says Alter. "You have to make sure to articulate the materials in a certain way."

Traditional blue and white kitchens feature white cabinetry against blue painted walls. This contemporary space shows how you can turn that classic combination around, creating a fresh new look.

1. Flat-panel door style. This is sometimes referred to as a slab-door style and is a signature element of modern kitchen design. You might see a modern kitchen using a Shaker door style, but that often falls into transitional rather than modern — which is not to say it can't be used; it's just not a purist's perspective. 2. Frameless, full-overlay cabinet construction. A bunch of terms are thrown around to describe this type of cabinet construction: frameless, Euro frameless, overlay, full overlay. They all mean the same thing, that the door overlays the cabinet box. This style is the most often used in modern kitchens because it's sleeker than a flush-inset cabinet, which is often associated with more traditional kitchen, cabinet and furniture design.

4. C- or J-Channel Metal Rail PullsThese pulls offer another great option for those who don't want their pulls to stick out into the traffic flow. They are very sleek, but be careful of dust and spills getting caught in the channels.

Modern kitchens. Definitions of “modern” vary widely, but when we think of modern kitchen designs, we often think of frameless cabinets, sleek and simple hardware, strong horizontal lines and a lack of ornamentation, with the natural beauty of the materials shining through. Guide: 8 Elements of a Modern Kitchen

The truth is, great kitchen design is less about looks and more about how it works. Great design translates to a house that functions better, costs less to build, is more efficient to run and maintain, and gets you more for less.A great meal doesn’t have to cost any more than a regular one. It needs to start with a great recipe, have quality ingredients and be carried out with confidence and execution in the kitchen. The same thing could be said about your next kitchen design. Make sure it’s a great one!More: Homeowner’s Workbook: How to Remodel Your KitchenFind a local kitchen designerTell us: What would you add to your next kitchen — and what would you avoid?

Upper shelf, but without any electrical/lighting

Metallic recessed channel with high gloss cabinets

Clean easy to keep bold color and waterfall counter

Two tone, wood on top, nice blue