Original Modern Kitchens and Trends

Hugely vibrant colors: A third color scheme employs one shockingly bold color--red, orange, blue--and uses this in great quantity throughout the kitchen. Synthetic materials: Melamine, steel, glass vs. European: Scratch the surface of any ultra-modern kitchen design and you'll find European provenance, usually Italian. Minimizing the natural look: Often, melamine surfaces will mimic the look of real wood, and some kitchens have flat, hard-edged panels of wood as accents. But this is about as far as it goes. Clean and spare: De-emphasizing clutter and junk that most people hate in their own kitchens. Shown here is Aran Cucine's Volare cabinet collection. It has all the delicious hallmarks of a modern kitchen, Modern Kitchens from its stark monochromatic look to its minimalistic flat cabinetry. Aran calls this surface brushed thermotreated oak, and it's a material found in many modern wood Italian furnishings: Wood is heated by steam to 450 degrees Fahrenheit for 24 hours to give the wood an attractive finish. Continue to 2 of 5 below.

Example of a modern kitchen design with an undermount sink, light wood floor and beige floor, flat-panel cabinets, white cabinets, black backsplash, stone slab backsplash, black and red household appliances, stainless steel appliances and an island. Example of a contemporary kitchen design with colorful different pieces. Eat-in small kitchen idea with an undermount sink, flat-panel cabinets, blue cabinets, quartzite countertops, gray backsplash, concrete floor and gray floor, stone slab backsplash, stainless steel appliances, an island. This kitchen combines the contrast between black and white and the naturalness of transparent surfaces, which will create excitement! Open concept kitchen with flat-panel cabinets, white cabinets, minimalist galley concrete floor and gray floor marble countertops, window backsplash, black covered lightings, stainless steel appliances and an island. Minimal and simple kitchen design creates a spacious atmosphere. Example of a mid-sized minimalist l-shaped kitchen design with flat-panel cabinets, white cabinets, concrete wood countertop, wooden flush shelves, metal lightings and a peninsula. This kitchen features a handle-less design across all doors and drawers.

To maximize such a view, keep any furniture beneath the window (around knee height if possible). An upholstered ottoman or a chaise lounge fits the bill nicely. Depending on your desire for privacy, you may opt for no window covering at all or one that stacks unobtrusively -- Roman shades are chic with any decorating style, and pleated shades work with soft contemporary or Asian-inspired settings. Modern decor takes many forms. On the next page, see how a monochromatic look can bring you design success. It functions as a cool neutral, but with much more personality. Consider the chic monochromatic look used in this room. Shades and tints of indigo, from the palest ice-blue to the darkest navy, are used with strategic infusions of black and white. Japanese art and furniture work beautifully with modern elements to enhance the sense of sleekness and serenity. In a space like this, you could entertain guests in blue jeans or black-and-white formal wear with equal comfort.

We're increasingly looking to biophilic design to create more organic, calming, earthy spaces. It follows that the trend for wood kitchen cabinets has grown. Try pairing with soft hues like sage greens or the palest of pinks to soften the natural textures. Daniela Condo, designer at Life Kitchens says: 'Texture is something that is also being increasingly explored when it comes to modern kitchen cabinet ideas. In small kitchen layouts, often the standard cabinet sizes just aren't a good fit. So be inspired by this small, but perfectly formed apartment kitchen and fit in more cabinets by opting for narrow designs. Because the space is narrow, you don't actually notice the cabinets are smaller as they are in proportion with the kitchen. And also note that the wall cabinets fill the space, going right up to the ceiling so as not to waste space. Plus, the taller cabinets creating the illusion of more height in this small space.