The contemporary stylings of today’s kitchen

In these days when short video clips are king on social media, it seems everyone is a chef sharing cooking tips and culinary expertise (or lack thereof). And in these clips, the whole world gets to see what these would-be-Gordon-Ramseys’ kitchens look like. So, if you’re intent on being a social media influencer by producing these short cooking videos, it would be a great help if your kitchen looked the part.

A polished, professional look is important – meaning an uncluttered area, clean cutting boards, sparkling knives, pots and pans – not just for the videos but in everyday life. But to capture the Instagram double tap, your kitchen must have game. This is where knowing the right kitchen design for you can help.

Today’s homebuilders all put extra care in creating the most contemporary kitchen designs. It is after all the heart of the home – whether one cooks or not.

“A well-designed kitchen should not only be functional but beautiful,” says Trico Homes’ Show Home Design Coordinator, Alexandra Scott. “It is important to think about how you are going to use the kitchen on a day-to-day basis. It should provide adequate space for you, your guests and family to maneuver without running into each other.”
Rachel Amsterdam, Show Home Decorator at Homes by Avi, says kitchen design not only adds to the personality of the home, but also reflects the owner’s personality.

“The kitchen really is the heart of the home and having a well-designed kitchen can create space that adds value to your home and lets you show your design personality. Along with those two very important reasons to have a well-designed kitchen, the most important reason is for functionality,” Amsterdam says.

Ana Wolf of Wolf Designs handles design work for the Partners Group, and she sees the kitchen as the centre of the home where people gather, and work happens. “You have a lot of work to do, and you have to look good doing it while also being set up to be efficient and functional.”

Combining style and function

Combining style and function can be easier said than done sometimes. Finding balance in what looks great and what works well can sometimes be a challenge.

Amsterdam says achieving aesthetic beauty and easy practicality is made possible by carefully planning ahead.
“Style and function really go hand in hand in a kitchen. Creating a space that has ample storage, ease of access to appliances and is easy to clean is very important when designing the layout of the space as well as choosing finishes that work with these elements,” she tells NextHome.

“Some elements to consider are how easy are the finishes to keep clean? A soapstone or marble countertop might be visually appealing, but those types of materials are porous and stain very easily, which means more upkeep and cleaning.”

She also points out that materials like quartz, quartzite or granite might be better options long term. “Other elements to consider are fridge size, pantry and cabinet space. These things are hard to change after the fact, so making the right decision at design stage is very important.”

Scott says a functional and stylish kitchen can be achieved simply with lighting. “Having multi-tier lighting – pendants over the island, pot lights around perimetre and extra ambience task lighting under cabinets – really goes a long way in creating a stylish look and serves functionality too.”

She adds that having a large, oversized island would be great for entertaining, everyday food prep, or dining.
Wolf agrees. “Think bright, open and inviting. A clean space with efficient storage where people can gather and entertain. If possible, incorporating some fun pendant lighting and a feature faucet fixture helps elevate the space.”

Upcoming trends

Kitchen design continues to evolve, and these changes can be seen in many of the new showhomes. For Homes by Avi, Amsterdam says she is noticing a lot of big changes.

“All white kitchens are gone, and we are seeing a lot more textures and visually interesting finishes being used,” Amsterdam says. “Statement island countertops are really in, with designers choosing really interesting countertops with lots of colour, variation ,and texture throughout. We are also seeing a trend towards large feature hood fans, like the one we did in this year’s Stampede Lottery Dream Home.”

She says they are also loving wood cabinets instead of painted,as well as natural stone or natural stone looking backsplash tile.

Scott says she is noticing a trend for continuity between countertops and backsplashes. “Quartz on countertops carried through to the backsplash provides great durability and wipe-ability for those messy cookers, while still looking beautiful and stylish.”

She says their built-in appliance package is popular. There is also a trend for natural looking materials – including lighter wood cabinets. “Earth tones, grey cabinets with green or blue undertones, and two tone cabinets are still really popular. There’s also organic hand-moulded tile backsplash where no two pieces are identical.”

Wolf thinks warmer and darker colours are coming back and that countertops and backsplashes are taking a cleaner look.

While the veined countertops are still here, the high-contrast, defined vein is being replaced with more subtle, soft, washed-out pattern. The countertop has become the turn to for kitchen brightening. A simple white countertop is going a long way to help bring more lightness into the space.

Balanced perspective

Partners Group specializes in townhomes and duplexes and their newest duplex showhome in Homestead reveal this expertise.

“In many of these types of floor plans - the space isn’t unlimited, and neither are budgets,” Wolf says. “The biggest challenge is making a smaller kitchen provide efficient functionality - making every inch count with a well thought out cabinet plan, as well as keep the flow open to adjacent rooms such as dining and living. With budgets in mind, it is always a nice feature to be able to offer a variety of finishes and colours, so the buyer can make the space truly their own.”

Both Homes by Avi and Trico Homes offer single-family homes as well as multi-family homes, particularly townhomes and duplexes (Homes by Avi also has apartment condos). The approach to designing those products vary.
At Trico, Scott says, typically, there is not a big difference, depending on the size of townhome or single-family home. “Both are designed to have optimal cabinet storage and room for built-in appliances. Single-family customers do have the ability to customize their kitchen design and upgrades, while Trico multi-family does pre-packaged design.”

Amsterdam says at Homes by Avi it helps to keep in mind who the kitchen is being designed for and focus on that lifestyle. “Is it a young couple who wants more design features or is it a family who needs extra storage space. Is this a starter home where cost is top of mind or is this a forever home where the client wants to go all out to create their dream kitchen.”