Many people visit our models and say, “Your models are so beautiful! I could never get my home to look that nice.” Not true! We have to try hard to put personality into a model home, but you already have it. So here are a few kitchen design tips and trends to help you create your own model home.
Focus on Designing a Kitchen for You!
Your kitchen isn’t just where you cook and eat or where the kids do their homework. Your kitchen gives you the opportunity to really create your own style and demonstrate your personality and taste. Recent trends in kitchen design have focused this blank canvas as the best place to show off your new home. It is, after all, the place most of your guests will end up.
Backsplashes
Tile backsplashes or a continuation of the solid surface or granite countertops up to the cabinets helps add some color and texture to your kitchen and complement your cabinets. Tile backsplashes can be done in a variety of different kinds of tiles and designs. The under-the-hood fan is a great area to let your creativity go and create a unique design, even just a diagonal pattern of the tiles. Listellos can be used to separate the space and frame the pattern.
Flooring
Tile designs can also be used to frame and separate areas in the floor. Define the breakfast area or the island with listellos or a different pattern or size of tile. It almost looks like an area rug in the tile. Different patterns of tile installation are also very popular. Brick style (looks like brick) or a random pattern with different sizes of similar or the same tiles can create a very interesting look and add a custom touch to a less expensive tile.
Cabinetry
Glazes offer a nice compliment to colors of your cabinets. Depending on the base color, a glaze can give the cabinets either an antique or distinguished look. Different accents of contrasting color, like crown molding or other moldings in rope or spindle patterns, add an interesting accent that creates a distinctive design element.
With the advent of higher 9- and 10-foot ceilings in kitchens and the elimination of soffits, many kitchens are now featuring taller kitchen cabinets, often 42″ or higher instead of the traditional 30″ cabinetry. This area can also be used to create a focal point with accent lighting to show off your favorite collectibles. Staggered cabinetry with different heights brings interest to the vertical space of the room and may feature the cabinets in a geometric design.
Islands
Kitchen islands have become the central hub of the home. Contrasting colors and the addition of shelving, legs and other accents make the island a piece of separate furniture, reminiscent of the butcher blocks in kitchens years ago. Some people are even replacing their breakfast tables completely by enlarging the islands and making them the new family eating area.
Looking for more design trends? Browse through our gallery!