Design Guide Online Editorial

Photos by Jill Broussard

While the heart and soul of the home remains the kitchen, its look continues to change as current trends and innovative layouts redefine what is “modern” and improve what is “traditional.”   

One major shift in kitchen style is an open plan layout, which connects with the surrounding rooms. Design professionals see a shift away from the kitchen being confined to a single, enclosed room separated from the other main rooms in the house. Even high-end condominiums are incorporating more connectivity between the main rooms and the kitchen.

“The kitchen is the center of every home,” said Angel Calderon, sales manager of Poggenpohl. “A beautiful living space enhances quality of life. Our philosophy is to treat the kitchen as a room for living.”

In the shift towards a more “open plan” that unifies the kitchen with other rooms, the island kitchen bar has stepped it up, taking the role of a partition of sorts, while providing a multi-function usability – accommodating cooking, prep work and dining on its more spacious countertop.

The more open a space is usually correlates with an increase in natural and artificial lighting. Incorporating lighting into your cabinets or backsplash will complement the ambiance of any kitchen theme, as well as the surrounding living spaces in a home or high-end condominium. Calderon says in their modern kitchens they are now integrating more eco-friendly, LED lighting into their cabinets.

“I’m finding more and more homeowners and designers to be “Green”-conscious and wanting to be eco-friendly,” he said. “LED lighting can be integrated inside a cabinet or visible from the exterior of a cabinet. It’s a product that lasts a lot longer than a halogen light.”

Regardless of traditional or modern style preferences, there is a growing movement in the residential industry towards a fully integrated, cleaner and more simplistic look with kitchens without the loss of character.

• Rachel Duke's blog

Related terms: Cabinetry, Countertops, Decorative Tile , Design Dining, Designers, Kitchens, Lighting

by: Rachel Duke