We have been blurring the lines between classic kitchen design and more modern kitchen design concepts for many years now. Often our clients dictate the direction our designs lean and many of our clientele are younger professionals in their late 30’s and early 40’s this past few years. They grew up in Mom’s classically designed kitchen and associate comfort with that ambiance. But they also appreciate technology, the use of stainless steel and sometimes bold splashes of color for their own kitchen remodeling project. 

For this project below for example, there are many classic kitchen design ideas working together with some newer design concepts. We showed the client five different lighting options for above the center island and were a little surprised when they opted for these bold blue hanging pendants. As you can see, the pendant lighting became this kitchen’s focal point. You would not find that in a truly classically designed kitchen.
 


The flooring too is a departure from common classic elements found in “Mom’s Kitchen”. But it definitely works well with this color scheme.

Classic Kitchen Cabinet Styles

We have written quite a bit about various kitchen cabinet styles in previous posts. In this classic kitchen design below, the crown molding and the raised panel doors are clear give away for classic kitchen cabinets. There are other kitchen cabinet door styles that would work with this design too but this client was not interested in an arch. A slab or shaker style cabinet face falls into a modern or transitional style cabinet and just would not have worked here. 
 


What blurs the line in this classic design is the rustic green color we used for the center island cabinetry. The client was looking for a little farmhouse feel for their kitchen and we believe that was attained with the “bruised” appearance of the legs, the enclosed cooktop area and the wide plank hardwood floors. Typical kitchen cabinet installers near me would probably fall short of your expectations. The professional team we used for this project were hand picked to avoid scratching & scuffing of the dark wood floors. This post on Dark Wood Cabinets with light wood floors presents another example of a classically designed kitchen without white cabinets.

Stainless Steel with Red Wood Can Be Classic

We really enjoy designing kitchens with darker wood cabinets. There is nothing wrong with white kitchen cabinets, but as a kitchen cabinet designer, more than half are painted white because that is what our clients ask for most. Rich red finishes like this one below look great with stainless steel hardware. Most hardwoods like red oak, cherry, walnut and many of the imported hardwoods have beautiful grains that would be a shame to hide behind white paint. These natural grains play well with our desire to blend classic kitchen designs with modern touches. Most of the luxury kitchen appliances today have a stainless steel exterior in their construction. The red stained woods and stainless steel appliances are great together. 

Kitchen Design Center in NJ

Feel free to browse through our kitchen design photos here or we invite you into our kitchen design center near Princeton NJ to discuss your design ideas. Our location in Hopewell Township is easy to find by homeowners traveling from Hunterdon County, Somerset County or Monmouth County NJ. Due to current conditions, we are scheduling visits by appointment only for obvious reasons. Call us today to schedule your visit with a kitchen designer.

(609) 466-1445