Have you ever heard of the saying “the kitchen is the heart of a home”? That’s because it’s true. It empowers the people who live in it, regardless of its size and functionality. Yes, life is certainly created in the bedroom, and we spend most of our time in our personal spaces, but if you really think about it, which room nourishes us? Which room provides the fuel that our body, mind, and soul need? Yes, that’s right. It’s the kitchen.
Hence, it is really important to have an inspiring kitchen. It is crucial to make your kitchen a fun, comfortable, and convenient place to cook in. To make it an inviting space that can turn into a bonding hub for the whole family where you can all cook and eat together, and just have a blast.
The Two Factors of a Stylish Kitchen
Before we start, though, we just want to make one thing clear: that in order to succeed in whatever dream kitchen project you have, you need to think about these two factors.
Function
First is function. A kitchen, no matter how posh and stylish, will never be used if it’s not functional. It needs its equipment. You need your cooking implements and wares. You need a well-stocked pantry. You need to make sure that it’s hygienic and safe.
Style
On the other hand, the second factor is style. As we have mentioned above, your kitchen should be a wonderful environment to cook in. It should reflect the personality of your family. It must be a place where you’ll enjoy spending hours in. Otherwise, your fully functional kitchen, with all its bells and whistles will be a cold place you are forced to go to in order to do your chores. And we don’t want that. It won’t result in an inspired cooking experience.
Anyway, now that we have that out of the way, we can now move on to the main part of this article, where we are going to share our top modern kitchen decoration ideas.
Carpets and Rugs
The first decoration tip that we’re going to share with you is also the most disputed one. In fact, this is the reason why we’re going to share this with you in the first place. Here’s the question we usually get from our readers: “Is it wise to put a carpet or a rug in our kitchen?”. We totally get it. There are pros and cons to putting rugs in the kitchen. Some people find them a trip hazard, while others an unnecessary addition to their chores (since they believe it to be a stain magnet).
For us, though, we find carpets and rugs a beneficial addition to any kitchen. It will make it warmer and more inviting. It makes your feet comfortable from the cold and hard flooring of your kitchen, especially if you’re the type who takes a while to food prep. And most of all, depending on the quality and type of carpet that you’re going to get, they can actually improve your kitchen’s safety and protect your flooring along the way.
Modern Rugs
There are two types of carpets and rugs that we are going to share with you in this article. First, is the modern rug. It is the perfect floor covering that you can get for any type of kitchen. You see, modern rugs come in different patterns, designs, and shapes.
We recommend getting a circular and colorful piece to add warmth to your breakfast table. On the other hand, you can get a rectangular piece to add an inviting touch to your bar counter. Finally, if you’re unsure whether you want to add floor covering pieces to your kitchen, then you can start with a smaller piece that can fit your favorite spot below the kitchen counter to give your feet some nice place to rest as you’re prepping.
Elegant Carpets
For a plush look, you can also invest in a more elegant piece. Although, because they tend to be pricier (we like traditional and antique pieces), we usually like to use it in the dining area of more spacious kitchens. It looks perfect with mirrored islands. This leads us to the next part of the article.
Kitchen Islands
Want to change the look of your kitchen but don’t want to do something as drastic as a complete do-over? Then we believe that you can get the results you want by changing the look of your kitchen islands.
Mirrored Islands
Stainless steel finishes will always be a classic look. They even look better if you have your stainless kitchen appliances to match. But don’t you think that they also tend to look predictable? How about adding some interest to your kitchen with mirrored islands? In fact, you can even push the boundaries with gold mirrors, our personal favorite. They look great with marble and of course, your elegant carpet.
Hidden Storage
And because we really value functionality as well, we recommend using this opportunity to create more storage systems. You can easily hide them behind the mirrors. We suggest skipping knobs and instead, using a push mechanism to open your hidden cabinets.
Backsplash
Another decor project that you can do to breathe new life into your kitchen is to replace your boring backsplash. Here are a few ideas from the latest design trends this year.
Patterned Tiles
This is a great choice for those stuck with a boring stock kitchen. Just replace the backsplash with the pattern that matches the color palette that you want and you’ll already add that pop of personality to your kitchen. We understand, though, that there are some of us who really can’t afford to change tiles, especially those who rent. Hence, you might want to try stick-on tiles. This is also a good idea if you want to try out how your chosen backsplash will potentially look first.
Subway Tiles
Patterned tiles are great if you are in need of an accent wall. Something that will brighten your space up. However, on the flip side, it won’t do any favors for a visually cluttered kitchen. For instance, we won’t recommend it to those who love open shelving and those who enjoy displaying their colorful ceramic and glass collection. Your patterned tiles will just get in the way steal the spotlight.
If that’s the case, then you might want to choose something more minimalist instead. If you still want to add a little bit of interest to your walls, then subway tiles are the way to go. They give an eclectic edge to anyone’s kitchen, not to mention that they also reflect light in a well-lighted room creating that illusion of space.
Ceiling High
Speaking of the illusion of space, whoever said that backsplashes should only go up to a certain height. Widen up your kitchen and give it an expanded look by taking that backsplash all the way up to the ceiling. It also gives your kitchen a focal point that unites its different elements.
The Minimalist Vibe
Another design hack that you can apply to your kitchen in order to achieve that wide refreshing effect, even with limited space, is to create a seamless canvas out of it. You can choose any material or color.
For instance, you can use a textured stone surface for your kitchen counters, backsplashes, and cabinets. The technique to pull this look off is to create a smooth visual flow with no obvious surface transitions. Your kitchen will look as if it has been carved out masterfully from one solid piece of stone. Like a sculpture. A work of art.
You can pull the same effect by using a single color for everything, and as long as they match each other’s shades. White is great in order to achieve that clean minimalist vibe. To level up the look even more, we suggest for you to go hardware-free with your cabinets much like how we kept those extra storage spaces hidden inside your mirrored kitchen counters a while ago.
Pop of Color
We definitely get why some people would find this seamless look somewhat tiring in time. So we’re sharing a final tip in order to pull off this look like a pro. Add a pop of color or a visual element that will stand out from your seamless background. For instance, gold fixtures would look really impressive with textured stone.
You can also achieve the same impact with a display of a set of bright-colored cookware with your all-white kitchen. What’s even great in choosing a single pop of color amidst a white background is that it will make your kitchen look even cleaner and brighter than it actually is due to the surprising contrast.
Lighting
Finally, every modern stylish kitchen requires ample lighting. After all, how are you going to see what’s happening with the dishes that you are making under hindered visibility? This is the reason why pendant lights are particularly common when it comes to kitchen lighting fixtures. However, this doesn’t mean that pendant lights are your only option. Here are some ideas:
- Oversized Chandeliers. They can serve as a brilliant accent piece to any kitchen. It’s unexpected but it will look impressive if you have enough space for it.
- Organic Element. If you want to inject a little bit of warmth and life to your kitchen, or basically any room in your house, then the best design route to take is to incorporate organic elements into your design such as bamboo, wicker, and rattan. While this can easily be done in other rooms, it can get quite challenging to do for a modern kitchen, especially those with an industrial feel. Hence, why don’t you hang your organic element instead through a circular rattan chandelier? In fact, it can even balance out that almost artificial feel that stainless steel finishes and appliances bring.
- Geometric Lighting. If the previous tip seeks to add a little bit of warmth to a cold uninviting kitchen, then this one seeks to add an edge to a kitchen with an otherwise soft or weak appeal. If you find your piece too striking, then you can tone it down with a little bit of symmetry. Don’t just get a single accent piece. Instead, get three or more smaller pieces and line them up above your kitchen counter.
Conclusion
And that’s it! We hope that you have enjoyed our line-up of the trendiest modern kitchen decoration ideas. You might have noticed that most of the tips can actually be summed up into this singular statement: don’t be afraid to take bold risks. After all, that’s what this year has been all about in terms of interior design. Don’t just settle with something that looks safe. Go for the look that more accurately reflects your personality, and most of all, your culinary tastes.
Author: Leila Amber
Leila Amber is a Design Trend Setter at Carpet Centre and a passionate writer, home decor and
design enthusiast. She has a keen interest in the content that inspires her to dig deeper into the
practice and create helpful design and decor guides.