5 Ways to Create a Warm Modern Kitchen
Hi Friend, if this is your first time here, I’m Kristin-owner of Postbox Designs, mama of 3, and firm believer that the “messy bun” is an acceptable work hairstyle! Maybe that is because all I do is Interior E-Design, so I get custom design rooms for my clients all over the country…while working from home. And if we are old friends, then welcome back…I’m really excited to share this project with you today.
When you think of “Modern” Design does it bring up images of a cold, sterile, uncomfortable room? If so, I’m here to introduce a new term to you:
“Warm Modern”
I nicknamed this look “Warm Modern” because this style has clean, straight lines but is “warmed up” with some pieces to give it a more homey, soft look. And today’s project is the perfect example…read on to hear this client’s story.
Updating a Traditional Kitchen to a Modern Kitchen (Without a Full Remodel)
A few months ago I got an email that started off this way:
“My house is only 5 years old and I feel guilty ripping the kitchen out, but I don’t like it.”
My client had a new, beautifully designed custom home…but she hated her Kitchen. While most of us can say it is a very pretty traditional Kitchen (with a great layout), my client loves sleek and modern design. She dreamed of a minimalist Kitchen but knew she couldn’t go quite that modern in fear that it wouldn’t work with the rest of her traditional home. She wanted a modern Kitchen, but that still worked with her home and would still work for re-sale. She also (understandably) didn’t want to do a full gut-job on her Kitchen. The size and layout were great, and she was hoping to salvage her cabinets, but wasn’t sure if she could.
So how could we go from ultra Traditional to Modern…without a Full Remodel?
The Before
Here is the very traditional Kitchen she owns. She didn’t like a lot about it: the countertops, faucet, tile, the finish of her cabinets, or the hardware. But she liked the layout and her dark wood floors. She also wanted to keep her appliances.
Let’s Modern It Up
At first she was pretty discouraged that we could get her a Modern Kitchen design without a full gut job. But I encouraged her to create a Pinterest board with her dream Kitchens and I would take a look and give her my opinion if we could make it work. And after I took a look at it, I got a big smile on my face. Yes, some of the Kitchens on her board were ultra-modern and wouldn’t work with her style home. But I found three different images on her Pinterest board (all three are in this blog post!) of these Warm Modern Kitchens that I knew we could make work into her home. We could add a sleek modern touch, but while still working within her traditional home.
Here is the first image I loved from her Pinterest board:
How Can We Re-Create this Kitchen With a Twist?
So here are the items I was inspired by in this Amber Interiors Kitchen above that I worked into her new Modern Kitchen design (see below). I pulled together my versions of these components into a new look that had the same vibe as the inspirational Kitchen:
White Shaker Cabinets (Item #5)
Modern Leather and Metal Stools (Item #7)
Sleek Globe Pendants (Item #8)
Modern Dining Room Chandelier (Item #6)
Marble Looking Quartz Counters (Item #10)
Dark Gray Kitchen Island (Item #3)
The After: Modern Kitchen Meets Traditional Kitchen
Modern Kitchen Design Tip #1:
How to Work With Your Existing Cabinets
The single biggest expense of a Kitchen remodel is the cabinets. For my client it was important to keep her existing cabinets, and I’m a huge fan of doing that. It would save a huge amount of money, reduce the time of your remodel, and save a ton of mess and disruption to your life. My client’s cabinets definitely had a very traditional look, so I suggested three different options to update her cabinets for a more modern look:
Option #1: Paint the existing cabinets.
She currently had cream cabinets with a “glaze” over them-a very traditional look. She could simply have her cabinet repainted in a purer white, such as Benjamin Moore’s “Simply White” (Item #2). For her island, I suggested painting her island a dark gray, like in the inspirational photo. I suggested Benjamin Moore’s “Kendall Charcoal” (Item #3).
Option #2: Replace your crown molding.
This traditional crown molding (the molding at the top of the cabinets) is something that can be fairly easily changed out. Swapping it out with a flat molding will give a more modern look.
Option #3: Keep the existing cabinet boxes, and replace the doors only.
For an intermediate update, you can keep all of your cabinet boxes and simply change out the doors. While more expensive than Option #1, it is significantly less expensive and disruptive than all new cabinetry. I suggested a simple Shaker style cabinet door (#5), just like in her inspirational kitchen. Shaker doors are the perfect door that can go either “Modern” or “Traditional”.
Modern Kitchen Design Tip #2:
Update the Lighting
Swapping out your Kitchen lighting can make a HUGE impact in your design, with minimal work. And as I reminded my clients, she could always keep her existing traditional lights and re-install if she really wanted to when she sold her home.
In her Kitchen, I went a little more modern with her lighting since I couldn’t go uber-modern with her cabinetry. I gave her three different island pendant light options (#8, 19, and 20). In her adjacent Dining Room I suggested this black modern chandelier (#6). Please note, this is a large chandelier and you will need higher ceilings to make this work!
Modern Kitchen Tip #3:
Warm Golds Are a Great Mediator
In her Kitchen makeover, since we were trying to achieve a “Warm Modern” look, I went with matte gold hardware. This metal automatically warms up a Kitchen and helps that transition between Traditional and Modern. I gave her two options (#12 and #13) and another pairing option (#25 and 26). Plus these bring out a pop of the gold in several of her island pendant options. And black and gold metals are always a great mix! You can absolutely mix metals in a Kitchen, so I went with modern polished chrome Kitchen sink faucet.
Modern Kitchen Tip #4:
New Barstools are Your Easiest Update
No contractor, no power tools. Swapping in new barstools can make a huge difference in the look of your Kitchen, with just a change of furniture. Her existing island stools were very traditional. But based on her inspirational photos, I gave her four new modern island stools (Items #7, #16-18).
Just as a note: Islands typically come in two heights: 36″ high (which is called “counter height) and 42” height (which is called “bar height”). Be sure you are choosing the right height stool for your countertop height! For my client, she needed the shorter “counter height” stools.
Modern Kitchen Tip #5:
Splurge On Your Tile
When I help a client design a Kitchen or Bathroom, my best advice is:
“Go neutral with the expensive, hard-to-change items. Go dramatic with the easier-to-change items”
Items like furniture, lighting, paint, and cabinet hardware are all fairly easy swaps. Items such as cabinets, countertops, and flooring are much more difficult and expensive. I would put tile backsplash somewhere in between: you can replace your tile backsplash without touching your cabinets and counters, so this is an area where you can go a bit more dramatic or trendy if you want.
Think of your cabinets as your LBD. Your tile is your jewelry.
So your tile is the perfect place to add some personality and pop into your kitchen. I didn’t want to go too trendy with her tile, so instead I found neutral but dramatic tile with a strong geometric pattern. The neutral colors will help blend the “traditional” into the Kitchen, and the geometric pattern blends in the “modern”. I gave her several tile options (#11, 21-23).
The Magic Countertop
And with all of them I paired this quartz (made to mimic marble) as Item #10. This is one of those other rare materials that works with both a traditional and modern design, which is sort of like a magic trick in my books!
Note: Real marble is very porous which means it easily scratches and stains. So I prefer to use quartz countertops made to mimic marble, such as these countertops.
Grab a Free Kitchen Design
If you want a Kitchen design that is a bit more traditional with pops of modern, then you might love this Kitchen below! I created this FREE Modern Farmhouse Kitchen Design: you can grab the free Mood Boards + Shopping List in my Free Resource Library. When you sign up, you will get an email with the link and password to access this design (as well as dozens of other free designs):
If you have any questions about what you saw today or questions about working with me on YOUR project, you can email me at kristin@postboxdesigns.com and we can chat all about you!
Cheers,
Kristin
Colleen says
Wow! Great information! It’s making me think I need to update my kitchen! Thanks for sharing!
PostboxDesigns says
Colleen, Thanks so much! I love how just a few updates can give you a whole new look without the cost of starting from scratch! 🙂
Melodie says
Hi there great post. I never thought about changing the cabinet crown molding out! Can you tell me where the round table (#14) is from? Thank you!
PostboxDesigns says
Hi Melodie, Thanks so much for the kind words! The funny thing is that “table” is actually a cake stand! 🙂 I wish it was a table-it would be beautiful! 🙂 I love All Modern and West Elm for modern dining tables though!