Kitchen Design Styles: Forty Years Later

This kitchen project in progress is a perfect example of how kitchen design styles change over time.  As designers and remodelers learn more and as clever materials, techniques and finishes are developed, we benefit from a much wider range of possibilities.

This McLean Virginia kitchen (see left panel) is over 40 years old.  On the right panel is a progress shot of the replacement kitchen going in.  As you can see, the lay out is the same.

Because the original kitchen design was well suited to the space, the lay out still works.  It packs a lot of functionality.  But at 40+  years, the cabinets are falling apart, the finishes are disintegrating and -well- there is the outdated kitchen design style.  That was a cry for help that had to be heard.  The homeowners decided to take a completely different direction toward light and bright with a very simple cabinet style.

Kitchen Design Styles Have Evolved

Don't be deceived into thinking this is simply a superficial change.  Yes, this kitchen remodeling project is a straight-forward replacement (nothing about the room or layout has been dramatically altered)  However,  the entire room has been gutted.  Electrical, plumbing and lighting are all being  upgraded to 21st century standards and customized to the precise requirements of this homeowner.  So this beauty (still in progress) will be much, much more than skin deep when we are finished with it.

At a glance, this kitchen design is a less flashy, less dramatic project as kitchen s go.  A closer look reveals that the real work of the kitchen designer in a project of this type has all to do with details.  Those details would include micro adjustments to the layout that maximize functionality and flow, balancing the color palette, choosing cabinet door and drawer pulls, plotting the lighting design, selecting lighting instruments and accessorizing for storage and organization.

Learn more about kitchen design styles and how to approach a kitchen design and remodeling project by downloading The Definitive Guide to Kitchen Design & Remodeling Success.