Modern European Kitchen Design: Your Helpful Guide to the Basics
Modern European Kitchen Design: Your Helpful Guide to the Basics
Modern European kitchen design combines function and style. Popular features include sleek cabinets, crisp, clean colors, and cleverly hidden appliances that help you get the most out of your space. While they're ideal for townhouses and modest homes in the city, modern European designs are perfect for anyone seeking to make our kitchens sleeker, bolder, and more efficient.
Modern-style cabinets are especially valuable in the Greater Seattle area. Here are a few reasons why:
Home remodeling is estimated to grow 5%, with Seattle and its neighboring cities among the highest spenders
Between the pandemic and the strong buyer's market, there's currently a high demand for large-scale home remodeling projects
Minor and major kitchen remodels often provide the highest return on investment (ROI), with an average of 98.5% and 91% returns, respectively
Whether you're buying, selling, or want to upgrade your kitchen but are torn between styles, this guide can help determine if a modern kitchen design fits you. In this guide, we'll cover:
New European cabinet trends, features, and accessories
Modern countertops that are bold and beautiful. their design style and aesthetics
What Makes European Style Kitchen Design "Modern" and "European"
There are many stylistic categories in the kitchen world. Chief among these contrasting designs are modern vs. traditional and European vs. American.
Modern vs. Traditional Kitchens
Traditional kitchens are known for their warmth and a distinct touch of coziness. They remind you of grandma's house on Thanksgiving or a rustic country home. These comfy kitchens often have wooden finishes, pale colors, and classic, organic patterns.
Modern kitchens are trendy, with exquisite block shapes and straight, sharp lines. Modern Cabinets have clean lines, and this style of kitchen cabinet offers more space. These kitchens aim to be smart and functional, with smart built-in coffee makers, seamlessly built-in ovens, and storage cupboards where everything has its rightful place. While traditional and modern kitchens can converge on some colors, modern kitchens often go bolder and more striking. Other qualities of a modern kitchen include:
Timeless, Elegant cabinets
Recessed lighting
Kitchen wall tiles
Durable, visually appealing countertops
The frameless design of a European cabinet
Beautiful countertop surfaces
Undermount or integrate kitchen sink
European vs. American Kitchens
European vs. American Kitchens
The starkest contrast between American and European kitchens is their size. American kitchens are famous for their large ranges and refrigerators, ready to handle your monthly Costco purchases. There are plenty of open shelving areas, specialty storage for small devices such as toasters and can openers, and spacious kitchen islands that are excellent for food prep or huddling with friends and a good Bordeaux.
Traditionally, European homes are older than American homes. They were built to be more economical than comfortable.
European homes are smaller, and their kitchens tend to be smaller. Because of this, classic European kitchens may lack certain American kitchen staples, like a dishwasher or even a microwave. Also, Europeans usually buy food throughout the week from more minor, local sources, so their kitchens aren't meant to store the contents of your biweekly or monthly grocery trips.
These are the qualities of traditional European kitchens.
Contemporary kitchens take the aura of classic kitchens, then update it to meet our more contemporary desires. Anyone who's been recently working from home or lives in a smaller dwelling can appreciate the need to make the most of their space. In that sense, contemporary kitchens can deliver!
While new trends are emerging, here are a few more critical ways that European and American kitchens differ:
Find out more about Modern Cabinets for Kitchens - Modern Kitchen Cabinets and how they signify contemporary design trends.
Kitchen Item
European Kitchen Cabinets
American Kitchen Cabinets
Overall Style
E: Simplicity, Contemporary, Handleless cabinet design
A: Comfort, functionality
Cabinets
E: Sleek, frameless, and appear less obtrusive
A: Busier, visually appealing, and have more depth
Countertops
E: Quartz, sintered stone (Neolith(tm) or Dekton (tm)), Silestone (tm), and comparable items
A: Wood, granite - marble is also becoming popular
Hardware
E: Minimalist and clean; often pull doors and drawers from the top or bottom, hidden
A: Often has handles and knobs or pieces with many twists or designs
Windows
E: Shutters
A: Screens
Modern European Cabinets
Whether looking for natural elegance or a more contemporary design, European kitchen cabinets are a wise choice. They are quickly becoming a staple in all modern kitchens and are one of the go-to options if you want to boost your home's value.
European cabinets are the best option for those who want an open or airy feel. They're equipped with hidden hinges and flush doors, giving off a bold, streamlined, straight appearance.
Since European cabinets are frameless, they can also make the most efficient use of essential storage. They also come in many colors and styles, giving you options for determining what feels right.
European Cabinet Trends
European cabinets often have features and accessories that consume less space than their American counterparts. When kitchen space is such a premium, these designs incorporate technology in a seamless way. Some of these features include:
Specialized drawers
Well-designed drawers eliminate wasted space in your kitchen. You can tailor these organizational drawers to fit your and your family's needs. Customizing these drawers allows you to be incredibly neat and organized or create organized chaos. You can have silverware holders for individual forks and knives; you can modify drawers with dividers for your mixing bowls, Tupperware containers, various appliances, or anything else you can think of!
Integrated Appliances
Integrated appliances (also known as hidden appliances) are appliances with cabinet panel overlays placed above the appliance. By doing so, our appliances blend in with the surrounding cabinetry. You can integrate almost all your kitchen appliances, including your oven, dishwasher, and fridge.
Built-In Coffee Makers
One integrated appliance we're particularly buzzing about is kitchenettes with built-in coffee makers and other beverage appliances. While they may take up a little space, you can experience all of the perks of your local cafe with various functions like milk frothers, filtered water, multiple grind settings, and individual customizable settings.
Pull-Out Plate Racks
Regarding integrating appliances, pull-out plate racks make for a stylish, convenient way to store plates. These plate racks can be built and installed into your existing cabinetry or as part of an entirely new custom design. Plate racks are usually attached to a top cabinet's underside and the wall for additional security.
Organized Pantry Units
Contemporary European cabinets can do wonders for your pantry. Pull-out drawers, customized shelving units, and shelving units on your pantry door can make your pantry feel doubled in size.
Modern European Countertops
European countertops are often a kitchen standout. Europeans tend to go bolder and fuse centuries of beauty and functionality, making them attractive to people who are used to the standard wooden counter.
Here are a few of the classic European counter designs based on countries and regions:
Country or Region
Countertop Qualities
England
Bright countertops; often white to improve light reflection
Greece
Dark granite countertops to balance out the light-colored cabinetry and hardwood floors
Italy
Patternless, granite countertops, white, gray, or a light shade
Scandinavian
Light countertops with a kitchen design that consists of light colors and straight lines
France
Dark granite countertops that pair with light cabinets; lots of frills and details
European Countertop Trends
While quartz used to be very popular, modern countertops are evolving:
Sintered Stone
Sintered stone is made of natural materials, including granite minerals, glass minerals, and natural oxides. It's designed to resemble natural stone. It's also nonporous, which means it's not permeable to outside influences like air, water, and other fluids.
Sintered stone can also resist scratches and chipping and can handle high heat. In other words, it's virtually indestructible and will hold its original appearance for many years.
Dekton
Dekton countertops are also nonporous and virtually indestructible. These countertops are scorch-proof, scratch-proof, and stain-proof.
Dekton is made from a combination of raw materials mixed under extreme pressure and heat, including compressors that squash 5900 PSI (pounds per square inch) and ovens that teach 2191℉, or 1200℃.
Dekton comes in more than 40 colors, ranging from solids to washed or grainy patterns.
Pental Quartz
Pental Quartz is a composite of natural minerals and crystal components and is made up of 90%-93% quartz. The rest of its makeup consists of recycled materials, high-quality binding agents, and other fillers. It's nonporous, incredibly versatile, and available in various thicknesses, slab sizes, and colors.
Silestone
Silestone is a combination of natural quartz and hard, resilient raw materials. It's also entirely environmentally friendly, easy to maintain, and highly durable.
Silestone is considered scratch-resistant and "almost" scorch-resistant. We recommend you use caution when putting scalding pots and pans on it, just in case. If you're looking to add beautiful color and elegance to your kitchen, Silestone may be the ideal material for you.
Final Thoughts
European-style kitchens have come a long way, but they have held onto many of their best features. It's no surprise now that modern European kitchens are wildly popular in the United States. If you're determined to find the perfect blend of style and function, these are the kitchen designs that are right for you.