The kitchen is the heart of the home and can set the aesthetic for your entire space. One of the first things people see when they enter your kitchen is your cabinets. As one of the most visible elements of your kitchen, cabinet design is crucial for creating the right style. With that in mind, the Fairmont Kitchen Center team is here to discuss the 8 best modern kitchen cabinets designs ideas and trendy kitchen cabinet styles.
Natural wood is a favorite stylish cabinet design for kitchens, and for good reason. Wood is tough, flexible, and has a natural luster and appearance that is hard to match. Wood stain allows the natural sheen of the wood to shine through while accentuating the grain and texture of the underlying wood. Some of the more popular types of natural wood for cabinets include the following:
Oak
Cherry
Maple
Walnut
Hickory
Stained woods typically pair with more traditional kitchen designs, but light-stained wood can pair well with a more minimalistic kitchen design. You can also completely forgo any staining at all and leave bare wood cabinets to channel a more rustic, farmhouse vibe.
Pros
Durable and versatile
Natural luster
Restaining is simple
Good thermal regulators
Cons
Wood vulnerable to moisture
Custom natural wood cabinets can be expensive
2. Sleek, Steel Cabinets
If wood is the classic traditional design, then smooth metal is perfect for sleek modern kitchen cabinets. Stainless steel cabinets are more than just tough; they provide a decidedly utilitarian and professional look, like something you’d see in a commercial kitchen. Steel’s toughness and scratch resistance make it a natural fit for homes that use the kitchen a lot and need durable materials to keep up.
You can leave steel cabinets bare for the shiny chrome effect or spray paint them a bold color to contrast with lighter walls and tiling. Metal cabinets are also easy to maintain and can last over 50 years, so they quickly pay for themselves.
Pros
Metal is tough and durable
Long lifespan
Sleek and sophisticated look
Can be painted
Multiple finish options
Cons
Stainless steel can be heavy and hard to mount
Easy to dent, especially with heavier appliances
Fingerprints show easily
3. Stackable Cabinets
One of your cabinetry’s most important functions is providing additional storage space. Most kitchens position wall cabinets above countertop space, with an appreciable gap between the top and ceiling. Stackable cabinets are smaller and designed to stack on top of standard wall cabinets for more storage space. Their small size leaves sufficient ceiling clearance in case you want to store items on top.
Stackable cabinets provide some asymmetry to your kitchen wall design and create lines that can draw the eye to additional decor elements. You can also use them to store seasonal items that you don’t regularly use.
Pros
Additional storage space
Fill dead space on top of wall cabinets
Decorative design options
Cons
More difficult to access
More cabinet surfaces for cleaning
Innovative Open Shelving Concept
One of the most popular modern kitchen cabinets design ideas is to ditch cabinets entirely and go with open shelving. Open shelving is a popular modern trend in line with open floor plan kitchens and how they divide open kitchen space into different ‘zones.’ The shelving itself can take many forms, from rough natural wood planks in a farmhouse kitchen to discrete rectangular storage boxes in a more modern kitchen.
Open shelving also makes kitchenware access easier, as everything is right in front of you. You can also use the shelving for decorative purposes, like showcasing your finest dinnerware or vintage kitchen pieces. You can replace upper kitchen cabinets with open shelving or you can dedicate an entire wall to the open shelving concept.
Pros
Pairs well with open-floor plan kitchens
Convenient kitchenware access
Multiple shelf design options
Options for decoration
Cons
Can look cluttered with too many items
More surfaces for dusting and cleaning
5. Island Cabinets
Kitchen islands are an extremely popular remodel project that has an impressive 50% ROI. Islands also increase functionality because they add more functional storage space. Longer cabinets underneath islands are the perfect place to store larger kitchen appliances, such as mixers. You can also relegate other elements, such as a sink or stove top, to the island and free up more space for wall cabinets.
If you can’t swing a standalone island install, you can opt for a mobile island instead. You can take advantage of the additional cabinet space and also move the island out of the way when you don’t need it, freeing up kitchen floor space.
Pros
Additional storage space options
Free up more wall space
Integrate with other kitchen elements (e.g., stove, sink, etc.)
Cons
Requires more space
Can be difficult to establish cabinet door clearance
6. Frameless Cabinets
Frameless cabinets provide a dash of modernity with cabinet doors that directly attach to the interior walls without a frame on the front. Frameless cabinets fall squarely in the more contemporary cabinet design ideas camp due to their more streamlined and flatter look. Frameless cabinets are also more durable than their framed counterparts because the doors connect to the more sturdy cabinet walls.
The flat look of frameless cabinets streamlines your cabinets’ profile—fitting for contemporary kitchen cabinetry and a modern look. Frameless cabinets also provide more interior space and are more convenient for additional storage.
Pros
Sleek, flat, and modern aesthetic
More interior cabinet space
Durable cabinet construction
Cons
Adjusting door hinges is more difficult
Generally more expensive than framed cabinets
7. Glass Door Cabinets
If you have decorative pieces you want to show off in your kitchen, glass cabinet doors are a solid choice for chic cabinetry for modern kitchens. Like wood, glass is highly versatile and can fit many different niches. For example, clear, transparent glass door panes work well in traditional and contemporary kitchen designs, while frosted, glazed, or colored glass cabinet doors can work for more eccentric and vintage designs.
You can also combine additional lighting with glass cabinets to highlight showpieces that lighten your space. Light reflections on glass make your kitchen interior seem larger and add some dynamism with colors and patterns.
Pros
Perfect for showpieces and decoration
Elegant and refined appearance
Transparent, frosted, and colored options
Cons
Glass can break
More expensive to install and repair
Fingerprints track easily
8. Iron Cabinet Hardware
Rustic and farmhouse kitchen designs feature bold and exposed materials, like natural wood and wrought iron. Iron cabinet fixtures, such as knobs and hinges, emanate a rough and unfinished look with a type of old-school charm that’s hard to mimic with other materials. Other popular metals for cabinet hardware include brass, tin, and copper, all of which work well with natural wood cabinetry.
The one downside of some metal cabinet hardware is that they are vulnerable to rust and corrosion. On the other hand, metal hardware has a very long lifespan if you take good care of it. Depending on the type of metal, they are also inexpensive to replace.
Pros
Durable and long lifespan
Exposed and rustic look
Works well with natural wood
Cons
Can rust and corrode from oils
Modern Cabinet Designs
Read our blog to get inspired or to learn more about the cost of custom cabinets. Contact Fairmont Kitchen Center online or call today at (304) 933-5662 to discuss modern kitchen cabinet designs for your home!
