Minimalist Modern Kitchen Remodel

This was a whole-house remodel that updated a contemporary home’s finishes in a way that made the most of its good architectural bones. This post will concentrate on the minimalist modern kitchen.

Summary

Our John’s Creek clients had a home built in 1990 that had beautiful contemporary architecture, but the finishes had become a bit dated. We completed a whole-house remodel to give it a fresh look. To transform it into the minimalist modern kitchen masterpiece it was meant to be, we stripped it down to the studs, reconfigured the layout to function better for our clients and carefully edited the material palette. Here’s a closer look at how we did it.

Layout Before

This couple has a daughter, a son and two Boston terriers. Their kitchen is part of a great room open plan that includes an eat-in area and a family room. The existing kitchen had an angled island that cut it off and limited the useable kitchen floor space. In addition, having a stovetop installed in the island was less than ideal. Another drawback was not having a good spot for the pet bowls.

Layout After

To create the right layout for a minimalist modern kitchen, all the elements need to be correctly proportioned and line up the right way The new island is substantial, but its new orientation, rectilinear form and beautiful waterfall countertop make it sleek and easy on the eyes. These characteristics also create a stronger connection to the other spaces within the open plan.

We moved the fridge to the right side of the room and the range into its own dedicated alcove. This created an easy work triangle between those two elements, the sink and the island. It also makes it easy for someone to grab a cold beverage or fix a coffee while staying out of the cook’s way.

Pushing the island back allowed space for a cozy round kitchen table in front of the large picture windows. This sleek black marble pedestal table and contemporary chairs provide a nice transitional zone between the kitchen and family room.

Kitchen Island

The island maintains the minimalist modern kitchen style. It seats four on sleek modern counter stools that better suited our clients’ style. It’s easy to keep the cook company, gather for casual meals or do work on the island. Note how the dark base provides strong contrast to the polished Ethereal Haze waterfall countertop.

A barely-there linear pendant light floats elegantly over the island. Its minimalist look prevents it from looking like clutter or being a distraction.

To maintain minimalist modern kitchen style, we eliminated visual clutter, including in the form of smaller appliances. Looking down the working side of the island, you can see where we tucked a microwave drawer out of view from the great room. On the right, the integrated Miele coffeemaker is sleek. As mentioned, its location allows someone to come in, make a cup, grab some cream from the fridge and stay out of the cook’s way.

Throughout the kitchen, we maximized the storage with cabinets. For example, we used a lot of lower cabinet drawers for more efficient and ergonomic storage. Note on the left side of the range, we used long countertop cabinets from floor to ceiling to maximize the storage capacity within the kitchen.

Pet Bowls Issue Solved

Eagle-eyed readers may have caught something in the lower right corner of the room in the previous photo — a designated spot for a new minimalist pet bowl set up. The block that holds the bowls fits right in with the other blocky elements in the room and its finish matches the countertops.

Range Area

A new large range has a hood that adds another large block to the composition. Using two-toned cabinets and foregoing cabinet hardware emphasized the blocky look around the range. The accent cabinet and hood finish is high-gloss lacquer with a metallic, shimmering, and shadow-like effect that reflect the light, plays off the stainless steel range and at the same time, has an earthy feel. The main cabinets are a deep wood.

Minimalism means doesn’t mean eschewing all objects that are purely decorative. Rather, it means careful editing, which is what makes this cute white bulldog on the countertop an unexpected surprise.

Sink and Dishwasher Area

We made sure there was ample countertop space for prep work next to the sink and close to the trash-recycling pull-outs for convenience. The undermount sink is in keeping with the crisp minimalist modern kitchen’s lines, while the black faucets provide dark contrast. Under the sink there’s a towel rail and a pull-out for cleaning materials.

The window’s location provides a view to whomever is washing the dishes. We removed all the existing window trim throughout the house and replaced the windows, with their black frames providing contrast to the white walls throughout the house. The solar shades have streamlined valances that blend right in with the walls and hide the shades.

The countertops’ quartz continues up the wall the the ceiling. This draws the eye right out the window. Likewise, the panel-front dishwasher is so well camouflaged that it’s really difficult to spot among the base cabinets.

Butler’s Pantry Before

Concealed behind pocket doors, the butler’s pantry leads from the kitchen to the dining room. Because the existing kitchen cabinets provided limited storage space, it had become a bit of a catch-all. Also, the traditional style of the cabinets did not suit the home’s architecture.

Butler’s Pantry After

The new finishes in the butler’s pantry match the minimalist modern kitchen finishes for a cohesive look. We took the cabinets to the ceiling to maintain clean lines, and to literally maintain cleanliness. If you’ve ever gotten on a ladder and looked at the top of cabinets that don’t meet the ceiling, you know how dust and dead bug collectors they can be.

Dining Room

Even though it’s not a part of the kitchen-great room space, it didn’t seem right to mention the refreshed dining room without giving you a peek. It has warm organic modern style. The new front door replaced a more traditional door.

Great Room Enhancements

The minimalist modern kitchen is open to the family room, which enjoys fantastic backyard views. Light streams in from large windows on three sides of the room. The painted stone chimney had the proper proportions, but its painted stone finish was not so great.

This photo also provides a look at the existing window moldings. They had a traditional look that did not jibe with the contemporary architecture of the house.

New windows cleaned up the look, adding crisp lines emphasized by the thin black window frames. The fireplace has a beautiful new stucco finish — this plaster has a look that’s refined yet still adds texture to the space. The hearth also echoes some of the blocks used in the minimalist modern kitchen design.

We also replaced the existing ceiling fan with a minimalist modern chandelier. These touches made the room modern yet prevent the space from feeling too sterile and cold.

We hope checking out this minimalist modern kitchen remodel helped inspire your kitchen plans. However, if you’re stumped, don’t worry! We will design and build your space to fit the way you like to function in the kitchen, your family’s lifestyle and your personal style.

If you’re ready to start the process of improving your metro Atlanta-area home in any way, please contact us for a consultation.

Minimalist Modern Kitchen Style Review

Here are the Cliff Notes on how we achieved this minimalist modern look:

We carefully edited the material and color palettes.
We used touch-latch and finger pulls rather than cabinet knobs and pulls.
We used high contrast to create interest.
We removed traditional trim and cabinets for a crisp, clean-lined look.
We played with blocky rectilinear forms.
We added interest and warmth by carefully choosing finishes with just the right amount of texture.
We kept installed minimalist modern lighting for an uncluttered look.
We installed integrated small applainces like the microwave drawer and coffeemaker to eliminate visual clutter.
We took the upper cabinets up to the ceilings.
We installed streamlined window treatments that blend right in with the walls.