Coming clean – contemporary kitchens
A clean-lined collection for Monday morning. These are streamlined and simple, but they have enough organic detail or friendly clutter to save them from sterile minimalism.
I love to see an Aga in a stripped down setting – its sturdy good looks work as well here as in a more traditional space. I’m not quite convinced by the paint job on the backsplash though, and doesn’t that fridge open the wrong way?
Cool and clean with Aga - 1st Option
Nice contrast here, between the traditional curving stair rail and the serene kitchen:
Under the stairs - 1st Option
Simple forms enlivened by organic materials and well chosen accessories – from Australian architectects Squillace and Nicholas:
Squillace Nicholas Architects
Squillace Nicholas Architects
Shaker style was the original minimalism – here it works perfectly with clean contemporary appliances and the earthy texture of the walls:
Shaker simplicity - 1st Option
This should have been clean and serene, but I find the everyday clutter on those open shelves just too busy and distracting:
Could be clean - 1st Option
It takes a practiced eye an plenty of discipline to keep the clutter to exactly the right level. Whatever the style, the secret to this look is careful editing. Probably also true for blog posts, but I wouldn’t really know about that…
Hi Joseph – I think you are right, the fridge has to be that way so that it can open without banging the wall – although it would be a more convenient design for the kitchen if it could have been hinged the other way.
Shaker done well is lovely – but sometimes I think it’s the last refuge of the indecisive!
Hi Laurie – not really the ideal place for those, is it? Although I suppose they’re handy. Actually I remember as a child the frying pan never seemed to get put away – it lived on the cooker with congealed lard in it ready for the next day’s bacon and eggs. Sometimes I wonder how any of us survived!
I had a giggle when I looked at the Shaker Simplicity photo. Look to the top of the refrigerator and notice the two frying pans on top… Clearly they have enough cabinetry to put away the frying pans. It appears no matter how much cabinetry you provide a client to keep things clutter free, people fall into old habits.
Looking at the photo with the refrigerator, it does look like it’s opening on the correct side. It looks like it has been set a bit ahead of the adjacent counter, which means that when the doors open they will not be banging into anything. If they opened on the other side, they would be banging into the wall.
Your comment on minimalism is interesting. I like it a lot and write about it a lot, but there are designs I come across that don’t work for me, and I couldn’t quite put my finger on it. Now I can. Some of them are so minimal they’re stark.
I have always loved Shaker designs. When I first started in woodworking I didn’t have the skills to do anything more than that, but now that I can do more things, I still prefer the simple. Less is more. I really believe that.