Contemporary Home Improvements & Interior Design

Last Updated on February 3, 2012

In the past, many people chose to move rather than remodel. Some love home improvement projects of any size, but even those who do not have been influenced by the weak housing market to alter the houses they have. Opening up spaces with too many walls, updating a dated bathroom or totally making over an ageing kitchen can make all the difference in the feel, personality and function of virtually any home. Many choose contemporary design, highlighted by contemporary interior design. A popular improvement made on homes acquired through property auction is updating the kitchen to contemporary styling.
There are many more old, tired, outdated kitchens than there needs to be. Neither does a kitchen have to be old to be outdated. Kitchen design is such a personal choice among those for whom it is important, builders are likely to provide only a “stock” kitchen that is not offensive either to those who favour contemporary design or those who prefer more traditional approaches.

This kitchen http://www.bhg.com/kitchen/styles/modern/renovations-before-after/#page=14 provides a dramatic example. The old kitchen was cramped and covered in an array of ceramic tile colours and styles that would lead the most charitable viewer to question what the homeowners were thinking. The newly remodelled contemporary kitchen bears no resemblance to its predecessor. It has a pale wood floor with slightly darker cabinets that sport a clean, crisp design. It employs the metals important in contemporary design with the stainless steel appliances. Pot lighting illuminates the workspace, as contemporary pendant lights suspended over the sink area provides both lighting and visual interest.

Here is an example of a kitchen in traditional style that certainly was not offensive but still was outdated before its transformation to a warm but contemporary space http://www.bhg.com/kitchen/styles/modern/renovations-before-after/#page=3. The homeowners replaced the white traditional cabinets with light, natural wood cabinets designed with sleek lines and no visible hardware. The new floor is a darker brown. Other than the green outside a wall of windows, the only colour in the kitchen is in the form of the dark red cushions gracing the counter – height chairs. Another difference in the before and after pictures highlights a primary point of contemporary interior design. That is to keep the space uncluttered and visually clean.

This kitchen is a perfect example of one that had no real problems prior to renovation, but is so much more pleasing in its new contemporary form http://www.bhg.com/kitchen/styles/modern/renovations-before-after/#page=6 . The sink is still under the window, and it appears that the footprint of the kitchen has not been altered. Beyond that, the new kitchen bears no resemblance to the one that existed before renovation. The new contemporary kitchen has sleek, light wood cabinets topped with darker granite countertops. All of the dark, heavy wall cabinets have been replaced with open shelves. Again, a primary goal is to have and maintain an uncluttered space, and the renovated kitchen attains that goal.

This picture is nothing short of stunning http://www.bhg.com/kitchen/styles/modern/renovations-before-after/#page=7. In this narrow kitchen, the only functional change was moving the range from one side to the other. All of the drama of the transformation arises from the sleek new cabinets, new floor, new sink and faucet, new countertops and matching stainless appliances. This kitchen keeps the overhead cabinets, but uses translucent doors to give an illusion of open shelves while avoiding the clutter factor that open shelves can create.

The word “contemporary” is not interchangeable with “modern,” though the words often are used that way. Modern is an architectural style, but contemporary design refers only to current materials, lighting, texture and colour. Contemporary interior design is that which is clean and uncluttered. In the kitchen, contemporary design often employs an array of metals, focal point lighting and neutral wall colours that highlight designed focal points.

My name is Nisha, I represent a site called Unmodernised.com. I love to write about fashion and design.