Contemporary Kitchen Design (April 29, 2009)

The term contemporary kitchen is a bit of a misnomer. One should not confuse this with a modern kitchen design, which is something completely different. Contemporary actually refers more to the suburban ethos of the 1950¡¯s when people became obsessed with changing their design ideas as fast as the times were changing.

You should use the following guidelines when striving for a feel that is both contemporary and functional. It can get a little gimmicky at times, so just show a little restraint and your kitchen will look great.

Floor
Wood is completely out of the question. The 1950¡¯s were a time of scientific innovation and linoleum ruled the day. This will be your material of choice for the entire floor. The patter is completely up to you. For some reason, folks during this time period thought that checkerboard patterns were great for the kitchen. This simple black and white tile structure will get your contemporary kitchen design off to a great start.

Steel
You can¡¯t forget that the 1950¡¯s ushered in the birth of mass-produced consumer goods. This was a time when everything was made out of durable materials that were made to last. Therefore, steel was one of the prime components of the time. You should have as many steel appliances as you can, along with your fridge and stove. Oddly enough the only fixture that should not be made of steel is your kitchen sink. Today, steel is used in 60% of all American kitchen sinks, but back then porcelain was still en vogue.

Streamlined
Again, with the space age kicking off, people were very conscious of progress and how fast things could move. This means that most products, whether they were meant to fly people across the planet, or open a tin of orange juice, were streamlined.

Gadgets
This is an extension of the streamlined concept. You should go vintage furniture shopping and try to dig up authentic gadgets from that time period. This means streamlined orange juicers, blenders and can openers. You¡¯ll be surprised at how much these items can cost now a days. Another option is to cut out the middleman and just spend your Saturday mornings cruising neighborhoods for garage sales. Most times people do not know how much their old stuff is worth so you can get a pretty good deal. Be fair though. Don¡¯t go blasting around ripping off elderly widows. Offer a reasonable price and you¡¯ll be able to sleep at night.

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