Get to Know the Transitional Kitchen

DAILY REAL ESTATE NEWS | TUESDAY, APRIL 19, 2016

When it comes to kitchen design, it's time to throw some of the old traditional rules out and embrace the mix-and-match transitional kitchen approach.

Read more: 9 Modest Fixes for the Problem Kitchen

What is a transitional kitchen exactly? It's a style that equal parts functional and expressive. It accommodates the individual needs of the family, showcases the personality of the home owners, but is also universally appealing and homey. And it's hotter than ever.

In a recent survey by the National Kitchen and Bath Association, home owners listed the transitional kitchen as their top style pick, beating the traditional kitchen for the first time in many years.

John Reha, editorial director of Black & Decker's Home Improvement Library, recently shared tips with Houselogic on how your clients can embrace the mix-and-match approach of the transitional kitchen.

4 common elements that make up transitional kitchen design:

• Mixing neutrals: Neutral tones like black, white, gray, and tan are a staple of transitional design, and mixing different textures and neutral colors keeps the space from looking clinical and dull. A wood kitchen floor offset with black cabinets will be equal parts homey and visually interesting.
• Balancing old and new design elements: Why narrow down your taste to one design concept when you can incorporate many? A transitional kitchen can be minimalist and contemporary and also include older, more rustic elements like wood floors, a subway tile backsplash, and farmhouse doors.
• Adding unusual materials: Transitional design is at its heart functional and a blank canvas, and owners should not be scared to add dramatic unconventional paint accents or choose counter materials like concrete instead of the popular and more traditional granite.
• Embracing quirkiness: A transitional kitchen is supposed to be designed for the individual needs of the owner, so a kitchen including objects that have personal meaning to the family like antiques, family member's artwork, a chalkboard for writing messages, and one-of-a-kind fixtures will never feel out of place.

Bottom line: A transitional kitchen at its essence should be functional for owners' specific needs, but the other main rule is that there are no rules. The days where kitchen design had to solely embrace one style may be over, and buyers and owners alike are looking for a space that mixes and matches elements that reflects their individual personality.

Source: "Elements of Transitional Kitchen Style," Houselogic.