Welcome to Quiet Look, part 1 of a five-part series on A Quiet Kitchen design.
We demand a lot of our busy, active kitchens: food storage, meal prep, cooking, cleaning, gathering, eating, entertaining, even homework. And storing sooooo much stuff! With today’s open floor plans, what happens in the kitchen is also happening in every living space in the house. For your new kitchen, let’s design a space that can do it all, without the clamor. Leave the noisy world outside and reach for calm in a quiet kitchen design. If you don’t think you’re ready to take this on alone, no problem. A professional UltraCraft kitchen designer near you will be happy to help. They’re the experts!
There are five parts to A Quiet Kitchen: Quiet Look, Quiet Motion, Quiet the Clutter, Quiet Lighting, and Quiet the Noise. In the next few weeks, watch for parts two through five. Read on for Part 1: Quiet Look.
Part 1: Quiet Look
Noise is not just sound. What we see also signals our brain to react or overreact. If we reduce the signals, we can calm the mind. Visually quiet means a clean, uncomplicated scene with very little visual information for our brains to process. Less is quiet.
A simple color palette
Start with a simple color palette. This modern European kitchen has a limited palette of light-to-dark grays with warm wood tones for color. If black and white is too modern for your tastes, desaturated, neutral colors and colors found in nature are visibly and emotionally soothing. Bright stimulates. Subdued calms. The more natural light you have available the darker, and calmer, you can go with colors.
Coal SuperMatte Thermofoil); AF006 Metal door style in Onyx with White Matte backpainted Tech Glass. Wall panels are Sienna and Archicrete Textured Melamine.
Large areas of the same or similar colors
Paint with a broad brush. Use the same color, or subtle contrasts, across large areas to limit visible interruption. Combine cabinets of different finishes, if you like, but group like finishes together. Backsplashes or wall coverings should mimic or match cabinet colors to not break up the “panorama.” Instead of adding materials like tile or paint, use panels that match cabinet finishes to cover the walls. Select flooring with minimal detail.
A quiet kitchen uses plain and simple cabinet doors
Minimize anything that can catch dust. Lean toward flat, modern, slab-style doors which have zero ornamentation or Shaker-style doors with minimal details. Stay away from raised-panel doors with ornate edges and applied details. For doors with glass, consider a simple frame and an opaque or backpainted glass to hide cabinet contents. Plain is quiet.
“Built-in” appliances
To not disrupt a run of cabinetry, ovens and microwaves can be installed flush with cabinet doors. Refrigerators and dishwashers can wear matching front panels to make them look like cabinets themselves. Of course, visible appliances should match each other where possible.
A Quiet Kitchen may have hidden hardware
And the final touch…touch-to-open. Instead of decorative door and drawer pulls or knobs, use unseen touch latches to open doors and drawers.
What are you waiting for? Visit your local UltraCraft designer’s showroom today!
Quiet Look is just one part of a quiet kitchen design. Watch for our next installment, Part 2: Quiet Motion.
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Here we’ll explore current design trends and ideas, look at UltraCraft products in ways they’ve not been presented before, and celebrate spaces created by UltraCraft kitchen and bath designers. We’ll build a reference library of ideas and information to inspire homeowners and professional designers to think outside the cabinet.
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Hey UltraCraft kitchen designers…
Do you have professional-level photography of your outstanding kitchen designs? You can upload them to MasterBrand’s Media Hub and get them the recognition they deserve! Having your images on our Media Hub allows other designers to be inspired by your projects and your photos have the potential of being highlighted in our literature and on our website and social media posts. Other dealers (only those NOT located in your state) would be allowed to use your photos as long as they credit you and your photographer every time they use your image. Please share your pictures. We love your work!
