Kitchen Materials & Finish Ideas in Three Styles

A modern traditional white kitchen with shaker style cabinets and brass hardware in this historic bungalow home in Richmond, VA. A small kitchen renovation opened up a lot more storage compared to the original! This blog post shares ideas for kitche…

Photo from the Bellevue Bungalow Kitchen project

Lately I’ve been having a lot of conversations with folks about kitchen renovations, which has been super fun. I know it can be a little overwhelming too though, especially if this is your first time embarking on one! There are so many decisions to make! What style cabinets should you choose? And what color? How about countertops? Light fixtures? Appliances? The list goes on!

If you’re in the early stages of renovating a kitchen or designing one for a new home, this post is for you! :) Even if it’s on your longer term project list, it’s never too early to start figuring out what you like so when the time comes, you’ll be well prepared.

I put together three kitchen design material and finish boards that can help guide you as you plan. While I didn’t include everything you’d need to have in a kitchen, I covered a lot of what you’d be looking for when designing a kitchen, including:

  • Cabinet style and color (Note that I used Nieu cabinet doors as examples throughout. They are a cabinet refacing company, so they don’t provide cabinetry, but they have great door styles and colors, so that’s why I used them here to show you the look of what I’d go for in each style. If you’re thinking about giving your kitchen a makeover, but don’t want to replace the boxes, check out Nieu’s doors!)

  • Countertops

  • Backsplash

  • Flooring

  • Cabinet hardware

  • Pendant lighting for an island/peninsula

  • Sink

  • Faucet

  • Paint color

Under each one you’ll see links to the products so you can get the look for your own kitchen or use them as a starting point for developing your own design. Even if they’re not exactly your style, my hope is that you can use these to see how to pull things together for your own kitchen!

Modern Traditional

A modern tradition kitchen design with brass and polished nickel finishes, marble-look quartz countertops, and soft white cabinets.

“Modern Traditional” may sound like a contradiction, but I promise it’s not! Think of this style as a fresh take on timeless. For this kitchen, soft off-white (or a very light taupe) cabinetry paired with brass hardware makes for lovely combo throughout, and I mixed some polished nickel in as well - you’ll see it in the finish of the faucet and pendant lighting. I like those two metals together because they both have warm undertones that complement each other really nicely.

You’ll see some softness in a lot of the fixtures and other pieces, which lends itself to the more traditional side of things, but there’s nothing overly fussy or ornate here!

Here’s what I chose for the Modern Traditional kitchen design:

Refined Farmhouse

A refined farmhouse style kitchen with taupe cabinets, brass finishes, soapstone countertops, tongue and groove paneling as a backsplash, and light wood floors.

When I was thinking about what a Refined Farmhouse kitchen might look like, I pictured pulling out the rustic aspects of farmhouse and polishing things up a bit, so that’s what you’ll see here! This is a look that doesn’t necessarily scream farmhouse, so if you don’t live in a true farmhouse, don’t dismiss it! It can work really beautifully with other home styles as well.

Here I chose mostly black fixtures and hardware, but threw in some brass with the pendants to warm things up a bit. Given the fact that I wanted to use black soapstone countertops in here, I knew it needed some of that. :) The lighter wood floors give the kitchen a warm foundation as well.

Here’s what I chose for the Refined Farmhouse kitchen design:

  • Cabinet style and color: “Stepped Shaker” style door in Totally Taupe

  • Countertops: Soapstone - this natural stone can come in a lot of different variations, so I recommend going to see it in person to pick a slab

  • Backsplash: Vertical tongue and groove paneling painted in a warm white like Benjamin Moore Chantilly Lace - no link for this since it would be something you could get from just about any building supplier!

  • Flooring: Lighter toned wood flooring like this from Stuga Studio

  • Cabinet hardware: Matte black knobs and matte black bar pulls

  • Pendant lighting for an island/peninsula: Brass cone pendant - these won’t put off a ton of light, so make sure you have recessed lighting or other kinds of lighting in your kitchen as well

  • Sink: Apron front farmhouse sink

  • Faucet: Bridge faucet in matte black

  • Paint color: Benjamin Moore Chantilly Lace to match the vertical paneling backsplash

Scandinavian Minimalist

A Scandinavian Minimalist kitchen design with brass finishes and white cabinetry. The cabinets are a modern shaker and are paired with a hexagon backsplash and concrete-look quartz countertops.

The Scandinavian Minimalist kitchen has a stripped down, no nonsense feel to it, but it still feels warm and inviting thanks to both the brass elements and the wood flooring. I’ll also note that as I’m picturing this style in my head, I’m thinking a lot of the upper cabinets would be replaced by open shelving. I know that’s not possible (or wanted!) by some folks, but since we’re just dreaming and scheming here, that’s what I’d do!

If you live in a more modern home and like the idea of more minimalist style, this one might just be perfect for you.

Here’s what I chose for the Scandinavian Minimalist kitchen design:

I hope that’s helpful in guiding your kitchen design decisions! Have questions about your own kitchen remodel? You can always ask away here or on Instagram!

*This post contains affiliate links, which means Mix & Match Design Company earns a small commission from your purchase at no cost to you.

decorating adviceChaney Widmerkitchen, Design Tips, renovationComment