Your kitchen is the heart of your home. The majority of your time is spent in or around the kitchen, whether it’s for cooking purposes or for having an intimate conversation with your loved ones over a glass of wine. Having a thoughtfully designed kitchen that matches your taste and aesthetic will instantly shift your mood every time you walk into the space.

Kitchen renovation can be one of the most demanding home renovation projects to undertake. If you plan on starting the new year with a new, remodeled kitchen, then this is the perfect opportunity to get some inspiration for what you want your dream kitchen to look like. In this article, we will be going over the top 20 modern kitchen decor ideas that combine functionality and style.

1. Expand the Space with a Wide Island

Modern kitchen decor is incomplete without a free-standing island. With a growing family, you need an island that fits everyone. Opting for a wide island will give room to adding chairs corresponding with the number of people living in the house. The wide island will provide extra countertop space for prepping meals, and the entire family can sit around either with their laptops or homework. Wide islands are ideal for an open floor plan kitchen that connects to your living room.

2. Express Yourself with Patterned Tiles

Your new kitchen should be a reflection of your personality, and what better way to exhibit the vibrant part of you than using patterned tiles on the walls. You can incorporate lots of color and design that will bring cohesiveness to the kitchen. If you have plain white cabinetry, adding patterned tiles will be the best way to bring depth and character to your newly renovated space.

3. Enhance Storage Space with Double Cabinetry

If you have a relatively small kitchen and are beginning to find it difficult to store your appliances, crockery, and kitchen goods – one of the smartest ways to increase the space in the kitchen is by doubling up on cabinet space. You can install two layers of kitchen cabinetry to provide additional space for seasonal items that you barely use more than twice a year. Store all the seasonal mugs, heavy appliances, expensive China in these cabinets and free up space on your countertop.

4. Keep it Minimal

In today’s age, modernity is synonymous with minimalist themes and sleek designs. All-white cabinetry coupled with a white marble countertop and island. Having open shelves and minimalist fixtures and hardware will bring calmness and lightness into your kitchen space. You can choose to keep ceramic pots and plates on the open shelves to bring dimension and sleekness to the walls. If you want to add natural elements to the kitchen, you can keep houseplants and succulents on the countertop and shelves for a splash of color.

5. Go Vintage with Wall Fixtures

If you associate yourself more with a vintage theme, bring the retro vibe into your kitchen with old-school wall fixtures that are pleasing to look at. The best way to give a vintage look to your kitchen is by focusing on distressed cabinetry and installing a metal rod over the countertop and display your copper pots and pans. You can hang your kitchen tools on the metal rod, giving you a floating storage space. Incorporate some vintage-looking teapots and planters as your kitchen decor to complete the look.

6. Organize Your Pantry with Acrylic Containers

Home organization has become all the rage among homeowners who are particularly obsessed with tidiness and making sure everything has its designated space in the house. Kitchen organization is no different – refrigerator restock and spice drawer organization videos have become a viral trend, and everybody seems to be incorporating some form of organization in their homes. Update your pantry and improve the ease of access to your food items and kitchen goods by simply investing in transparent acrylic containers. For whole foods like grains, pulses, rice, and flour you can use glass airtight containers and jars and stack them together. You can use different sized boxes and containers to add snacks, drinks, chips, cereal, and all other categories of food.

7. Add a Coffee Making Station

In today’s fast-paced life, if there is one thing that keeps us going, it’s coffee. If you can’t seem to start your mornings without a cup of coffee, then why not dedicate a space that is designed specifically for your favorite morning ritual? You can either add a coffee cart or trolley that holds your coffee maker, your assortment of coffee and coffee pods, sugar and honey jars, and your favorite mugs.

8. Create a To-Do List Blackboard Wall

Do you have a family where everyone has different work and school schedules, and nobody seems to be keeping track of their household chores? Or think about the number of times you forgot to do a specific task because it simply slipped your mind? We understand that running a household can be a little overwhelming at times. So why not include a blackboard wall or pillar in your kitchen where you can list down everything that needs to be done in a given week. It can act as your family’s calendar where everybody can stay informed of events, dinner parties, chores, and the kids’ daily schedule.

9. Light Fixtures Are Everything

Replace your boring old light fixtures with artistic and versatile lampshades and modern chandeliers that will instantly change the look of your kitchen. Depending on the theme of the kitchen, you can either go for traditional looking hanging fixtures, but you can incorporate a funky color. Or you can go for a more geometric looking design that binds the room together. Getting new and unique light fixtures can act as the focal point of the room.

10. Use Bold Wooden Panels

If you want to make a statement and wish to go for a more rustic look, you can add thin beams of wood slates that run vertically on the wall. The beams running from top to bottom will give the illusion of high ceilings, and you can even match the wood polish to the color of your kitchen cabinetry. This is a modern way of capturing the farmhouse feel.

11. Experiment with Gold Details

One way to give your kitchen a uniform and cohesive look is by getting matching hardware and incorporating it into different elements in the room. You can add a golden faucet that complements the cabinet handles. These items should also match the details of the bar stool placed around the island. You can pair the gold accents with white textures and backsplash for a chic finish.

12. Scandinavian Designs and Warm Tones

The Scandinavian designs are known for their minimalist features and warm neutral tones from all the woodwork and natural accents. You can choose to go for a wood grain textured table and add hardwood flooring. For furniture, you can opt for simple and clean lines for the structure of the chairs and bar stools. If you want to make the kitchen airier and want access to natural light, then consider adding a glass window that will brighten up the room.

13. Play Around with Patterns

We have already talked about adding patterned tiles as a backsplash for the countertop. But if you want to go for a less dramatic look but still want to include patterns in your kitchen, you can add rugs with neutral hues and multi-patterned decoration pieces, which you can display all over the kitchen. Make sure to not go overboard with the patterns and designs as it may result in the room becoming too noisy with colors and textures.

14. Funky Accent Furniture

If your new kitchen is mostly monochrome with neutral hues and clean lines, you can spruce up the space and bring more character by incorporating accent furniture pieces that will tie the room together. You can consider placing woven chairs or bold rugs that will blend perfectly with the whites and beige.

15. Spread the Love with Custom Wooden Planks

One of the best ways to incorporate bohemian design into your new kitchen space is by placing custom wooden planks and boards with messages of love, positivity, and long life engraved in them. You can display these wooden boards on a wall or place them over the countertop. You can choose to hang them or let them be free-standing against the backsplash. The positive messages will give you motivation on days whenever you’re feeling down and out.

16. Place an Interior Glass Walkway

If you can’t seem to decide whether you want an open-floor place kitchen or want a doorway that leads to the kitchen, you can compromise on the two choices by adding a glass frame with partial walls that can act as a transition between the kitchen and the lounge. This is also a great way to enhance the amount of natural light that enters the kitchen.

17. Go Industrial with Bare Concrete Walls

Give a modern touch to an industrial themed kitchen with concrete fittings and walls. This theme is completely different from anything that we’ve touched upon so far. The concrete flooring and walls will bring out an eclectic feel to your kitchen. You can take it one step further and also add a concrete island with a smooth surface. Add a splash of color with metal bar stools, and you can paint them a vibrant color like yellow or teal to bind the room.

18. Go Dark with Black Cabinetry

If you want your kitchen to have an edgy yet modern vibe, you can renovate your kitchen cabinetry by painting them black and adding black lacquer to the rest of the room. This will not only bring depth but if you couple it with white walls and flooring, the contrast will bring out the finer details. You can also choose to incorporate a black island and add woven bar stools to add texture and natural tones.

19. Floor-to-Ceiling Tiles

Instead of painting your walls one color, you can opt for tiled walls that run from the floor to the ceiling – giving a glossy finish to your kitchen. You can go for all-white terra cotta tiles that will give a clean finish, or you can go for deep neutral tones like olive green or midnight blue to bring more depth. This will not only give the illusion of high ceilings and more space, but tiled walls are very easy to clean as well. So the next time you or your kids accidentally spill something on the wall, you won’t have to worry too much about the stains.

20. Go for an Urban Glam

Combining luxury with functionality, opting for an urban-themed kitchen will have you feeling like an A-list celebrity. The open floor plan of the kitchen provides ease of mobility and more access to counter space. You can include appliance cabinetry that will conceal your refrigerator and freezer by adding a cabinet panel that matches the rest of your kitchen. You can also include an island made out of quartz marble for the signature touch of luxury.