1. CHANNEL MID-CENTURY STYLE
Commune Design’s renovation of this 1960s Santa Monica apartment included a sympathetic redesign of the mid century modern kitchen that draws heavily on modernist influences. ‘The client’s request to bring in the outdoors was achieved through the use of a color palette inspired by Le Corbusier’s Maison La Roche,’ says Commune co-founder Roman Alonso.
2. ADD SOME UNEXPECTED ELEMENTS
‘This kitchen was designed for a young family and they love that it feels classic, while also having some playful modern elements,’ says Nashville-based interior designer Lauren Bradshaw, referencing the black-and-white geometric floor. ‘We used a creamy beige tone on the cabinets, a brighter warm white on the walls, and grounded the space with black patterned tiles to keep it feeling fresh,’ explains Lauren, who elevated the entire scheme with a pale marble worktop and backsplash.
3. COMBINE DIFFERENT HARDWARE STYLES
Keeping cabinetry streamlined and simple is an effortless way to ensure your cream kitchen feels contemporary. And as kitchen hardware trends come and go, we love this timeless idea from The Dickson Design Group as a way to inject some subtle personality without compromising a space’s fuss-free appeal.
4. USE CREAM IN AN INDUSTRIAL SCHEME
We love the combination of cream cabinetry and industrial elements in this Williamsburg loft apartment, which feels both inviting and in keeping with former schoolhouse in which the home is located. ‘Our clients wanted an update of their kitchen that would soften the industrial feel of the existing shelves and iron hardware, commercial stove and stainless steel hood,’ says interior designer Staci Dover, who collaborated on the apartment’s renovation with Kevin Greenberg of Space Exploration studio.
5. ADD DEPTH WITH DARK-TONED STONE
This four-story Italianate row house in Brooklyn was sympathetically reworked by Lang Architecture, who carefully restored all original period details and updated the home with a warm yet restrained interior. ‘In the kitchen, we used a neutral tone for the cabinets with dark-grey Pietra Cordosa countertops,’ says the studio’s principal Drew Lang of the design, which features glazed cabinetry and understated brass hardware.
6. PAIR CREAM CABINETS WITH WARM WOOD
‘The homeowners naturally gravitated toward modern fixtures but wanted a timeless design for their forever home’ says interior designer Cathie Hong, who devised an enduring wood-and-cream scheme for this Californian kitchen in Saratoga.
7. EMBRACE THE MODERN FARMOUSE LOOK
If you love the idea of a traditional cream kitchen but don’t want to veer into twee territory, then modern-country style might be the solution, as illustrated by this Californian abode designed by Landed Interiors and Homes.
8. TRY A NEUTRAL WITH COOLER TONES
If you’ve tried to get on board with cream but the yellow undertones of this particular off-white don’t work well in your space, try a neutral with green or grey undertones instead. Architect Mollie Code of Studio Code did exactly that in the kitchen of her 1900s Chicago home, which she overhauled with help from En Masse Architecture and Design.
9. COMPLEMENT WITH EARTHY TEXTURES
A surefire way to keep a cream kitchen feeling current is to pair simple, minimalist cabinetry with textural surfaces in earthier tones, which will further enhance the warmth and softness of a cream scheme.