“Unkitchen” kitchen? Really?..

What is the “unkitchen” kitchen design? What are the main characteristics? Is that yet another trend that comes and goes every couple of years?

the “unkitchen” comes in many forms and shapes, and colours, and styles, and layouts…

Well, the “unkitchen” kitchen is commonly (read Pintrest-y) defined as a kitchen that carries more of decorative value and doesn’t look like kitchen much. Don’t get me wrong, the appliances are there, as well as cabinets, only not all of them. A typical unkitchen has few or no wall cabinets, instead walls are being decorated with art or open shelves; backsplash is limited to wet and range areas, instead of stretching around the entire kitchen; rugs replace comfort mats by the sink; table and floor lamps, paintings and decorative statues, plenty of decorative light fixtures and, of course, plants. While the trend might seem new, it has been around for quite some time as separate kitchen design features, such as integrated hood, the myriad of different types of open shelves, book cases and open cabinets.

it’s an especially good idea when there are gorgeous windows in your kitchen

If you ask me, the so-called “unkitchen” trend is really a travel back in time, when cabinetry, as such, was reserved for more formal places, so kitchens, normally, contained a table and a stove, with everything being stored on the shelves or in the pantry. The decorative aspect was not even considered, because kitchen was usually hidden somewhere at the back behind thick oak doors.

A lithograph from 1874 gives a pretty good idea of kitchens back in the day

Compared to the kitchens of the ole, modern kitchen are much more lived in, it is no longer only a place you cook, it’s a place to socialize, so move to decorative features is quite logical and totally justified.

Beautiful example of an Unkitchen done right.

So how do you jump on the unkitchen trend without your kitchen looking unfinished?

Well, first, there are some prerequisites: your kitchen does need to be big enough to accommodate everything that you need/want to have/have already bought/received as a gift from in-laws…Let’s face it, it’s not much of a kitchen if you can’t really use it. Some of the features of this design can be incorporated into small space, and quite successfully so.

You would need to be a lot more careful with choice of colors and materials, to avoid it looking unfinished, and, of course, the storage space would be limited. A small unkitchen is not for messy or disorganized, that’s for sure.

Next thing to consider is the style of your entire home. Since the unkitchen is considered to be a continuation of the living space, you need to be able to integrate your kitchen into the style of your home to avoid it looking out of place. There are million different tricks to ensure that the kitchen fits, but make sure that the general color pallet and style of your cabinetry would fit with the rest. It doesn’t have to be the same, if you’re ok with a bit of eclectics, but it should at least fit. For instance, if your living space is in modern minimalist style, raised panel cabinets is not something that would fit very well. Transitional cabinetry styles, on the other hand, work with pretty much everything.

Reality is that this trend can be applied to any style and done in any color and almost any space, it’s one of the most versatile and fun trends in recent history, with the main focus on you, your preferences and your lifestyle. So don’t be afraid, explore you options, look for inspiration and let me know if you need help!