Many homeowners don’t put a lot of thought into their kitchen space regarding interior design. Most kitchens have the same features (such as countertops, cabinets, sinks, and islands) and the same appliances (although from different brands). However, this doesn’t mean that the kitchen’s interior design can’t be tailored to your wants and needs. There are many interior design styles that you can choose for your Denver kitchen. One interior design style that can be particularly effective for the kitchen space is a minimalist kitchen style. Before going into a few tips for planning your minimalist kitchen design, let’s discuss some of the advantages of choosing a minimalist style over other possible options.

Why Implement A Minimalist Kitchen Design?

The principles of minimalism can be applied to any part of your home to create a successful interior design. However, they are particularly useful for kitchen space. Minimalist interior designs focus on the use of space, symmetry, clean lines, and balance. Here are three reasons why you should consider a minimalist kitchen:

Emphasize Function Without Sacrificing Form

One of the biggest challenges of designing a kitchen space is finding a balance between form and function. While this challenge exists throughout the home, it’s especially present in the kitchen space. One of the mistakes many homeowners make is giving up on form and letting function rule the kitchen due to how prominent the kitchen appliances are. On the other hand, many homeowners end up overcompensating by introducing an abundance of stylistic flourishes to draw attention away from the appliances. 

By going the minimalist route, you can create the perfect balance between form and function. Your kitchen style won’t go unnoticed, but it also won’t overwhelm or interfere with its function.

Make The Most Out Of A Small Kitchen Space

Minimalist design choices are perfect for smaller spaces. In fact, by adopting minimalist design principles, you can make your smaller kitchen feel bigger than it is. This helps to not only improve its general aesthetic but will also improve its function simultaneously. Few other interior design styles can achieve this when it comes to a small kitchen design.

Create A More Organized Kitchen That’s Less Stressful

An essential element of the kitchen is the ability to keep it clean and organized. An organized kitchen makes it easier to use. A messy kitchen, one in which you have to rummage through cabinets overflowing with utensils, ingredients, and food to find what you need, is stress-inducing. Kitchens that lack storage are even more challenging to use, especially if your countertops end up becoming makeshift storage space. An essential element of minimalism is decluttering and keeping surfaces clear. By adopting minimalism in the kitchen, you’ll have an easier time keeping it clean and organized, which creates a much less stressful space.

1. Hide Your Kitchen Appliances

As previously mentioned, it’s challenging to strike a balance between form and function in the kitchen due to the visually prominent kitchen appliances, such as the refrigerator, oven, and dishwasher. An easy way to get around this is by hiding your kitchen appliances. You can encase your refrigerator and dishwasher so that they look like cabinets. Hiding appliances is handy if your appliances are stainless steel — and you don’t want stainless steel to play a significant role in your kitchen’s aesthetic. By hiding your appliances, you help make the kitchen look less cluttered, and you create a more seamless aesthetic look.

2. Use The Same Material For Your Backsplash As Your Countertops

For many people, the backsplash is the only way to introduce a stylistic flourish into the kitchen design, but this turns the backsplash into the space’s focal point. However, to ensure that the backsplash doesn’t just stick out like a sore thumb, consider using the same material for your countertops. If you opt for a more simple backsplash, this can work very well in a minimalist design. By using the same material, you lend more visual balance to the kitchen and help create a more seamless aesthetic.

3. Focus On The Core Function Of The Kitchen

Ever since the kitchen was defined as “the kitchen,” its primary function has been to store and prepare food. However, in the past few years, a common trend has been introducing more functions to this space. For example, creating a secondary dining area in the kitchen is something that many homeowners have done. You can certainly maintain a minimalist style and still have a place where your family can sit and eat. For example, adding a few stools to your kitchen island won’t hurt your minimalist efforts. 

However, trying to force function into the kitchen when you don’t have space will hurt both form and function. For instance, adding a dining table and six chairs into what little space is left open in the kitchen area can be a bad idea. Not only can it make the room feel cramped and cluttered, but it can also make the kitchen challenging to move around in. If you opt for a minimalist design, focus on the kitchen’s core function, and don’t sacrifice its functionality in your attempt to make the kitchen more functional.

4. Use A Carefully Selected Color Scheme

People who attempt to bring some visual appeal to the kitchen often overcompensate for traditionally a sterile environment by using overly bold color choices. If your colors are slightly on the daring side, it can overwhelm the kitchen’s interior design. We recommend choosing one or two neutral colors and adding a pop of color and texture as accents. 

Going With An All-white Kitchen

While there’s nothing wrong with using a few darker tones in your kitchen design, going with an all-white kitchen is both minimalistic and stylish. An all-white design exudes luxury while still providing a clean look that emphasizes your kitchen’s overall aesthetic instead of distracting from it with color.

5. Don’t Be Afraid Of Introducing A Few Statement Pieces

Just because you’re going minimalist doesn’t mean you can’t get creative with a statement piece or two. If you decide to introduce an element that draws some attention, make sure that it works with the rest of the kitchen. A bit of contrast is good, but you don’t want a statement piece to stand out to the point where it feels like it doesn’t belong. You can add statement pieces to the kitchen in a variety of ways. For example, you could add stylish red stools to your island in a completely white kitchen. Or you could invest in beautiful pendant lights to hang over the island. 

It does help if your statement piece adds to the kitchen’s function, but they don’t necessarily have to either. For instance, hang a framed photograph up on one of the walls. While you should embrace the negative space of your kitchen’s blank walls (to help balance out all the shelves and cabinets that take up a significant amount of wall space), you should still hang a few decorative pieces on your walls. Just be sure to strike a balance between your decor and negative space.

6. Use Lots Of Storage Space

Minimalism is very much concerned with the use of space. Decluttering is an essential principle of minimalism, which is why you need to implement plenty of storage space if you’re going to have a minimalist kitchen. Counters should be kept almost completely clear if possible. To prevent clutter, you may need to install more cabinets or even a pantry if your kitchen has room for them. If you don’t have a kitchen island, consider installing one. An island serves multiple functions, including providing additional storage space.

If your kitchen is on the smaller side and adding any of these storage features would only make it feel small and cramped, consider open shelving. Open shelving can help provide you with the storage space you need without taking up as much visual space.

7. Add Better Lighting

One of the potential drawbacks of a minimalist design is leaving your kitchen looking a bit sterile and flat. To counter this potential issue, better lighting can help. Good lighting in the kitchen is crucial to both its function and form. Without proper lighting, using the kitchen can be a challenge. For instance, if all you have is overhead lighting, then you may end up obstructing counter space with your own shadow when you try to prep food. Much more than just overhead lighting is called for. Under-cabinet strip lighting will be effective, as will some sort of pendant lighting over your kitchen island.

Not only will extra lighting help improve your kitchen’s function, but it will also add visual depth to your overall aesthetic. Good lighting can make your kitchen’s visual features pop, making them look less flat. Such lighting is particularly needed if you’re going to go with an all-white kitchen.

Use These Minimalist Kitchen Design Ideas To Improve Form Without Sacrificing Function

Although a minimalist interior design style can work anywhere in your Denver home, it’s instrumental in the kitchen. The kitchen is highly dependent on function, which means the minimalist kitchen design is the perfect solution to finding the right balance between function and form.