The kitchen is the heart of the home and often a room we spend the majority of our time.  This means it's an important room to invest in, not only for ourselves, but to improve the value of our home.  It's no secret that houses with great kitchens sell.  Here is a look at lots of modern kitchen ideas to bring a contemporary design to your home.

Modern cabinetry

Modern cabinetry is an easy and stylish way to transform your kitchen into a sophisticated room for family and friends. Going for a sleek and contemporary look with neat worktops and modern appliances also keeps your room free of clutter giving you much more room to cook, relax and entertain!  Gloss cabinets offer a polished look and are also easy to maintain.

Keep tidy

A well-ordered kitchen works wonders to help us feel calm and relaxed when we’re at home. Modern design is all about keeping rooms clean and uncluttered and this goes for your kitchen work surfaces, too. While we all might want that statement — and often used — KitchenAid mixer on show, that doesn’t necessarily work for all the other kitchen paraphernalia it’s so easy to collect. Hiding clutter in open-plan kitchens is essential. So, plan plenty of storage areas such as deep pan drawers and tambour units to keep small appliances, crockery and china out of sight. Floor-to-ceiling cupboards with no handles can hide a multitude of sins. So, if you have space, they’re a good investment. But remember, you want easy access to everything, which means putting pan drawers by ovens, larders close to prep areas, and china close to the dishwasher.

Kitchen appliances

Clean lines sum up modern kitchens, so make sure you adopt this theme when it comes to your appliances. For example; if you have your heart set on a range cooker, choose one of the more modern steel models from Mercury, Smeg or Rangemaster. Integrate as many kitchen utensils as you can, and if possible, place items such as washing machines and tumble dryers in utility rooms. Keep sightlines clear by installing below-cabinet, in-ceiling or pop-up extractors. Then, ensure your fridge and freezer are stored behind closed doors. Investing in good-looking, built-in cooking appliances with a sleek, glass zoned induction hob is another good move for a contemporary kitchen. Finish off with a few modern-day luxuries — such as a boiling water tap offered by Quooker, pop-up power points and cool lighting!

Modern worktops

Plain white worktops make the ultimate statement when it comes to kitchen design. But what if you want a less ‘clinical’ feel? Many manufacturers, including Silestone and Caesarstone, are now producing man-made composites that look like natural materials. Of course, while they can look just like marble or concrete, the real benefit of these surfaces is that they are much easier to look after than natural stones, particularly very porous ones such as marble. Material like faux marble is also amazing for creating feature splashbacks with less of the financial outlay than real marble, such as Carrara. The consistent colours and patterns of the latest composites are perfect for contemporary kitchens, and choice has really grown over the past few years to include everything from brilliant white to zingy orange.

Sleek lines                                                  

Cabinetry without handles is the ideal minimalist look for your contemporary kitchen. The in-frame construction of kitchen cabinet doors with no handles is both modern and extremely durable, which gives this design feature an edge on others. In smaller kitchen spaces, the absence of handles helps to make a room feel bigger, while in a kitchen with lots of cabinetry, it prevents an overload of steel handles. If you don't want to commit to all handle-less doors, then you can give a run of classic cabinets a modern edge by dressing them with sleek bar handles. For an all over modern effect, add built-in appliances and top with cool composite worktops. Or, mix and match your kitchen style by incorporating flat-fronted wall cabinets. 

My best tips for a modern kitchen:

• Go for various levels                                                      

Add a tall breakfast bar to an island if you fancy creating a relaxed eating space with an edge. Or, create several levels on a peninsula with a raised area to hide the washing-up from dinner guests. You can even place a stool next to your breakfast bar to create an additional level and maximise the seating area available.

• Think about your worktops

Kitchen units make up a good chunk of this home space. So, go for very thin worktop profiles that help your units to look more like pieces of furniture. Wrap a composite work surface in a contrasting shade, or try placing material around the cabinetry on your kitchen islands and at the end of runs.

• Simple and effective surfaces

Choose glass or composite materials for your splashback to get that modern look and complement it with large-format floor tiles with a matching grout.                              

• Lights, lights lights!

Creativity is key when it comes to kitchen lighting. Use plinth lights to make base units look like they are floating or add LED strips to the interior of wall cabinets and shelves to highlight favourite accessories.