An Interior Look at Contemporary Design

Design by Carter Burton Architecture

The contemporary vision of a dining room is reflected here. Although the room takes it's cues from Modern influences - including the "butterfly" ceiling treatment, the choice of materials and colors spins the room into contemporary. Warm natural wood is contrasted with a ridge of cool stainless steel. The oversized sliding doors and fixed glass panels reach back to another key design component of modern, the idea of "bringing the outside in." The far wall reveals one of the home's exterior doors custom- made from stainless steel, a touch of industrialism in a residential setting.

Images Courtesy of Greg Hadley Photography

Here's the same room viewed from the opposite side which shows how the designers used a bold color choice, in this case-purple, to create an accent wall. A slotted window breaks up the plane just enough to keep a feeling of openness. Note how the exterior deck proportions mimic the relationship between the slip of interior flooring and the runner. A near mirror image creates a feeling of balance and symmetry.

Construction by Bielski Design Build

The kitchen adjoins the dining room with the separation between the spaces defined by a counter line on one side and an island with sink on the other. The lack of interior walls allows for excellent room flow and permits light to fill the entire space. In houses with open floor plans like this, the placement of furniture or in this case-counters, define the boundaries of the rooms. Placement of light fixtures also help designate the confines. The use of light-colored, naturally-finished wood on the cabinets and floors encourages the eye to move easily across the space.

The clean, simple lines of modern show up in the forms of drawer handles and flat door cabinets. The pendent light fixtures in pale purple keep things fun. Note how the cabinets reach to the ceiling with an absence of trim or molding. While the look is unadorned, it's actually more difficult to achieve since trim around cabinet is often used to disguise mistakes. If a wall, cabinet or floor is not square in this kind of construction, the lines won't match up like they do here.

For more on contemporary.