This year’s House Beautiful Kitchen of the Year was designed by Jeff Lewis of Bravo’s Flipping Out. To reflect his personal aesthetic, Jeff Lewis says he took a “California modern” approach to designing this year’s kitchen.

To play off of his observation, we’ve put together a list of ten characteristics of a modern kitchen as they are found in House Beautiful’s 2010 Kitchen of the Year.

1. Dark Wood – The cabinets are a rich brown that stretch throughout the kitchen.
2. Metal – Hints of metal are scattered from the island stools to the stainless steel appliances to the counter accessories.
3. Openness – Jeff Lewis said overbuilt cabinets create claustrophobia, so he chose door-less shelves to create an open feel.
4. Wood + White – Clean white countertops break up the dark wood cabinetry and the light wood flooring.
5. Functionality – The open wine storage wall lets in tons of natural light while doubling as a place to store wine and other bottled beverages.



6. Natural Light – Already mentioned in number 5, the wall-storage wall, in addition to the light colors, allow for plenty of natural light.
7. Pops of Color – Red panels on the far wall add an element of surprise.
8. Eco-friendly – The kitchen table is made from reclaimed wood taken from an old polo barn.
9. Minimalistic Pieces – The polished metal island stools, the chairs at the kitchen table, the interesting light fixture are all simple and stylish pieces.
10. Storage – There is a ton of storage space in this kitchen with cabinets on both sides of the countertops that eliminate visible clutter.

What are some other modern characteristics you see in the 2010 Kitchen of the Year?

The rest is here: sixdifferentways.com

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1. Design Milk 2010 Year in Review