# Modern kitchens in Tenerife > Modern kitchens in Tenerife, made to measure: handleless doors, rails or J-pulls, worktops that cope with the island climate and a look that won't date fast. A modern kitchen is recognisable by its flat doors with no visible handles, straight lines, very little on show and integrated appliances. In Tenerife it works just as well in a flat in Santa Cruz as in a house with sea views, provided the materials are chosen for the humidity or the sun in each part of the island. - **Handleless doors.** Handleless rail, J-pull or push-to-open. Each system has its place, and we choose it according to who will be using the kitchen. - **Materials for the climate.** Moisture-resistant board and properly sealed edges near the coast, colour-stable surfaces in the sunny south. - **Everything integrated.** Fridge, dishwasher and extractor hidden behind the cabinetry, so the kitchen reads as a single volume. - **3D design before we build.** You see the kitchen in your real finishes before a single unit goes into the workshop. Modern kitchens in Tenerife follow the same rules as anywhere else, but the climate and the type of home change the materials and the layout. A flat in central Santa Cruz, where the kitchen is usually closed and narrow, is a very different job from a home in Adeje or Los Cristianos with the kitchen open to the terrace and the afternoon sun pouring in. ## What makes a kitchen modern A kitchen is modern when the cabinetry reads as one clean volume, with no mouldings or handles breaking up the lines. You get there with three decisions: how the doors open, how the appliances are integrated and how continuous the materials are. There are three ways to open the units. A **handleless rail** (often called gola) is an aluminium profile that creates a horizontal channel for your fingers; it is the most hard-wearing option for daily use. A **J-pull** is machined into the door itself and looks more discreet, although the edge collects a bit more dirt. **Push-to-open** leaves the door completely flat, but it is best avoided on heavy drawers and on the dishwasher, because it ends up failing or opening with a nudge. ## Materials that work on the island Good-quality laminate doors, compact or board-backed laminate and matt lacquer are the finishes that stand up best to daily use in a modern kitchen. In coastal areas, with humidity and salt in the air, what matters is what you cannot see: moisture-resistant board in the base units, sealed edges and hinges and runners that will not rust. In the south, where the sun streams in through large windows and sliding doors, it is worth avoiding finishes that yellow or change colour under strong light. For the worktop, a modern kitchen leans towards continuous, slim surfaces. Quartz, porcelain and sintered stone can all be made in thin thicknesses and can also clad the end of an island in the same material. If you are torn between them, our comparison of [Silestone, Dekton, granite and porcelain](https://cocinaentenerife.com/en/guides/silestone-dekton-granite-porcelain/) explains how each one copes with heat, knocks and stains. ## Mistakes worth avoiding Copying a magazine photo without checking your real measurements is the first mistake to avoid. An island looks stunning in a 30 square metre room, but in a 9 square metre kitchen it leaves you no room to move. Before you fall for a layout, check whether an [island kitchen](https://cocinaentenerife.com/en/island-kitchens/) really fits or whether a peninsula would suit you better. Other common slip-ups: - Going high-gloss everywhere and finding that every fingerprint shows. - Hiding so much away that there is no clear worktop left next to the hob. - Leaving sockets off the worktop because they "look ugly" and ending up with extension leads. - Choosing a ceiling extractor without working out how much extraction you actually need. ## How to stop it dating The modern kitchens that age well pair a neutral backdrop with a single standout feature. That might be the worktop, an island in a different colour or a run of timber doors. If everything has character at once, within a few years the kitchen gives away the year it was fitted. Natural wood or convincing wood effects, warm greys, off-white and muted greens are safe bets. To see how they work together, our guide to [kitchen cabinet colours](https://cocinaentenerife.com/en/guides/kitchen-cabinet-colours/) explains it with examples. ## How we approach made-to-measure design We measure the kitchen at your home, check the services and show you a 3D proposal with the real finishes. That way you see how they look across the whole kitchen before deciding. If you would rather start on your own, our [kitchen planner](https://cocinaentenerife.com/en/kitchen-planner/) lets you try out layouts and colours before you speak to us. ## Frequently asked questions ### Does a modern kitchen have to be white or grey? No. The style comes from the shape of the units, not the colour. Modern kitchens are now made in sage green, graphite, light oak or two-tone combinations, and they all stay modern as long as the doors are flat and the lines clean. ### Can you fit a modern kitchen in an old house? Yes, and flat doors against thick walls or timber ceilings usually look great. What changes is the fitting: in a modern kitchen everything is flat and continuous, so a wall that is out of plumb shows more. That is why the edges are finished with filler panels in the same finish as the doors. ### Do high-gloss doors scratch easily? They show fingerprints and fine scratches more than a matt finish, especially in busy areas. If you like gloss, the sensible approach is to use it on tall units or wall cabinets and keep the base units in matt or super-matt. ### Is a modern kitchen more expensive than a traditional one? The style on its own does not push the price up. What does are the choices that tend to come with it: handleless rail profiles, push-to-open mechanisms, integrated appliances (dearer than freestanding ones) and lacquered finishes. The price calculator helps you see how much each one adds, and remember that in the Canary Islands you pay IGIC (the Canary Islands sales tax, 7%), not Spanish VAT. --- Web version: https://cocinaentenerife.com/en/modern-kitchens/ Cocina en Tenerife: design, manufacture and installation of made-to-measure kitchens in Tenerife. Quote: https://cocinaentenerife.com/en/contact/