Your kitchen is easily one of the most utilized spaces in your entire home. It's a gathering hotspot when hosting friends and loved ones, a destination for memory-making with your family, and a place for you to mentally side-step life's stressors and focus on the task at hand—be it kneading, stirring, basting, or beyond. With all of this in mind, it's important to balance a sense of welcoming warmth and supreme function when making design choices in your kitchen.
Maybe you're considering a complete overhaul, or perhaps toying with the idea of a quick renovation to help breathe new life into your cooking space. While laying the groundwork for upcoming plans, consider what kitchen "trends" are more apt to stand the test of time and which fads might fade faster than you can say, "Dinner's ready!"
- Heather Fujikawa, owner and principal designer at House Sprucing
- Caren Rideau, interior designer and the founder of Kitchen Design Group
12 Kitchen Design Trends to Inspire Your Renovation
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Contrasting Yet Cohesive Details
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Matching colors, cabinetry, and fixtures might feel like an easy route to take when designing your kitchen, but try embracing contrast in both color and texture. "By mixing paint colors or stains, it allows a design to become more evergreen since you're not sticking to one particular style," says Heather Fujikawa, owner and principal designer at House Sprucing. "This creates a look that is not only trendy now but will remain timeless in the years to come."
Upper and lower cabinets are a great place to play around with mixing different paint colors and stains, as these areas are statement spots that act as a wonderful base for the rest of your kitchen's design.
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Fluted Detailing
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Fluted detailing, a subtle vertical striping technique, has taken the design industry by storm in recent years, showing up everywhere from fireplace mantels to millwork. Though fresh, Fujikawa predicts fluted accents are here to stay—and she loves using them in kitchens.
"While it may seem subtle, fluted detailing is a beautiful, modern way to make a statement in your kitchen. It will remain on-trend and hold its value for years to come as new design trends come and go," Fujikawa says. The secret, she adds, is to not go overboard. Instead, choose one area for this design detail to make a statement, such as a pantry door or a set of lower cabinets.
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Off-White with Warm Earth Tones
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If you're revamping your kitchen's color palette, consider going with a timeless, creamy white mixed with natural tones. "A white kitchen is a forever trend that has stood the test of time," says Fujikawa. "It's fresh, clean, and updated, and it gives you the flexibility to change out your décor or furnishings to create a new look without having to renovate the bones of your kitchen."
However, an all-white kitchen can easily read as severe, so it's critical to incorporate color and softness through other elements. Fujikawa likes weaving in warm earth tones via wood and brick to balance out white's coolness. Pops of color and texture, achieved through light fixtures, backsplashes, and appliances, can also lend a sense of thoughtful dimension.
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Soft, Muted Color Palettes
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For those who prefer more color, try leaning into soft and unimposing shades. Choosing a dramatic hue or flashy wallpaper might be visually beautiful, but you run the risk of tiring of these expensive décor moments in a few years.
"Using classic, neutral colors is a great way to ensure that your kitchen will never go out of style," says Caren Rideau, interior designer and the founder of Kitchen Design Group. "White, black, browns, and grays have been historically integrated into both traditional and contemporary designs, proving that these colors are universally ageless."
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Shaker Cabinets
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Shaker cabinets are timeless for a reason—their enduring popularity over the past century can be attributed to the clean, simple, and overall straightforward design that seamlessly blends in with almost any kitchen aesthetic. These types of cabinets feature a flat, recessed center panel surrounded by a frame. While some designers are seeing less of a demand for shaker cabinets in favor of other cabinet trends, shaker cabinets will never truly go out of style because of their timeless blend of form and function.
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Quartzite Countertops
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You've got plenty of options when it comes to kitchen countertops—marble, butcher block, concrete, and resin—but Rideau exclusively uses quartzite in her designs. Not only will quartzite countertops stand the test of time from a design perspective, but she argues they're more functional and durable.
"Quartzite maintains the classic look of marble, but can withstand the trials and tribulations of a working kitchen," says Rideau. She adds, "I recommend selecting a straight-edge countertop, compared to a decorative edging, for a cleaner installation."
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Decorative Island Lighting
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Investing in quality lighting fixtures for the kitchen island is key, since it's a task area that requires ample illumination. Consider this an opportunity to blend form with function and choose decorative lighting that enhances your space and speaks to your taste, says Rideau. For instance, consider a geometric spin on a chandelier, linear pendants, or architectural globes.
"The island lies in the center of the kitchen, and eyes are naturally drawn to this area," says Rideau. "Refined lighting fixtures brings [your] final design to fruition."
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