Here are the hottest kitchen cabinet trends that we have seen from the designers and clients we have recently worked with. If you are doing a kitchen makeover, you will want to incorporate the best kitchen design ideas in your renovation. Applying the latest trends in kitchen design will ensure that your new kitchen will be fresh, stylish, and functional for years to come.
1. Natural Wood
The white on white kitchen, while still lovely, is being replaced with the warmth and natural beauty of wood. In a classic style kitchen we are seeing shaker doors in flat cut walnut or cherry, and in more contemporary designs the beauty of flat cut walnut veneer grain matched across doors is hard to beat.
Bleached oak is really hot as well, whether on floors, or as rift cut white oak veneer slab style contemporary door. Tip: go for a natural finish that allows the beauty of the wood to really shine. How to choose:
- Light blonde woods like maple or birch lend themselves to a Scandinavian or mid-century modern look.
- Flat cut walnut has a rich warm tone and beautiful organic patterning.
- Bamboo can be stained many different shades and gives a clean, modern Asian feel. Light blonde woods like maple or birch lend themselves to a Scandinavian or mid-century modern look.
- Strong grained woods like zebra wood make a bold statement when clean modern minimalist lines are used in the kitchen.
Depending on the style of your home, you may not want to commit to a natural wood look on your cabinet doors. Here are some ideas to incorporate the warmth and beauty of wood in other ways:
- Consider an all wood butcher block counter on an island, or on all your counter surfaces.
- Try incorporating organic wood touches with bowls, utensils and other accent pieces.
- Add reclaimed wood open shelving for a rustic touch to a modern kitchen.
- Consider a feature wall in reclaimed barn wood, or a unique wood back splash.
2. Matte Finishes
While high gloss still continues to be in demand, more and more customers are asking for matte finishes on their modern doors in custom designer colors. A matte, low sheen finish, has a sleek and sophisticated, toned-down, contemporary feel that is softer than the hard piano gloss that has dominated the market for so many years.
A low sheen finish may make smudges, fingerprints and marks less visible than their glossy counterparts. The key to having a low sheen cabinet that is easy to clean is to ensure that it is painted with a high quality cabinet grade lacquer paint in a satin gloss (not completely matte) finish, or to use an easy to care for melamine door in a matte finish.
3. No Hardware
No handles opening systems for doors and drawers are very strong emerging kitchen cabinet trends as the popularity of the minimalist kitchen continues to rise.
Touch open hardware has a spring mechanism that causes the door to spring open when you push it. This hardware is less popular than it used to be due to the propensity for fingerprints, and lack of soft closing mechanism.
Integrated handles, or edge pulls, are mostly invisible, and keep a low profile while still performing the handle function. They come in different colors, metals and lengths to coordinate with your cabinetry.
Doors and drawers that have molded integrated pulls offer uninterrupted sleek views that place the focus on the cabinetry itself, delivering a high end custom look. Because they have a recessed “cup” they may also require more cleaning over time. Another alternative is sleek stainless steel U or C channels that form a continuous rail across all the doors and drawers, creating the gap for a hand pull.
Wall cabinet doors can hang lower than the cabinet box, creating a natural pull instead of using any hardware.
Whatever your choice may be for a true handle less look, expect your costs to be higher than the traditional handle counterpart, due to the extra labor and manufacturing involved in creating this custom look.
4. Hidden Appliances
Sleek minimalist hood fans that disappear into the cabinetry are very on trend, as are pared down microwave hood fans that are half the size they used to be. Appliances that are integrated into the cabinetry are high in demand. There is a trend towards smart appliances in the kitchen and software technology that automates functions such as handle less faucets and automatic opening for fridge doors.
5. Metallic Finishes
Metallic finishes are very hot, and we see them on everything from back splashes to cabinet doors. Look for gold, silver, bronze and copper – gone are the days when only stainless steel and chrome made an appearance in the kitchen. 5-piece painted shaker or raised panel doors are getting silver glazed to create subtle and rich elegant tones and a couture look.
Modern contemporary kitchens with aluminum glass doors are now being replaced with gold framed glass, or bronze framed glass doors for a fresh designer style.
Hardware is no longer limited to stainless steel or chrome. Choose gold, copper, bronze, black and white. Handles are like jewelry for your cabinets so take some time to choose just the right finish that will complement the room.
Another emerging trend is metal doors on cabinetry for a more industrial look. Silver, gold, and bronze are very popular choices.
6. Color
The white or grey kitchen has timeless classic appeal, and will always be in vogue. However, the latest kitchen cabinet trends are towards bolder use of color in order to express personality. Stark white kitchens and boring neutrals are being abandoned for vibrant shades like navy blue, emerald green, bubble gum pink and other daring color tones.
Dark colors on cabinets create a more dramatic and moody ambiance in the kitchen. The black kitchen is in. Black cabinetry is best in a large room, one that has an abundance of natural light. Black can give you a sleek, ultra-modern, sophisticated kitchen.
Navy blue or marine blue is another trending color for kitchen cabinets. Still considered a neutral, it easily complements a broad range of decors. Navy blue lends itself well to vintage-style settings, and adds charm to the kitchen.
Colorful appliances are also trending. Homeowners are choosing marine blue or red ranges, mint green refrigerators; or if you really want some art, Smeg has teamed up with Dolce & Gabbana to create a wonderful line of highly decorated Italian fridges.
At Camridge Cabinet Ltd. we are focused on applying the very latest and best in kitchen cabinet trends to every project. Working with designers and our clients, we can bring your vision to life. Contact us today!