The heart of every home, the kitchen, is an integral part of people’s lives living in a house, and rightly so. There is so much that goes on in there, from cooking and eating meals to discussions over coffee and even meltdowns. Additionally, since the pandemic hit and people were mandated to work from home, kitchens turned into makeshift home offices. Considering the crucial role a kitchen plays in a family’s life, it’s only fair that homeowners choose to spend money to remodel their kitchen.

But that’s not all; besides improving the lives of those living in a house, a kitchen renovation adds to a property’s resale value. In short, glamming up a kitchen is a smart move regardless of the reason for such an undertaking. That said, lifting up a kitchen can be tricky because there are so many ways you can go about it. That’s where the latest kitchen trends come into play to save the day!

Latest Kitchen Trends Come To The Rescue

With so many styles and design ideas to work with when redoing a kitchen, getting dizzy with confusion over what to choose is only natural. But if you take inspiration from what’s en-vogue, things can get much easier.

To help you elevate your kitchen this year, here are some latest kitchen trends to follow.

1.      Colorful Cabinetry

Gone are the days when cabinets were just seen as storage units, hence deemed worthy of only muted colors. Over the years, homeowners have begun to try different hues, breaking away from black and wooden brown. However, even so, brighter shades remained gaudy for cabinets in a kitchen in the popular opinion, restricting the palate.

But this year, the interior design gods have spoken, and they are in favor of dousing kitchen cabinetry in bright colors, like fresh greens and deep blues. That’s right! Now you can (read: should) consider applying a gorgeous green or tantalizing teal over your cabinets.

With that said, be sure to use hues that do not overwhelm the eyes and take over the entire aesthetic. Remember to strike a tasteful balance between all the design elements in your renewed kitchen and not put all the color in your cabinets.

2.      Smart Storage

Nobody likes cluttered kitchens, Period!

And that is why the need for storage features in the kitchen never ends. No matter how many shelves or cabinets you install, there will be times when you would wish for more! Considering that, incorporating tall closets and pantry-like spaces in kitchens has become the new and upcoming design style to provide people with lots and lots of room to hide away clutter.

Many remodelers even put a floor-to-ceiling wall of storage to house all kitchen items a person wants to stow away.

3.      Patterned Tiles

Trying new tiling ideas has always been a more common practice in bathroom renovations. But not anymore! Now homeowners are opening up to putting fancy and unique tiles in their kitchens.

From herringbone to the subway, many thematic tiles have made their way into kitchens. If you wish to keep up with the times while ensuring that your kitchen remains sophisticated, give patterned tiling a shot. Doing so will enhance the overall aesthetic of the space and leave you with an elegantly designed part in the houses.

4.      Marble And Quartz Countertops

As times are changing, so are people’s design choices for their homes. In the past, most homeowners inclined towards darker stones for their worktops in the kitchen. But over the years, there has been a shift in that with more and more people opting for lighter varieties, such as wavy marble and quartz.

While the most important consideration in choosing a countertop material is its heat resistance, durability, and stain resistance, the appearance has also become essential for decision making.

5.      Recycled Materials

Another trend that’s picking up traction rapidly is the use of recycled materials for countertops, such as brick rubble, concrete, recycled glass, and others. If you are environmentally conscious and prefer using reusable items, you can now make your kitchen countertops recycled! And thanks to the advanced technology, you don’t have to compromise on the look as modern-day recycled materials can look every bit as sleek as new and pure do.

6.      Matching Backsplashes And Countertops

One pretty recent kitchen décor practice is using the same stone for the countertops and backsplashes. As people are becoming aware of the idea of visually overwhelming the eye, they have started to unify design elements.

In simple terms, when every surface in the kitchen has a different color or finish, it competes for attention, making it too much for the viewer to take in. Therefore, the trend of using one material for backsplashes and countertops has soared in popularity recently!

If you want to create a balanced look in your kitchen where not every area has a personality of its own, you should consider unifying the two tiling options.

7.      Massive Sinks

A massive sink is another excellent kitchen design trend that adds to the look and practicality of the kitchen. Most of our dishes and bowls go into the dishwasher, so we forget about the larger ones, creating a bit of hassle for us later.

However, this coming year, people are not ready to have it and are incorporating supersized sinks in their kitchens.

If you don’t want to struggle to wash the big kitchen utensils, installing a big sink will be the right call for you!

8.      Multiple Islands

Over the past two years, people have had to spend a lot of time at homes, looking for separate corners to work in or simply gather their thoughts. For such a scenario, the kitchen serves as an incredible sanctuary, but sometimes the space can be too compact for anyone to take a breather. This is where the concept of multiple islands comes in for homeowners.

Installing more than one island in the kitchen is a smart move as it opens up space to move around more freely while also providing an additional workstation. In the past, people would ask designers for one big island in the kitchen, but that occupied a significant chunk of the surface area, not leaving much room for movement. By breaking the one big island into two, homeowners get more space to move around and two workstations so that someone can work on one while someone else can prep food on the other.

9.      Concealable Appliances

Tidy, uncluttered kitchens are all the rave in today’s day and age, thanks to minimalism and Marie Kondo. Previously having a clean and clear kitchen would mean tidied countertops with coffee makers, waffle irons, and all other appliances on full display. But as kitchen designs get more contemporary, the idea of an uncluttered kitchen becomes much smarter than before with concealable devices.

Concealable appliances don’t mean the equipment itself comes with a storage container; instead, remodelers give the kitchen specific utility rooms or closets with electric points to hide machines.

Be it a dishwasher, an oven, a coffee machine, or a waffle iron, you can ask for an exclusive nook in the kitchen to place all kitchen gadgets to keep the countertops and the overall space spotless.

10.  Broken Plan Vs. Open Plan Kitchens

Open plan layout has been popular in kitchens for eons and is still going strong in larger properties. But in smaller homes, people are gravitating towards a broken plan kitchen so that they can use the same space for multiple purposes throughout the day.

Broken plan kitchens went big when the coronavirus took over the world, forcing people to be in house arrest. As a result of being stuck indoors for days on end, homeowners had to make more room for themselves without extending the surface area of their property. For this reason, broken plan kitchens became wildly popular.

In a broken plan kitchen, you get to use the same area in the house for different reasons by just putting separators or installing sliding doors, in some cases, not creating boundaries at all. Regardless of how you choose to demarcate your kitchen and living space in the same corner of the house, you can increase its utility significantly.

11.  Turning Green

As surprising as it may, green interiors in a kitchen have become pretty popular. In the past and even now (at least sometimes, if not all the time), going green meant bringing plants inside the kitchen. But in modern-day design, going green means literally turning your kitchen green!

Green is a tricky color as it can make a space refreshing and a delight to be in; however, it can turn a perfectly decent room into a flashy, distasteful section in the house. Therefore, if you choose to go with this kitchen trend and make your kitchen a green sanctuary, be sure to keep it tasteful!

Mix and match different tones of the hue to create a balance to make sure your kitchen doesn’t look like it was invaded by green aliens who drenched the interiors in a tacky color.

12.  Disappearing Closed Upper Cabinets

Open shelving has been a common kitchen trend over the past years, and by the looks of things, it’s all set to go stronger in the coming times. Having taken over the traditional closed cabinetry for a while now, open racks have been giving kitchens a much more spacious appearance while bestowing the interior with so much character.

When you put racks on the walls over the countertops, you are more likely to keep every item in place because there is no room to just dump everything and shut the cover to conceal the haphazard mess. This means your kitchen stays cleaner and more presentable, not to mention appears roomier!

If you have a small kitchen and don’t want to cram it, open shelving is the way to go. Let go of the conventional closed cabinets and embrace the trendy shelving plan.

13.  Banquettes

The long, upholstered bench, aka a banquette, is an excellent addition to any room in the house, but it seems that it is becoming a common feature in modern kitchens. With spending so much time at home, a lounging corner in the kitchen is a great add-on because it will allow family members to stay close when someone is making dinner.

Let’s say you have some work to do and your spouse is making dinner in the kitchen; with a banquette resting in a corner, you can be with your partner while clicking away on your laptop. Simply put, banquettes in kitchens not only add texture and are visually appealing but also enhance the functionality of the space.

One other benefit of a banquette in the kitchen is hidden storage under the seating. With the padding on the top providing the seating space, the wooden structure holding it can be used to stow away items not in use. As already mentioned earlier, a kitchen always needs more storage compartments no matter how many units it already has! So a banquette in your kitchen will give you aesthetic appeal, enhanced functionality, and concealed storage space. It’s truly a win-win-win situation!

14.  Don’t Forget the Work Triangle

A kitchen’s layout is instrumental in improving the area’s functionality by keeping the busiest segments close by. In the world of design, three parts in a kitchen are considered crucial as they are the center of most activity; the sink, the countertop, and the fridge. These three make the work triangle of a kitchen.

How you situate the work triangle in the kitchen will significantly impact how seamless the workflow will be. If it’s designed so that all three corners are close by without any hurdles, the kitchen will have better functionality.

So, no matter how grand you want your kitchen makeover to be, don’t overlook the workflow if you don’t want to be bumping into things while working in your kitchen.

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Ending Note

Your kitchen is yours to redesign however you want. But if you plan to put your property on the market in the future, it’s best to redo your kitchen according to the popular choice of styles. That’s not to say let go of your personal preferences entirely; instead, try to stay close to trends that will appeal to most people. Doing so will surely boost your home’s value substantially!