Among the many possible home projects, kitchen renovations remain one of the most popular. The kitchen is often referred to as the heart of the home, and it is a room that sees a great deal of use. We want it to be attractive, but it also needs to be functional to serve its true purpose.
When buying a home, the kitchen is one of the rooms that tend to receive a high level of scrutiny, and it can be one of the selling points or one of the reasons potential buyers move on.
With that in mind, if you are planning on remodelling your kitchen, here are some of the top trends in kitchen design for 2022:
Trends in Kitchen Cabinets
For many, an important part of renovating their kitchen involves the cabinets. Whether you are looking to update their appearance or add more storage space, your cabinets will probably be one of the focal points of your project.
Kitchen cabinet trends for 2022 include many options for custom organization. Whereas once upon a time it may have been necessary to choose between beautiful display cabinets that were perhaps not too functional or ones that were more utilitarian but somewhat less attractive, it is now possible to have the best of both worlds.
In fact, it’s not just possible, but increasingly popular, with homeowners choosing to include built-in specialty organizers in their renovations. More than half of homeowners performing kitchen renovations upgrade their storage. This is the type of update that not only makes your space look great, but also adds value and functionality.
Colour trends for kitchen cabinets lean toward neutral tones combined with bolder colours, including greens, reds, and blues.
Trends in Kitchen Countertops
While cabinet renovations tend to be about functionality, countertops, along with appliances, are often splurge items. This means that while they are certainly still useful and functional, homeowners are willing to allocate a larger portion of their budget to aspects that are not strictly essential. Marble countertops, for example, have proven popular in the past and will continue to do so in the coming years.
While marble may not be the most practical choice, it still finds its way into many kitchens, particularly high-end ones, though some will turn to quartz for a similar look. Granite, too, now ranks among the most popular materials for countertops.
Some kitchen trends that will continue through 2022 and beyond include more spacious countertops and those that continue seamlessly into the walls. Waterfall islands—in which the countertop drops vertically to the edge of a cabinet, creating a beautiful, eye-catching effect—continue to be a top choice during renovations.
Trends in New Appliances
As with countertops, many homeowners are willing to splurge when it comes to new appliances. Smart appliances, which integrate technology into the kitchen, allow homeowners to save time and energy, simplify cooking, receive helpful notifications, and manage all of their kitchen appliances with a single interface.
New oven ranges are a popular choice during renovations, with induction ranges finding their way into many homes. These electric alternatives to gas ranges are viewed as a safer, more environmentally-friendly option that also provides consistent results and reduces meal preparation time.
Something Old, Something New
Even as modern smart devices are finding their way into more kitchens, there is also a trend toward incorporating vintage and antique pieces. Doing so creates a sense of character in the environment and provides it with a lived-in appearance. Farmhouse furniture, old wooden chairs, or a scrubbed dresser can bring warmth to the room, making it feel inviting and comfortable.
Antique and vintage pieces make your kitchen less of a showroom and more of a well-used, well-loved gathering place for the family and their guests. As a significant bonus, these pieces are built to last and may outlive some of the more recent additions to your home. They can often be found at vintage fairs.
Glass Partitions
For many years, homeowners strove to create more open spaces, often by removing walls or portions thereof. There is, however, something to be said for the ability to close off a room to keep the sounds and smells of cooking within the kitchen instead of throughout the whole home.
To be able to create an enclosed area without losing access to natural light or becoming completely isolated, consider a glazed partition to help define distinct areas while also maintaining the feel of open space.
A Single, Open Shelf
The kitchen can be a very active, even hectic area. The need for counter space, appliances, storage, and furniture can lead to a space that is visually quite busy. One possible solution is to reduce the number of cabinets or even remove them, relying instead on a single open shelf. This creates a simple, uncluttered wall space that still has some room for storage or display. The shelf also serves as a visual break for the wall.
Concealed Kitchens
If you are going for a more streamlined and open look, renovations also allow for concealed appliances, such as a cabinet that contains your refrigerator or dishwasher. If you have comparatively little kitchen space, this can give the illusion of more room. Depending on your style and layout, you might create a room that can transition from kitchen to dining area with minimal fuss.
Natural Materials and Designs
As with vintage pieces, the inclusion of natural materials provides character. These elements combine well with organic shapes and designs inspired by nature. For many, this type of design can be very calming, creating a peaceful oasis in a busy home.
Renovating your kitchen is the perfect time to bring in new elements. Incorporating one or more of these kitchen trends may help you to build your perfect space.
Colouring Cabinets
Who said that your cabinets had to play a background role to your appliances and the kitchen’s focal points? Modern kitchen design trends have the cabinets in a much more upfront role. Greens and blues are coming into greater demand, especially when they are paired beside brass or gold hardware and fixtures. (You may also try gunmetal as mentioned above for an uber-modern look.)
Colouring your cabinets makes your kitchen a bold fashion statement. You may need to back up your choice with a slightly different and bolder choice in wallpaper, but this is a small price to pay for a kitchen that will lift your spirits every time you walk into it.
Gunmetal
Move over stainless steel – there are a new fixture and appliance finish that is taking the world by storm. Gunmetal and pewter are what you need if you want to give your kitchen a slightly aged look without losing that modern feel. Gunmetal also gives off a more sophisticated and subtle depth than more consistent textures like stainless steel or matte black. It is also less cliché than gold and brass, and it does not carry the style baggage that these two metals are burdened with.
You can use gunmetal and pewter as accents on your fixtures alongside marble or granite countertops for a great contrast in textures that works for the modern kitchen. Because the look is new yet somehow familiar, you can expect it to retain its novelty for quite a few years.
Backsplashing
Elite design circles are creating pure art in the kitchen space through wall-sized backsplashes. Pair the right pattern alongside a countertop material like marble to ground the space, and you have a unique space that you will enjoy looking at as much as cooking in.
Because of the relatively high fashion risk, you are taking here, you may want to consult with a professional kitchen designer to see just how kitsch you want to be with your kitchen. Keep in mind that your highbrow art may not be someone else’s idea of elite work, so you should backsplash only if you plan on staying in the home for the next few years.
The Matte Black Finish
Although it may seem as though everyone is trying to get away from strong finishes like matte black, it retains its appeal as a predominant final touch around the accents of the room. Matte black still looks great on hardware accents, profile details and fixtures. If your kitchen has a lighter coloured theme, matte black can be used sparingly to ground the room.
Use matte black and bold, consistent colours like it sparingly. You do not want to darken the mood in your kitchen, just give it a bit of gravitas.
And for black, bear in mind the orientation of your windows. For example, a North-facing kitchen should typically be lighter in colour because exposure to natural light can be limited. Use the opposite approach for a South-facing kitchen, which will have an abundance of natural light. If you think that you have put too much matte black in the room, then you probably have.
Novelty Drawer Pulls
Who said that your drawer pulls had to be the same material as the front boards of your dresser drawers? Designers are finding new inspiration in drawer pulls of wood and leather and moving away from polished nickel and chrome. One might think that metal would bring more warmth to the room, but just try leather. You will feel more homely than ever without losing a bit of the premium feel that hard chrome brings to the experience.
This is a subtle detail, but one that can work wonders across the space of an entire room. It is especially powerful if you use it across the entire household. Many households are gravitating slowly but surely towards wood and leather pulls as a feature design, not a novelty for a single room.
Open/Floating Shelving
Minimalism is making its way back into the mainstream. To be ahead of the curve without seeming too avant-garde, try open, or floating shelving. You can put these where your upper kitchen cabinets used to be or to use them to accentuate a closed-in kitchen. You have much more leeway with the material of open shelving because you are not drawing nearly as much immediate attention to space. Metal, glass or wood can be a great choice here depending on the balance in the room.
This look was initially inspired by commercial retail and hotel rooms, but it looks just as good in certain types of personal residential spaces as well. It is a bold statement, so make sure that you match your boldness with the other accents in the space.
Sleek Contrasting
Texturing is a dimension that too few designers looked into last year, but they are making up for it with some great contrasting looks this year. Consider the aforementioned backsplash, only mirrored and juxtaposed against a polished marble top. You are beginning to see some of the possibilities of this philosophy.
You can go for a sleek kind of urban luxury mixing matte with textured bronze in the right way. Just make sure that you “coloring within the lines” so to speak. You do not want to create such a bleeding edge look that you cannot sell it if you need to. Again, this is one of those strategies that you only want to take on if you know that you’re going to be in your home for the next few years.
The trends above are certain to make their way into more long-term fashion streaks. However, it is still necessary that you pick your fashions wisely. Express yourself, but make sure that you are not limiting your home value with changes that are too far off the beaten path. The right designer will be absolute gold in helping you find this balance.
Ready to get started on your kitchen? Book an appointment with one of our expert designers now!