Wood Revival
Once considered outdated and unattractive, wood is a kitchen cabinet trend back in style. However, these aren't the orange-stained oak cabinets from decades past. Instead, modern uses of wood cabinetry typically feature natural finishes that add subtle dimension and texture to a space. Depending on the cabinet's door style and finish color, the look can lean either warm and rustic or clean and contemporary.
Open Shelving
With this kitchen trend, less is more. Open shelving offers a stylish alternative to upper cabinets and can give your kitchen a lighter, airier feel. Line your walls with floating shelves to display dishware, potted herbs, or decorative accessories. If you'd rather not rip out your existing cabinetry, you can remove the doors to convert basic cabinets into open shelving.
Glass-Front Cabinets
Glass-front cabinet doors give the eye a break from wall-to-wall cabinetry and create display space for collectibles, pretty dishes, and glassware. Add just a few glass doors to your kitchen design to create a light and fresh look. Here, glass panels help visually lighten the look of rustic wood floor-to-ceiling cabinetry.
Blue Cabinets as a Neutral
Blue is a perennially popular paint color, and that's no exception for kitchen cabinets. Found frequently in nature, using subtle shades of blue is a lasting kitchen cabinet trend. For a no-fail combination, pair dusty blue cabinets with natural wood accents and industrial materials.
Statement Cabinet Hardware
A bold kitchen cabinet trend is to draw attention to your cabinet doors with statement hardware. Here, purple cabinets stand out even more with striking gold pulls. You can also find unique antique knobs and pulls at vintage stores and flea markets.
Floor-to-Ceiling Cabinetry
In this kitchen, the entire wall opposite the cooking zone is dedicated to storage in kitchen cabinets. This feature is often seen along with other kitchen trends, such as open shelving and oversized windows. When storage is reduced in other areas, a floor-to-ceiling bank of cabinets can house kitchen essentials, including everyday dishes, small appliances, and linens.
Mix-and-Match Cabinetry
Pair a modern kitchen cabinet trend with a traditional design. This two-tone look uses different colors for the upper and base cabinets. This kitchen takes the look a step further by pairing Shaker-style base cabinets with raised-trim upper cabinets. The warm shade of gray continues on the kitchen's patterned tile floor.
Gray Cabinetry
Gray continues to be a favorite paint color for walls and cabinetry alike. The neutral shade can read cold or warm, depending on its undertones. To find the right gray for kitchen cabinets, consider how much light the room gets and the tones of surrounding paint colors.
Open Shelving by the Kitchen Range
If wall space is limited, opt for narrow open shelving options to display favorite dishes and keep spices within close reach while cooking. The kitchen feels open and airy without overhead cabinets, a design trick ideal for a small kitchen. You can also squeeze storage out of base cabinetry built into both sides of a kitchen island.
Traditional Details
To add vintage, traditional, or cottage flair to your kitchen cabinets, utilize custom trim work and secondhand hardware. In this kitchen, cabinets above the range feel like a work of art, thanks to intricate corbels and a small mantel. Brass cup pulls on base cabinets add patina.
Light and Simple
White kitchen cabinets are enduring and versatile, appearing in cottage, traditional, and even modern kitchens. Especially on simple Shaker-style doors, the right white paint color can create a light, fresh look in a kitchen. Choose modest hardware with clean lines to keep with the classic look.
Top White Paint Colors
Wondering how to paint kitchen cabinets the right color? See our picks for no-fail white paint colors for cabinets. These colors will brighten your space and make it look larger.
Custom Cabinet Storage
Decades ago, kitchen cabinets were considered custom if they included a lazy Susan and a built-in spice rack. Now, kitchen cabinet trends include many storage options, including pullout trays, bread boxes, and custom spaces. Here, a narrow spot that would otherwise have a false cabinet front is utilized as vertical storage for pans and cookie sheets.
Built-In Appliances
Kitchen appliances might be more intelligent, efficient, and feature-packed than ever, but that doesn't mean they need to grab the spotlight. Consider disguising appliances as kitchen cabinet doors for a more streamlined appearance. Here, to maintain a cohesive look, the fridge is hidden behind matching cabinet doors at the end of the island.
Display Cubbyholes
For tight areas between kitchen studs, consider open cabinets. These narrow, open cubbyholes are a kitchen cabinet trend that serves as display space for cookbooks and favorite tools, and handy storage for spices. Paint them the same color as the surrounding cabinets for a built-in look, or make them stand out by painting the trim in a contrasting color.
Mixed Materials
When designing your kitchen, you're not limited to one color or kitchen cabinet trend. This space pairs dark blue glass-paneled upper cabinets with flat-paneled rustic wood cabinetry. The wood tone continues through the seating to warm a stone island.
Contrasting Island
A cabinet or island in a color or wood different from the rest of the kitchen works much like a patterned scarf with a solid-color shirt. More than a finishing touch, it breaks up the monotony to become a pivotal design piece. This kitchen mixes contemporary black cabinets with a traditional white island, bringing warmth and dimension to the space. It's also an option to treat a hutch or a section of cabinets similarly.
Customized Drawers
Cabinets and drawers often conceal custom features. Where you'd expect to find swinging doors that open to reveal storage inserts, there are pullout doors attached to shelves for pots and pans, holders for recycling and garbage bins, and racks for canned and dry goods. Drawer inserts can be set up to hold dishes, silverware, or cutlery. Kitchen pantry cabinet inserts are often customizable and help to maintain a clutter-free kitchen.
Combining Cabinet Styles
When combined, cabinets, drawers, and open shelving can meet any kitchen's storage needs. Mixing types of storage is a kitchen cabinet trend that keeps a design feeling fresh and keeps the room from feeling weighed down by cabinetry. The corner unit takes advantage of the small, valuable wall space around the window.
Furniture-Like Features
Call it the European kitchen cabinet trend or a return to this country's early-1900s sensibilities, but many of today's kitchens have a decidedly furnished feel. Some pieces are freestanding, but others simply appear to be, emulating the look of china hutches, turned-leg tables, and buffets.
Open Cabinet Accents
Add a pop of color to glass-front kitchen cabinets or open shelving with bright paint or bold wallpaper. Accent a kitchen with contrasting accessories to complete the room's color scheme. Using bold color in a small area is high-impact and offers an alternative for the color-averse.
Detailed Embellishments
Gone are the days when kitchen cabinets were plain boxes. Today's most interesting kitchen cabinet trends include finishing touches borrowed from furniture and architecture. Add-ons such as under-counter corbels, fancy feet, and arched openings achieve a focal-point status based more on style than location. Carvings, cutouts, and moldings emphasize a cabinet's decorative aspects.