Designing a new kitchen is a delicate balance between form and function and requires your own personality to shine through alongside the latest trends. Being fashion forward means your kitchen remodel won’t date too soon and therefore increases its longevity. It also means your kitchen design will have the latest innovations in design technique, technology, and materials. If you are putting your house on the market, a modern kitchen is a huge selling point. Mixing classic and current, practical and aesthetic, with an injection of your own style, results in a kitchen design that is guaranteed to impress your friends and family.

Kitchen cabinets are a large part of any kitchen design as they set the tone for your style and form the foundation of your layout and workspace. Where do you begin if you want the hottest looks in cabinetry for your new kitchen design? Get started here where we lay out the latest trends in kitchen cabinet design.

Less is More

If you want your kitchen design to make an impact, concentrate on strong lines and curves for a structured look. Let the cabinets speak for themselves with natural wood grain coming to the fore. Frameless, flat fronted cabinet doors are increasingly popular and are perfect to achieve this minimal look. Curved edges draw the eye around the room and encourage flow throughout the design. Mid-century modern style is on the rise for its structured but smooth aesthetic.

Reducing clutter is important in any remodel but especially important if you want to achieve a contemporary style. Include customized storage solutions for all the essentials and incorporate charging stations and outlets into your cabinet design for electronics. Also go for smart technology, where possible, with voice and app-controls to minimize switches and levers. Sensor-operated faucets are also increasing in popularity, especially in a clean, minimalist shape.

Design Duos

A white kitchen design is always a classic choice, but this year sees two-tone cabinet designs becoming more popular than ever. Pairing neutral shades with strong, dark tones takes cabinetry to a new and exciting place. Try anything from a light beige to a deep earthy shade and pair it with a rich color of the same tone. Established favorites are dark gray, green, and teal, which work well with neutrals. Pairing white and wood cabinetry is a classic that remains popular as it combines the crisp appeal of white perimeter cabinets with the warmth of wood on the island, or white upper and wood base cabinets.

If you want to really make a statement and embrace bold colors, another pairing from the 1950s has come on the scene and embraces pastels. Pale pink and lime green or light blue and lemon yellow all make for fabulous cabinet design, with an updated vintage vibe.

Increased Storage

You can never have enough kitchen storage. Aside from reducing clutter, effective storage keeps everything organized so you can access it in an instant. Modern kitchen cabinet design prioritizes internal storage solutions to ensure that your cabinets’ aesthetic is not compromised. Pull-out pantries, drawer dividers, slide-out compartments and swing-out corner shelving are just some of the ingenious solutions available to maximize space and function.

Full height and width cabinetry that integrates appliances alongside kitchen essentials is very in vogue. Beverage bars and appliances can look great on a countertop, but for a streamlined look it is better to include built-in and even paneled appliances that maintain your sleek look and keep countertops clear.

Feeling Blue

Blue always works in a kitchen design and gives a depth of character to cabinets. It is a color that is proving to be more popular than ever, right up there with classic favorites such as natural wood tones, white, or gray. Depending on the shade you choose, it can act as a neutral or be a strong pop of color. As mentioned, the 1950’s revival favors baby blue. Deep, rich navy is at the other end of the scale and will have a cocooning effect on your kitchen if used on all cabinetry, giving your room a warm, welcoming vibe. Both are two of this year’s hottest color choices for kitchen cabinets and can transform any kitchen design.

Shine a Light

Lighting can change the tone and mood of a room, and this also applies to cabinets. The right lighting provides illumination for performing tasks as well as being layered enough to work in other ways for ambient or decorative lighting. Why not put lighting on top of your kitchen cabinets to shine upwards and create ambiance? App-controlled options let you change the color or light level to suit any occasion. Under-cabinet lighting is key but consider also placing lights underneath lower cabinetry or an island to make them appear like they are floating. Both puck and bar lights can work to complement your style.

Go Green

Green is a very popular kitchen color that can go from being restful to dramatic, depending on the shade. A natural material in green is beautiful, so it is no wonder that green marble countertops or backsplashes are increasingly popular. Choose a shade of green for cabinets that will not compete with or be overwhelmed by the marble. Neutral colors also work well with green marble. Muted shades of green, like sage or olive are very on trend and really open up a kitchen design to make it feel light and airy. If you go for deep green cabinet doors, pair them with brass hardware and faucets for a luxurious look.

Get a Handle on It

This year’s blue or green shades pair perfectly with warm-toned metallic door handles. Unexpected combinations work well with today’s kitchen cabinetry too, like silver against grainy wood or patterned ceramic doorknobs on glossy white doors. Neutral Shaker doors work well with matte black or brass hardware and are very on trend. Slab doors with recessed handles are becoming more popular, as they look sleek with the subtle detail of the recessed hardware. Whether you choose a knob, pull, bar or recessed, your hardware pairing with cabinetry should be well-thought out for maximum impact.

Keep it Simple

The minimalist trend means that flat-fronted kitchen cabinets are increasing in popularity in kitchen remodels. The focus here is on the cabinet door so it should be of the highest quality possible. Whether you choose a deep wood grain or high-gloss finish, a push-open mechanism ensures a seamless aesthetic that is highly functional. Color is another essential to ensure that your cabinet doors are full of character. Matte surfaces and anti-fingerprint finish also help to keep your cabinet doors looking flawless.

Make a Statement of Your Island

The statement island is bigger than ever this year for a luxurious kitchen design. Color is a great way of differentiating your island, with a shade that differs from your perimeter cabinet color. Lighting is another way of making a feature of your island. Oversized pendants or chandeliers overhead all point down to illuminate the area. Double the impact of the lighting fixtures by going for designer materials in bold color choices. If you are jumping on board the double island trend, why not choose a different style of lighting over each island, such as targeted task lights over the work island and decorative pendants over the entertainment island? Or, give each island a different countertop material, depending on their function. You could also coordinate your islands for a more unified look, but if the rest of your design is pulled together, different styles for each island creates visual interest.

Mix and Match

With this eclectic trend you choose different styles that work well together, preferably totally contrasting, and put them together in your kitchen design for a high impact look. Why not mix up your upper and lower cabinet styles? Try pairing glass front mullion doors with pulls on the upper cabinets and sleek, frameless doors on the base cabinets. You can also curate an eclectic collection inside the glass-fronted cabinets or mix in some open shelving. Placing different items together on display creates an eye-catching vignette that is very on trend. Putting different colors together creates a whole new tone for your kitchen design but you can create the same effect by varying textures. Balance glossy, natural, and matte finishes until you get your desired effect. Also try pitching smooth and angled edges against each other, in a structured way, to bring interest and character to your kitchen remodel.

Wooden Heart

Bring a natural warmth to your kitchen design by using high-quality wood as a material. A huge look this year is to use wood with rich, deep grains such as walnut. Choosing wood like this for your cabinets means you should go for simple, sleek doors so the focus is on the natural beauty of the wood’s color, texture, and pattern. Light woods are still popular in cabinetry and flooring for a bright, clean design, especially in a kitchen bereft of natural light. Bleached or untreated wood such as oak bring durability and airiness to a kitchen remodel. Oak has more versatile finishes than the cabinets of the 1990’s. Try dark-stained oak, which has a rich, smoky look, to update your kitchen cabinets.

Kitchen design is seeing a move toward minimalism, with streamlining and integration at the forefront. Color blocking and mixing eclectic styles is a development that means you can make your minimalist kitchen interesting and inject your personality. Custom storage is at the core of effective kitchen design so your kitchen cabinets can keep your essentials organized and accessible. Contact us to discover the possibilities for cabinet styles and storage and start your kitchen remodeling journey today.

Latest Trends in Cabinets for Kitchen Design