2014 Kitchens

3 Kitchen Trends in 2014

Here’s what has been trending in kitchen design:

Contrast

A little more than a decade ago appliance manufacturers called it white-on-white. White appliances with chrome trim had been de rigueur for years, so the early movement to solid white was a big deal in the beginning of the last decade. Kitchen cabinets, countertops, sinks and even faucets contributed to the solid white kitchen. Even today, an all-white kitchen is not unusual or out of place. However, for several years, we’ve seen the ever popular white kitchen complemented with contrasting yet subdued colors, in particular grey. Now, contrast is becoming more bold with black showing up in islands and base cabinets, stainless steel sinks, and chrome, or even gold faucets.

Color

Along with non-white cabinets, sinks, and faucets, 2014 saw more solid contrasting colors on kitchen walls not just gray or black, but also bright colors and pastel shades. Thanks to specialty appliance manufacturers such as Smeg, BlueStar, Bertazzoni, and even Viking, many appliance color options are now available even though stainless steel continues to dominate.

Changes in upper cabinets and islands.

Upper cabinets are sometimes being replaced by shelves, and occasionally disappearing entirely. See the limited use of upper wall cabinets in the photo above. Islands have been around for a long time, but we’re seeing more use of islands for seating, and even tables and chairs as substitutes for islands.

What can we expect in 2015? There will be more of the same as most trends continue, but expect some trends to fade as new ones take the forefront. Subscribe to this blog (at the right) or check back soon as we follow-up with blogs on appliance trends in 2014, as well as forecasts for kitchen and appliances in 2015.