What’s New In Kitchen Cabinets?
Article By | Nancy Mattia, CTW Features
If you want to give your kitchen cabinets an updated look, think fun colors, textural inserts, and flat fronts
While stainless steel appliances and quartz countertops receive most of the admiration in a kitchen design, cabinets have become look-at-me stars, too. Modernizing them can change a kitchen’s personality or vibe. Here’s a rundown of six trends in kitchen cabinets today.
Colors
Move over, white cabinets, there are exciting new hues in town. “Color is starting to come back into the kitchen,” says Stephanie Pierce, director of design and trends at Masterbrand Cabinets. “Blues tend to dominate” — especially navy – “but all colors are considered fair game.” That would include jewel tones like sapphire and emerald, gray and black, which looks particularly good if you’ve got one of the new black faucets. Why so much interest in color? It lets you personalize the room and gives it an edge.
Deeper drawers
No need to cram a colander into a too-shallow drawer – storage spaces are getting bigger. “Deeper drawers are popular,” Pierce says, “particularly wide drawers that provide a cleaner visual throughout the space.” Aesthetics aside, deeper drawers will provide a home for that chunky colander.
Fewer upper cabinets
For homeowners who have successfully pared down their collection of dishes, cookware, and other essentials, a kitchen with fewer cabinets means a more spacious, open look. Adopting this trend is also a way to add windows or make them larger. If you can’t bear to give up such valuable cabinet real estate, though, consider another popular option: open shelving, which provides storage but with an open, airy feeling.
Flat-front doors
The most common kitchen cabinet door has a frame and raised panel, which gives the door dimension. By contrast, a flat-front door (also called a slab door) is smooth and even, which creates a more modern look.
Mixed finishes
Upper and lower cabinets in two different finishes is a trend that Pierce expects to continue for some time. “When you broaden the palette to include multiple finishes, you also increase the overall flexibility of the rest of the finishes within that space,” she says. More customization.
Mesh fronts
Mesh inserts in cabinet doors serve the same purpose as glass but in a more mysterious way since you can’t see as clearly inside. Metal or wire mesh fronts work well in both traditional and contemporary kitchens but should be used judiciously – a mix of mesh, glass, closed, and open shelving will create a balanced look that’s easy on the eye.