What's New In Kitchens Today?

Whether it’s a splash of color in the cabinets, a champagne-brass drawer pull or a wall of open shelving, the kitchen ideas homeowners and designers are loving now can elevate everybody’s favorite gathering space to home showpiece status. 

Kitchens remain the most popular room for homeowners to renovate, and it’s no wonder why — thanks to the array of popular and practical countertop, cabinet and lighting styles out there, an updated kitchen can make a house feel fresh again in a way other rooms can’t. Here are the kitchen design ideas that pros, homeowners and Houzz photos say are taking off or still going strong.

Trend No. 2: Marbled Quartz

What the pros say. Homeowners looking to make a more dramatic, organic statement with their kitchen countertops used to gravitate toward natural stones such as granite for the unique speckling and veins. But pros say more natural-looking quartz — an engineered product that contains mostly quartz mineral, as well as resins, pigments and polymers — is showing up in more kitchens.

Designers are seeing more and more higher-end remodelers opting for quartz countertops that are designed to look like marble. Mary Kathryn Reese of Dallas-based Kitchen Design Concepts says slabs of these types of quartz, such as the popular Aurea Stone shown here, also are available in larger slabs now, making it easier to create seamless countertops.

Granite, still pricey but available in more affordable varieties than quartz, still reigns in some areas.

What homeowners say. Engineered quartz overall beat out granite 43 to 34 percent among homeowners updating countertops in the 2018 U.S. Houzz Kitchen Trends Study. (Countertops, homeowners said, were the kitchen feature they were most likely to splurge on.) 

Quartz’s expanding pattern palette may be contributing to its growing popularity, along with other pluses like its stain resistance and durability. Homeowner Jennifer Dabbs, who worked with Studio Miel’s Harper to renovate her 1894 Washington, D.C.-area kitchen, says quartz’s reputation for being a more contemporary style initially gave her pause. “I was afraid it would look too modern in our home,” Dabbs says. “However, we chose a stone that replicates a marble and turns out to be exactly what we wanted in terms of functionality — low maintenance — and look.” 

  

Trend No. 3: Open Shelving

What the pros say. Open shelving can make a kitchen look taller and airier. As this look gets more popular, Luke Owen of Kansas City-based Owen Homes says his team has seen a corresponding spike in requests for hideaway places for smaller appliances, outlets and other clutter. 

Dishes, plants and knickknacks displayed on open shelves need thoughtful curation to avoid a cluttered look, so having spaces to tuck away less-attractive counter-crowders can keep things balanced and tidy. Having fewer pieces on the shelves also minimizes the risk of your favorite platter crashing down. (Open shelves typically aren’t made to withstand the weight cabinets are.)