Trends come and go, but there is a big difference in tossing a dress that is a tad too long or the wrong color, and tearing down your newly installed kitchen cabinets because you didn’t know how to choose the right ones. When you plan your kitchen remodel, you have to do your homework first. Find out what’s trending in kitchen designs before you start narrowing down your choices. Not all of them will work for you, but some might. At any rate, you will know. The decision you make will be an informed one, and it will still be yours. After all, you will have to live with it.
One of the simplest remodels you can do is your kitchen cabinets. You can do it in isolation, or as part of a general remodel. Trends in kitchen cabinets tend to stay the same for much longer than other elements in the kitchen such as paint and kitchen countertops, but there are still trends.
Here are what the pros say will make it through 2016
Shaker cabinets
The familiar Shaker style of cabinets continues to stay popular with designers and homeowners, precisely because it is plain and versatile. Subtle variations in the design over the years also help to keep it in the public eye, but the real lure of the Shaker style of cabinets is the choice of wood. High-quality wood looks good in any kitchen, and this style of cabinet shows it up admirably.
High-Tech accommodations
Most people spend a lot of time in the kitchen even if they are not cooking, cleaning, or washing up. It is where breakfast is eaten, where plans for vacations are made, and homework and accounts are done. In this age of connectivity, it is but natural that kitchens should accommodate the need to connect. Charging stations, hands free devices, Bluetooth speakers, and an Internet connection are useful features in modern kitchen cabinets.
Function and form
Kitchen cabinets have to be fully functional, because the kitchen is functional. However, that doesn’t mean that cabinets can’t be well-designed. In fact, the trend is for clever designs to make cabinets not only cool but space saving. Many people live in small spaces, so storage space is at a premium, and many of the stuff you use and buy every day ends up in kitchen cabinets. In response to this need, cabinet makers are outdoing themselves in making the most use out of the kitchen cabinets for homeowners, including accommodating high-tech gadgets above. However, that is not the only variation on kitchen cabinets.
The cabinet above is pretty cool, but it is also functional. It can simply be your secret pleasure, but it can also be a great conversation piece when friends come over. Notice how the spaces all around this cabinet are also used for storage.
Horizontal look
Kitchen cabinets are usually oriented vertically, or at least square, but horizontal cabinets are starting to catch on with some homeowners. Granted that they look a little cumbersome, and without pull-out drawers they are not as space efficient as the regular kitchen cabinets, but they do make the kitchen look a lot sleeker and modern. They are also provide easy access, and you can always augment it with vertical oriented cabinets.
Neutral colors
Kitchen cabinets tend to take a backseat nowadays when it comes to color. White is a favorite because it goes with anything, but earth and other neutral colors are also generally design-friendly. The point is for kitchen cabinets to blend in or complement the overall kitchen design. Bold colors everywhere else becomes possible. Cabinets can serve as the transition point, or the tie-in point from one room to the next. The nice thing about this trend is that if your cabinets are already a neutral color, then you’re right on point. If they are not, it is easy enough to fix.
Subtle design and clean line s
In keeping with the modern trend for minimalism, homeowners are choosing plain rather than ornate cabinets that used to grace the most elegant kitchens. That time is past, and while Shaker style cabinets are still in the running, many homeowners are choosing clean and subtle over fussy and fancy. The focus is on blending, to be there but not there, to be as unobtrusive as possible. It makes perfect sense, really, as they are not only design-friendly, but they are easier to clean. Clean lines and subtle designs also go very well with the general streamlined look of the modern kitchen.
Semi-custom cabinets
There are no longer any standard cabinets. Space constraints, design requirements, and the desire of homeowners to customize their space have fueled the impetus of cabinetmakers to come up with a whole multitude of design variations to suit almost any design and available cabinet space. Even when the available cabinet designs are not exactly right, most are design-friendly, so it is easy enough to customize to make it just right. Cabinets are never the focal point in a kitchen design, but they can certainly support and enhance any design. The choice of kitchen cabinets in a major remodel can wait until everything else is in place. On the other hand, updating a kitchen by just changing the cabinets is perfectly possible as well.
Conclusion
Kitchen cabinets play a supportive role in the kitchen, and the choice of design and structure depends on the overall design of the kitchen rather than the other way around. Nobody designs a kitchen around the kitchen cabinets. Nevertheless, knowing the current trends for kitchen countertops and cabinets can help enhance the kitchen design in important ways. Additionally, kitchen cabinets serve an important function and deserve as much thought as any part of the room.