Historically, kitchens were often tucked-away, isolated work areas. These days, the kitchen is the central hub of the home, where guests gather and family members dine in style.
That’s why many homeowners are incorporating furniture-style cabinetry, multi-level center islands and elevated eating areas to add a unique architectural flair to the space. And by enveloping the kitchen in diverse material palettes, including woods, stainless steel and stone accents, the space is enriched with visually balanced textures and tones.
“At Dream House Dream Kitchens, we utilize a three-step approach to kitchen design,” says Lindsay Nelson, Dream Team designer. “Once we’ve nailed down our design concept in the first phase, we move on to making material selections, including countertops, tile, wallpaper and cabinet finishes, etc. The final step is the production phase, where we get to see the fruits of our labor in action.”
So, what trends can Nelson pinpoint in today’s kitchen designs?
For one, wallpaper has made a huge comeback.“Wallpaper is a great way to add interest to a space, but it’s also a great opportunity to pull in some texture,” Nelson says. “Wallpaper is available in all sorts of textures these days. Grasscloth, snakeskin, velour — the sky is the limit!”
Larder pantry systems are also very popular, thanks in part to its fashionable yet functional characteristics in keeping a kitchen organized.
“The beauty of a larder pantry system is that it doesn’t need to remain perfectly pristine and organized at all times because of the ability to simply shut the doors — out of sight, out of mind,” Nelson says. Customization is also key to larder pantry systems, allowing homeowners to utilize it based off of their needs. Sometimes the larder pantry is just for dry food storage, but other times it’s set up more like a coffee station, or even a bar.
As far as kitchen color trends, the Midwest is still seeing a lot of muted earth tones with greens in particular being popular right now.
“I know that 2022 was anticipated to be the year of the jewel tones, but per usual, the Midwest always takes a while to catch up with the fashion and design trends,” Nelson says. “We haven’t been seeing much of the bold, vibrant colors yet, but I fully anticipate that we will.”
Quartz countertops are also all the rage these days. In fact, 90% of Dream House Dream Kitchen’s designs involve quartz rather than a natural stone.
“The quality, characteristics, and the “ overall look of quartz has really come a long way in the last decade. It’s durable, low maintenance, antibacterial, more uniform in appearance and can really mimic any material without the added upkeep of natural stone,” Nelson says. Large-scale porcelain slabs are also becoming increasingly popular.
