Before breaking out the checkbook and kick starting the shopping frenzy for your kitchen renovation project, it’s a good idea to stop, take a deep breath and find out what design ideas are trending for 2015.
After all, you’d hate to be out-of-date before the paint dries!
From floor plans to cabinets, fixtures and beyond, here’s what’s hot in today’s kitchen makeover.
Open-plan is here to stay
Over the past two decades, the idea of integrating the kitchen with other living spaces has been steadily rising. No longer is the chef of the house meant to be stowed away under lock and key.
Few new builds feature enclosed kitchen floor plans. The more exposed our kitchens get, the more designers tend to view the kitchen/living room as one space as opposed to two separate rooms sharing an imaginary wall.
So while the concept of an open-plan kitchen is hardly new, the notion that kitchen design elements ought to harmonize with adjoining rooms is.
When thinking about kitchen cupboards, countertops, flooring, lighting and color schemes you really need to consider how each of these pieces fit into the overall motif of the family room or other adjacent spaces. It’s no longer advisable to create a clear-cut division between the kitchen and the rest of your home.
Blond is beautiful
The 2000s brought us a love for simplicity in kitchen cabinet design, and affection for unassuming, clean white cupboards remains in 2015. But oak is coming back in a big, big way—and today’s designers are realizing that many of the most stunning kitchen ensembles are those that mix a blend of contemporary and traditional styles.
In the past deep hues were more popular when shopping for solid wood cabinets. Nowadays blonder tones are hitting center stage and white oak has replaced red in terms of demand.
Mixing wood tones is also more prevalent, and colored varnish is often employed to give older cabinets an up-to-the-minute facelift for pennies on the dollar compared to a gut and replace.
Forget about stainless
We’ve got nothing against the wide variety of stunning stainless steel sinks on the market today – but if you want your fabulous new brass or copper faucet to really pop, a throwback white or muted beige sink is exactly what you’re after.
Consider a Kohler Enamel Cast Undermount Executive Chef™ if your new faucet is modern in design:
And go with Apron-Front with bridge styled faucets or other antique designs:
Oil-rubbed bronze and warm metal tones
There’s no question that stainless steel and chrome still have a place for creating a clean, chic, professional look, but today’s warm, inviting kitchens feature deep, engaging fixtures with darker, more muted finishes.
Oil-rubbed bronze might be the hottest finish of the year, but not every design aesthetic can handle such a dark tone, particularly if you’re only doing a partial remodel. A nice middle ground between gloss and dense is brass or copper. These metals are both warm enough to create an impact yet bright enough to hold universal appeal.
