A new year brings new opportunity to remodel and update your home. And, with freshly trending colors, materials, and styles reverberating through the home improvement world, there is no shortage of awesome ideas to draw from.
As always, kitchens are a focal point. Investing in the heart of your home is never the wrong idea, especially when improvements are enjoying such high rates of return.
So, what are the kitchen remodeling trends of 2017? We’ve done some of the legwork for you, serving up a fresh helping of inspiration.
Trending Kitchen Cabinet Colors and Styles
White and grey are still the two top kitchen cabinet color choices, dominating the scene. Both are neutrals that offer almost unlimited possibilities for surrounding backsplash, countertop, flooring, and wall colors. They’re really timeless too, adding to their popularity.
What else are we seeing?
- High-contrast colors, like combining white cabinets with glossy black countertops and hardware.
- Two-tone cabinets are only gaining popularity. Painting light upper cabinets and darker lower cabinets is a beautiful way to add a little variety to the space, and combine colors in a creative way.
- If you want to keep your cabinetry color uniform, consider painting only your island a different color, setting it apart just a bit (or a lot, depending on your taste!).
Another trend we’re seeing more and more of is incorporating natural wood into your kitchen design, rather than working in another color. Especially with white and grey cabinets, it offers a beautiful touch of extra craftsmanship. Shelving, butcher block on the island, or wood seating, for example, are perfect candidates for keeping things natural.
Kitchen Storage and Functionality Is a Big Focus for 2017
Storage has always been important; there’s nothing new about that.
But with a renewed focus on shopping local, cooking with fresh, organic ingredients, and treating the kitchen as a gathering place, “function” is an especially hot kitchen commodity.
- Open Shelving – Stylish and easy to use, open shelving is only gaining momentum. This also is the perfect way to strategically showcase your favorite plates, bowls, or mugs, providing eclectic color in your kitchen design.
- Creative Storage – Drawers designed for specific utensils and cooking tools, hidden compartments for appliances, spice racks, and pantry cabinets are just a few of the clever ways that today’s kitchen is being fully maximized without sacrificing a clean, uncluttered look.
- Apron Sinks – Apron, or “farmhouse”, sinks are totally timeless and so attractive. Their depth and ease of access (even for those who aren’t the tallest in stature) make them a win from every angle.
Kitchen Appliance Color and Style
It used to be that your standard options were black, white, or stainless, right?
Those boundaries have been broken by the availability of vibrant, unique appliance colors that turn a utilitarian feature into a statement piece. Whether you love retro styles or just want to find something different than “standard,” it’s worth thinking outside the box with your kitchen remodeling professional.
Kitchen Technology in 2017
We’re all for making kitchens that work smarter rather than just harder, right?
Technology has made kitchens more efficient, sanitary, and user-friendly than ever before.
- Touch-Free Faucets – A wave of the hand and your water starts flowing.
- Touch/Swipe Controls – An intuitive drag of your finger tip will set the heat on your oven, for example. Make easily-controlled adjustments!
- Keep in Sync – Appliances that speak to each via Bluetooth connection, coordinating and syncing times, as needed.
- Refrigeration – Your frig is no longer just a big, cold rectangle. Different climate-controlled zones for specific food items protect and preserve your favorite ingredients.
Popular Countertop Options
This a huge question, as countertops tend to unite a kitchen space and can heavily impact the long term value of your updates.
Granite, the longstanding go-to option for a quality remodel, is faltering just a little. There’s nothing wrong with it by any means, but other materials are starting to gain speed. And, these materials have a lot of low-maintenance, stylish benefits to love.
Engineered quartz is the material to watch in 2017.
A completely man-made product, engineered quartz is about 93% ground quartz (the other 7ish% is comprised of resin and pigments). Why is this such a hot option?
- A huge variety of colors/styles are available
- Scratch-resistance
- Nonporous (unlike granite)
- Extremely low maintenance
- Resistant to bacteria growth
Want to learn more? Take a look here to enjoy a closer look at quartz and what it offers. For a more in-depth view of all the popular countertop options, and their pros and cons, be sure to browse this article dedicated to the topic.
Popular Backsplash Materials in 2017
There are a lot of backsplash options out there, and each brings something unique to the table. Or, more accurately, to the kitchen.
What’s hot this year?
- Classic subway tile is still absolutely “in”
- Bring some color to the equation with vibrant, custom color options
- Tile, with bright patterns and colors that really make a statement
- Height. What do we mean by this? Well, it used to be that your backsplash ended at the bottom of your upper cabinetry. Now we’re seeing backsplashes filling gaps, stretching right up the the ceiling in some cases.
What Are the Big Takeaways?
There are exciting changes taking place in the kitchen, especially as we see an influx of new materials and features that make kitchens more functional and beautiful than ever.
Perhaps best of all, the kitchen is really becoming the heart of the home again. Open concepts are making the kitchen not just a cooking space, but a living space, and it needs to coordinate and flow with the surrounding areas. Homeowners are also fearlessly making their kitchen their own, claiming colors, textures, and styles that they love. And, eclectic and custom works beautifully! Make it your own!
All of this starts by finding and working with an experienced kitchen design and remodeling professional who can catch your vision. Contact us at Gerety Building & Restoration with any questions you might have about your home improvement goals here in Fairfield and Westchester Counties. It would be our pleasure to serve you!
