Top Trends in Kitchen Cabinet Designs

August 30, 2022

When planning a kitchen design, what are your goals? Whether you are focused more on improving functionality or updating your style, kitchen cabinets are central to any kitchen remodel. 

Why is this? Kitchen cabinets form the foundation of your room’s layout, provide essential storage and workspace, and define your style. Selecting the perfect cabinetry is one of the first steps on the path to creating a kitchen that will enhance your home and lifestyle. 

With so many choices available, how can you start narrowing down your cabinet selection? Browse kitchen cabinet styles online and in person when visiting a kitchen design showroom to get a feel for what you like. It helps to partner with a reputable kitchen design firm so you can draw on their experience, knowledge, and connections to top kitchen cabinet suppliers. 

To help you kick-start your kitchen remodeling plans, our blog explores some of the latest trends in kitchen cabinet designs. 

Warm wood tones

White, gray, and beige are popular choices for kitchen designs, and with good reason. They are neutral tones that never go out of style and provide a sleek backdrop for accessories like cabinet hardware and light fixtures. This year has seen warm, natural wood tones join these popular neutrals as a top choice for today’s kitchen designs. Kitchen cabinets are an ideal place to incorporate this trend. 

When wood takes center stage in your kitchen design, it pays to pick high-quality materials with beautiful grains and sophisticated design details. Quality wood also ensures your kitchen cabinets are durable and will last for years. Natural wood tones are a top choice, particularly for a contemporary-style kitchen design. Darker stained finishes are also quite popular, bringing a cozy, luxe feel to any kitchen.

Bold color choices

If you want to make a statement with your kitchen cabinet design, then select one of this year’s popular bold colors. Go for a full cabinet transformation by choosing an eye-catching color for all your cabinetry or stick to one statement piece, keeping the rest of the cabinetry in a neutral tone. 

• Blue is a top choice for painted cabinets with navy blue creating an elegant aesthetic paired with chrome or gold cabinet hardware and accessories. A brighter blue is ideal to get that breezy coastal vibe or a cool Mediterranean look.
• Greens are popular in today’s kitchen cabinets too, with deep green shades bringing an earthy feel to any kitchen design. This works especially well paired with neutral countertops and backsplash.
• Even red shades have grown in popularity, so consider a bold red if you want to make a statement in your kitchen design.
• Love these colors, but not sure if you can commit to them throughout your kitchen design. Consider choosing one of these shades for your island cabinetry, a beverage bar, or even a walk-in pantry, paired with a more neutral tone for the rest of your cabinets. 

Make a statement with monochrome

Black-painted cabinets are finding a niche in this year’s kitchen remodels, as they bring a rich, luxurious feel to a home. They fit any kitchen design style, from all-black slab cabinets for a modern kitchen to painted Shaker or traditional-style cabinets. If you don’t want to go all black with your cabinet color scheme, pair a black island with white perimeter cabinets for a striking monochrome kitchen design style. 

Go for subdued hues

If you want to add a dash of color to your kitchen cabinet design, but bold tones are not for you, consider the latest popular muted shades. Sage green, taupe, warm white, and greige are all colors that enhance any kitchen design style, while pale blue evokes a cozy cottage style. Softer colors give your kitchen design a calming vibe, and some colors like earthy green tones bring a natural vibe. Balance your cabinet choice with a countertop, backsplash material, plumbing fixtures, lighting, and cabinet hardware that work together to create a cohesive kitchen design style. 

Streamlined designs

Daily life can be hectic, so create a home environment that is a refuge from work meetings and school schedules. One way to accomplish this is by streamlining your home style. Bring simplicity to your design with clean lines in a contemporary, modern, or understated transitional style. Slab cabinet doors are ideal for achieving this look, particularly if you go for a handleless or recessed handle design. 

For a truly streamlined look, continue your cabinet design from floor to ceiling along one or more walls. This uninterrupted style gives your kitchen a clean look and reduces clutter by creating more enclosed storage space. 

You could balance this style by removing upper cabinets in one area, for example near the sink or cooking area. This top trend focuses on storage on base cabinets or other storage areas like a pantry and allows your backsplash material to become a design focal point. Accent this style with floating shelves to break up the wall. Make sure you limit anything you keep on these shelves, choose decorative containers that accessorize your kitchen design style, and clean them regularly to avoid dust and clutter. 

Statement islands

Kitchen islands are a central component of most kitchen designs, and today’s islands tend to be multi-functional spaces used for everything from cooking to cleaning up, homework, casual dining, and more. The latest kitchen remodeling trends see islands stepping up their game. 

• Larger islands take center stage in an expansive kitchen design. They allow for more storage and customized zones within the island for baking, food prep, and entertaining. 
• L-shaped or T-shaped islands break up a large kitchen design. They allow one end of the island to be designated as a dining table, perhaps set apart with a distinctive countertop like a live edge wood countertop. 
• Another top trend is to include more than one island in a large kitchen remodel. In this case, one island specializes in cooking or food prep and the other is for entertainment with a beverage center and seating. 
• Go for a bold color choice in your kitchen island cabinetry to make it stand out against your neutral wall cabinets. 
• Or pick a different cabinet door style for your island to create an eclectic kitchen design. 
• Tie in your island style to the rest of your kitchen remodel with your countertop, cabinet hardware, light fixtures, and other accessories. 

Ultra-custom storage

In addition to defining your kitchen design with the door style and finish, cabinets contain essential storage that keeps your kitchen clutter-free and organized. Whether you are an occasional chef or prepare meals daily, it is essential to have targeted storage for all your food, cooking, and serving supplies.

In today’s kitchen remodels ultra-custom storage has become a key requirement. Define your storage needs at the design stage including how you plan to use your kitchen, who uses it, your available space, and what you need. 

Then find the best combination of cabinet and drawer storage to keep your kitchen organized, paired with custom storage inserts and accessories. If you have a special interest like baking cakes or hosting taco Tuesday, include a designated area in your cabinets with storage accessories catered to your interests.

Here are some of the top storage accessories available for today’s kitchen designs:

Transform corner cabinets from wasted space to a storage dream with accessories that let you utilize every inch and access contents with ease. 

• Magic corner swing-outs expose all contents from a single cabinet door, where the shelf fully swings out, so everything is visible. 
• Super Susans work with a hinged corner door that reveals the entire corner, allowing the storage accessory to rotate to show its contents. 
• Pie-cut drawers fit angled drawers into a corner for a unique solution to corner storage. 

Include drawers of varying sizes and depths that specialize in storing different items. 

• Deep drawers are ideal for storing heavy or bulky items like pots and pans, crock pots, and other small appliances. Include dividers to keep pot lids organized. 
• Drawers are also an option for food items like cans, containers of pasta, or baking supplies. Consider this a place to keep items you need within arm’s reach and store excess supplies in your pantry.
• Shallow drawers can be configured for utensils, cooking tools, or even spices with the right drawer inserts. Set aside one shallow drawer for storing electronic items and include internal charging points for phones and tables. 
• Incorporate a knife block in a drawer near your food preparation area.

Set aside designated pantry storage, either in a section of cabinetry or in a separate walk-in or butler’s pantry. Well-planned pantry storage is essential to any kitchen design. It keeps your food and cooking essentials organized and visible, making them easy to access when you need them. It also reduces waste as you are less likely to buy duplicate food items and you can more easily manage use by dates. 

Pullouts are a multi-purpose storage solution that fits anywhere in a kitchen design. 

• Narrow pullouts fit in awkward spaces like between the refrigerator and the wall.
• Include pullouts next to the cooking area with inserts for utensils and space for cooking oils. 
• Pull-outs are ideal for your pantry storage, particularly narrow pull-outs for cans and jars.

A beverage station incorporates custom storage for beverage supplies and can be included in a designated section of cabinetry or a standalone beverage bar. 

Tray dividers fit into a cabinet and keep heavy cutting boards and baking trays organized.

Pull-out trash cans can accommodate regular waste and recycling, so your trash cans no longer take up valuable floor space. You could include another compartment for food waste if you separate compostable items. 

Cabinets set the tone for your kitchen design aesthetic with the door style, material, and finish. Cabinetry also forms the foundation of your room’s layout and creates essential workspace and storage. Choose kitchen cabinets that fit your family’s needs, enhance your home’s style, and keep your kitchen organized and clutter-free. Browse our full range of cabinetry when you visit our Gainesville, FL showroom!