by Blake Herzog
Have you been fretting for a while about a kitchen that hasn’t been upgraded for 20 years or so, but haven’t been able to commit to making upgrades that could age just as quickly?
Here are six kitchen trends that have been blowing up this year, all with durability, timelessness, and style on their side but still can be easily changed if fashion or personal taste shifts.
Pops of Color
Kitchens offer lots of places where vivid accents can be effectively deployed: cabinets, shelves, walls, backsplashes, countertops, shutters and curtains, islands, and floors. Even appliances can be cheaply punched up with strategically placed magnetic accents. So don’t be afraid to experiment with paint, curtains, rugs, linens, wallpaper, or any other medium that you can change up every few months or years without much expense.
Larders
These classically impressive cabinets are similar to bedroom wardrobes and can add an astounding amount of storage for pantry staples, snacks, serving ware, table linens, and even wine bottles. They can replace hanging cabinets, opening up your kitchen walls for windows, art, or floating shelves. Most are easy to paint and repaint, and since they aren’t built-in they’re easier to swap out.
Marble
It’s a beautiful, natural material that stands up to decades of use, so it won’t have to be replaced after 10 years of nicks and scratches. Long synonymous with luxury, it can be expensive, but not having to regularly redo the kitchen makes it a relatively cost-effective choice for counters and/or flooring. You can get much the same effect with quartz, a less expensive manmade material made of 93% to 97% crushed natural stone.
Handle-Free Design
Hardware is generally easy to switch out and update, but cabinets and drawers without handles confer a sleek, minimalist look that’s easy to clean and isn’t likely to go out of style anytime soon. Your choices are only going to grow as push-open doors, recessed handles and sensors become more commonplace and affordable.
Induction cooktops
Induction cooktops are quickly becoming the standard for a modern kitchen, with flat, easy-to-clean surfaces heated by magnetic currents directed toward your pots and pans for quick heating and cooldown. These attractive glass cooktops give you precise temperature control, use about 10% less electricity than smooth-top electric stoves, and are safer and cleaner than gas.
Big islands
Kitchen islands have been gaining in popularity and size for the many functions they can add to a kitchen space. If they’re big enough they can be used for food prep, dining, schoolwork, and working from home simultaneously, while significantly adding to storage space as well. You may not be able to accommodate something this large in your space, but bigger is generally better for functionality and value.
