Best Kitchen Products Trends Report

1. Lighter shades of grey cabinetry & light/dark combos.

I would call these deeper shades of white. Grey is still popular, but the new whites we are seeing may only have a touch of grey. They are still light, but they are not a blaring white. Believe it or not, we have dozens of shades of white to choose from. We are continuing to see pairings of light and dark cabinets. Our designers are known to combine lighter shades with black, midnight blue, green, or dark brown cabinetry for a sophisticated style. High contrast cabinetry is one of our favorite looks, and these dark/light combinations look amazing when you add a pop of color to the design. Greenery, the Pantone Color of the Year for 2017, looks great in this palette.

2. Gold and Metals.

Gold is huge this year and can be used to warm up any palette. By all means, mix it with stainless fixtures and stone. You don’t have to be so matchy matchy (Is that even a word?) The gold you will see is rubbed and brushed, not shiny as seen in this pot filler. It also looks amazing on so many cabinet finishes as a hardware choice.

Ann Sacks did something interesting with their Paire tile collection. They added brass inlays into limestone and marble.

3. Opposites Attract.

Throw out all the rules in 2017. Mix gold and silver, modern and vintage, light and dark, classic and industrial, leather and lace … you get the picture. You will see dark wood or colorfully painted cabinetry used as a punctuation mark to accent lighter woods, and there will be more color and pattern play in the kitchen versus all dark cabinets or monochromatic tone on tone styles. If a kitchen is going to be tone on tone, we will see it with more shape and texture. For example, we are currently making cabinets that are solid white with white leather textured inserts. It is a fabulous new look. You’ll be seeing plenty of texture and rough chic as well, mixing rough wood cabinet interiors with white smooth exteriors. Leather is very hot this year! You will see it in cabinetry, countertops, and furniture adding wonderful texture to your room design.

Don’t hesitate to add some whimsical, unexpected objects to your formal kitchen like this Waterstone’s Wheel Faucet. Add some art glass or fine silver to a rustic kitchen or a pop of color to any kitchen. All these high contrast elements in varying finishes and bright colors make for exciting kitchen design in 2017. Here is a Best hood in Green — Pantone’s color of the year.

4. Mix and Match Countertops.

Mixing wood countertops with marble or quartz is very stylish and functional in the kitchen. We continue to have many requests for quartz counters that looks like marble.

Some of the new colors that fit the bill are Caesarstone’s White Attica and Georgian Bluffs.

A new brand called Geoluxe took the 2017 Best Kitchen KBIS Gold award and the Best in Show award. They came out with something called Pyrolithic Stone, which is 100 percent mineral based produced using the same natural metamorphic process used to produce marble. The result is a design pattern that goes through the stone similar to marble. For all the Carrara and Danby marble lovers, also have a look at Silestone’s Calacatta Gold and Statuario for a timeless white look in quartz.

5. Kitchen Design for Cooking and Playing.

Designing a kitchen that promotes social interaction is essential. Kitchens are being used in so many ways, and they need to be personalized to the way each client lives and uses the space. The kitchen is becoming more about atmosphere combined with beautiful, functional design.

We are seeing more flexibility in the design with the kitchen being filled with innovative products that allow for many things to be happening at once.

Sometimes you need the kitchen designed for playtime, homework, or a good stretch!

6. A Touch of Nature and a Tad of Rough Chic.

People want things that are fresh, cheerful, and naturally beautiful. They want a kitchen that promotes health and wellness. From herb cultivators to rustic objects in natural hues and earthy tones, we are bringing nature into today’s kitchen making the space the most peaceful retreat in the house (next to your Ken Kelly spa bath). JM Lifestyles showed us more rustic edge wood tables, counters, and sinks that can add a natural style to the design.

7. Using Recycled Materials.

Whenever we have the opportunity to reuse old objects in any of our designs, we get excited. The idea of repurposing objects is very ecological. It is especially popular among the younger kitchen buyers.

Think out of the box when looking for objects to recycle. In this Roslyn kitchen, we used a copper pot found in the client’s garage for a sink, and we used their old staircase balusters as decorative pilasters for the sink cabinet. We found an old fireplace back that worked perfectly behind a restored antique range, and the client found these vintage Breakstone cheese boxes. We decided use them as a sideboard by adding a wooden top and placing this little treasure against the wall in the eating area.

Island Stone, known for its pebble stone and glass tiles, presented its new brand called Island Timber – a series of interlocking reclaimed teak planks weathered with rustic appeal for use on walls and other non-traffic areas. The old wood used to make these planks is rescued from buildings being destroyed in Indonesia. Planks can be painted to add interesting pops of color to your design.