Every year, style experts and interior design professionals come up with new ways to make your kitchen look great. But with all the new trends out there, it can be difficult to pick out what’s right for you and your home.
From new materials and appliances to novel ways of organizing your kitchen gadgets, we want to be sure that you create a kitchen that works for you instead of against you! Naturally, it should also look fabulous and express your own personal style.
Our Top 10 Kitchen Design Trends
So what’s new for kitchen designs in 2016? We’ve got all the hottest trends right here, and you may be surprised by some of the latest styles!
Colored Sinks
Most of the colored sinks you’ve probably seen have been in magazines or movies from the 1960s and 70s. It was certainly a trend then, but it doesn’t seem to be too popular right now. Or is that true?
Actually, colored ceramic sinks are coming back in full swing! Consider matching your sink to the rest of your kitchen decor, or get crazy and use a contrasting color for a little pop.
Butcher Block Wooden Countertops
Cutting boards are always a necessity, and everyone knows that cutting veggies or other food items right on the countertop is a no-no. So what about making your entire countertop into a cutting board?
Many homeowners are doing just that and making their countertops into large butcher blocks. It’s a great idea, and it looks fantastic. You just have to make sure to have them professionally cleaned from time to time.
Farmhouse or Apron Front Sinks
They aren’t called farmhouse or apron sinks for nothing. Back in the day, farmer’s wives who naturally work aprons did a lot of work in the kitchen, and they needed large capacity, deep sinks to do their work. This is where these sinks were born, and they’re extremely popular again right now. They’re also extremely useful!
Cabinetry With Glass Fronts
It used to be that you didn’t want anyone to see what was in your cabinets, but today, the opposite is true. The style right now is to let everyone see what’s in your cabinets with open cabinetry.
You can either have just shelves to hold things like glasses, cups, dishes and bowls or you can have regular cabinets with glass openings so that everything is visible within.
Subway Tiles
Subway tiles might not ring a bell if you’re not used to taking public transportation, but they are certainly making a splash in kitchen design for the year 2016.
Unlike classic square tiles made from materials like slate or ceramic, subway tiles tend to be made of shiny ceramic, and they are small and rectangular. There’s not much grout in between each tile, and they’re often white. It’s a super sleek look, and the price is great!
The Addition of a Docking Station
With all the gadgets we have these days, we naturally need somewhere to dock them. In other words, we need a place to not only store them, but also to charge them. Because everyone seems to spend so much time in the kitchen, what better place to put your docking station?
You can either buy a pre-made station with holes for all your cords, or you can make a make-shift one of your own using a typical paper and file organizer.
TVs Installed in the Wall or the Refrigerator
Watching TV while in your kitchen isn’t a completely novel idea. To be sure, people have been doing it for a while now. But whereas people use to watch their TVs on their countertops, an increasing number of products are actually being installed right into the walls of the kitchen or into the front of the fridge.
This is a great way to save space and give you something to do or watch while you prep for meals!
Dark Cabinetry
White and light colored cabinets were once super popular, but things are turning to the dark side now. Darker colors like navy, dark green and black are making a comeback where kitchen cabinets are concerned. If you have a small kitchen, however, consider sticking to lighter colors to open things up.
Automation of Appliances
We’re heading into the future, and it’s just as you imagined it! Okay, maybe there aren’t flying cars and kitchen appliances that cook your meals for you, but things are getting automated everywhere, and that includes your sink and your soap. Even trash cans and paper towel dispensers are automated these days, and using them is a great way to make your kitchen more accessible, more modern and cleaner.
Colored Backsplashes
Your backsplash is the area behind your sink, but in many kitchens, the backsplash actually extends behind the entire countertop. For years and even decades, the backsplash was styled to be rather hidden. Kitchen designers weren’t interested in making a statement here.
Today, things are quite different, and many kitchen designers are looking for ways to jazz up the backsplash. One of the ways that they are doing this is with color. Choose a bold color for your backsplash to really stand out with your kitchen this year! Many designers and interior specialists are loving lime green, turquoise and bright orange!
Conclusion
What do you think? Do any of these styles strike your fancy? Some of these trends might be for you while other simply don’t mesh with your personal style, and that’s okay! Your kitchen should be a reflection of you and your family’s style instead of that of some style expert.
And if you’ve read through these trends and are still at a loss as to what you want your fab kitchen to look like, just browse some pictures online or in magazines. Once you come up with an overall look, you can mix and match as you like and make the space your own.