11 Enduring Kitchen Ideas From the Industry’s Biggest Event

1. Transitional style. Transitional decor is continuing to dominate kitchen design for the foreseeable future, with true traditional style becoming less popular. After all, why would you want to choose just one style when you can get the best of both worlds?

Transitional kitchens mix traditional and contemporary elements, so the space can feel rich and inviting but also up-to-date. The somewhat relaxed nature of a transitional kitchen works well with other minor trend elements like furniture-style islands and open shelves, giving you the freedom to follow traditional rules when they suit you and break the rules when it suits your mood.

See how to get a transitional-style kitchen

2. Farmhouse style. Alternatively, another enduring style trend for kitchens is farmhouse or farmhouse-inspired style. Beadboard, soft heritage colors, rustic hardware and lighting, and planks of knotty wood all give a room a lived-in feel, in a less stuffy or fussy way than traditional styles can sometimes feel.

The humble beauty of farmhouse kitchens can be a great inspiration for homes of any size or budget, so expect to see more and more of this style in 2018 and beyond.

See how to get a farmhouse-style kitchen | Browse the latest farmhouse kitchen photos

3. Apron-front sinks. Speaking of farmhouse style, kitchens all over are embracing the beauty of apron-front sinks. This farmhouse essential works with a variety of styles, especially since it can look great in softly rounded porcelain, sleek stainless steel (possibly the top choice) or other metals and materials to create a variety of looks.

This style of sink requires a different cabinet than a typical drop-in or undermount sink, so if you too are planning to add one to your kitchen, make sure to design with it in mind from the start.

5. Undermount sinks. Not charmed by the apron-front style? Another one of my personal favorites, and a popular choice at seemingly every trade show, is a crisply rectangular stainless steel undermount sink.

The practicality of this style is high because the undercounter style avoids seams above the counter that can catch crumbs and debris. Stylewise, the look is understated, letting the bold features of the kitchen be the star but giving a subtly clean and modern look that says you have an eye for details.

6. Painted cabinets. Regardless of the kitchen style, an undeniable trend in cabinets is a painted finish. While wood will always have its proponents, painted cabinets are a very visible trend with a range of colors being spotted besides classic white.

See how to update your cabinets with paint

Blue is an especially popular choice for kitchens going into 2018, either as an all-over cabinet hue or as an accent to a more neutral scheme. It’s technically a cool hue, but it’s a cheerful color that is many people’s favorite, so it’s a natural choice for those who want to try a less-neutral painted finish without taking a wild color risk they might regret.

Sometimes, to create a beautiful kitchen you don’t need a pop of color at all. More and more designers are proving this by creating beautiful kitchens with a simple white-and-gray color scheme, often using a bit of wood and some gleaming metallics for interest, but no other accent hues.

7. Wood floors. I’ve been encouraging clients to use their wood flooring in both the living areas and the kitchen for years because it gives a home a beautiful sense of consistency.

Yes, it is true that a wood floor will not handle major water spills or leaks in the same way as hard tile, but with a little care and upkeep, the beautiful, inviting look (and subtle softness underfoot) is more than worth it, so you can expect this trend to last and last.

See how to clean your hardwood floors

8. Quartz countertops. Speaking of surfaces, where you really need a hard-wearing material is on your counters, and for that reason engineered quartz has definitely solidified its spot as the top counter material (as confirmed by Houzz’s latest kitchen trends study).

As a manufactured but natural stone-based material, quartz has the ability to mimic marble, slate or other stones, or create a solid-hued modern look, meaning it can truly suit any kitchen. This is probably why we’re seeing it so often, and why it won’t go away any time soon. The look may change, but the hard-wearing practicality won’t.

9. Appliance columns. In today’s market, people expect to be able to customize their product purchases, and individual fridge and freezer columns allow you to include the exact size of refrigerator or freezer you need, in whatever combination and placement best suits your needs.

Compared to a traditional fridge-freezer combo with fixed proportions, the choices feel a lot less limited, so you can expect more homeowners to pursue this option in 2018 and beyond.

10. French door fridges. Another strong option for refrigerators is the French door style, which includes side-by-side compartments, or two doors for the main fridge compartment. The practical advantage here is that the multiple doors need less swing space to open, which can help your kitchen feel less cramped, compared with a single door that swings out twice as far.

The fact that they create a pleasing look is just another reason this style is as popular as ever.

11. Functional lighting. Designers have been attesting to the importance of good lighting for ages, but with technology ever improving and the kitchen being such a central fixture of the home, people are embracing layered lighting in kitchens in a big way.

LED undercabinet lighting and sleek recessed ceiling lights provide an even wash of light over your counters that makes the space feel larger while helping with delicate tasks like chopping. Add a few pendant lights for ambience and you’ve got a great three-point lighting scheme for a kitchen of any decor.

Don’t have a ceiling cavity that allows for recessed lighting? I face this situation often, including in this recently completed Toronto Interior Design Group project where we exposed the concrete ceilings.

One option is to use a dropped ceiling over the island or even the full kitchen to allow space for potlights to tuck away. Another is to consider modern track lights. That’s right, track lighting is definitely back.

Forget what you think you know about track lights based on the curvy tracks of harsh MR16 bulbs that were popular in the ’90s. Modern track lighting takes inspiration from art galleries and jewelry showrooms to deliver beautiful, functional, repositionable lighting that will be a welcome addition to any kitchen for years to come.

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