Supersized Kitchen Islands and Other Trends Pros Are Seeing
Designers share the styles, materials and other features homeowners have been asking for
If you want to know what design trends are popping up in homes around the country, just ask a designer. We spoke with five design professionals about what their clients are asking for, and what they’re recommending to their clients.
2. New Twists on Classic Subway Tile
White subway tile keeps chugging along. More than a third of renovating homeowners installing a new backsplash will choose a shade of white tile (35%) laid in a brick pattern (54%), according to the 2019 U.S. Houzz Kitchen Trends Study.
But designers are starting to see some variation on that classic arrangement. “While my clients are still asking for subway tile backsplashes, they are looking for a twist on the classic white 3-by-6-inch subway,” says designer Janelle Rasmussen of Interior Transitions Group of Robert Thomas Homes. “I’m seeing clients wanting marble, handmade textured tiles and elongated subway tiles.”
She used Calacatta marble subway tile for the backsplash in the Minnesota kitchen shown here.
White subway tile keeps chugging along. More than a third of renovating homeowners installing a new backsplash will choose a shade of white tile (35%) laid in a brick pattern (54%), according to the 2019 U.S. Houzz Kitchen Trends Study.
But designers are starting to see some variation on that classic arrangement. “While my clients are still asking for subway tile backsplashes, they are looking for a twist on the classic white 3-by-6-inch subway,” says designer Janelle Rasmussen of Interior Transitions Group of Robert Thomas Homes. “I’m seeing clients wanting marble, handmade textured tiles and elongated subway tiles.”
She used Calacatta marble subway tile for the backsplash in the Minnesota kitchen shown here.
In this kitchen by Stonington Cabinetry & Designs, glossy white elongated tile creates a subtle spin on the classic subway look.
3. Walnut Wood Kitchen Cabinets
Walnut is such a naturally rich, warm, elegant and inviting wood. And that makes it perfect for lively kitchens. Walnut pairs beautifully with whites, grays, blues and brass tones — all popular colors in modern-day kitchens. So it’s no wonder designers and homeowners like it. “We are seeing a shift to walnut as a cabinet wood species,” Denise Morrison of Denise Morrison Interiors says.
Designer Wanda Ely used flat-panel walnut with integrated brass-lined pulls in the Toronto kitchen seen here. A matte finish keeps the natural grain of the wood visible.
Walnut is such a naturally rich, warm, elegant and inviting wood. And that makes it perfect for lively kitchens. Walnut pairs beautifully with whites, grays, blues and brass tones — all popular colors in modern-day kitchens. So it’s no wonder designers and homeowners like it. “We are seeing a shift to walnut as a cabinet wood species,” Denise Morrison of Denise Morrison Interiors says.
Designer Wanda Ely used flat-panel walnut with integrated brass-lined pulls in the Toronto kitchen seen here. A matte finish keeps the natural grain of the wood visible.
Designer Bobbi Alderfer of Lifestyle Design used walnut cabinetry in this Illinois kitchen. “Its finish color, construction and simplicity made it the natural choice for this kitchen overhaul,” Alderfer says.
4. Nonwhite Painted Millwork
Interior designer Becky Rose Grinwald of Becky Rose Design has been pushing her clients to go beyond white painted cabinetry and millwork. “You can still maintain a fresh, classic approach without the millwork being white,” she says. “Comfort with color is coming around.”
Here, Grinwald’s gray-painted powder room in a Nashville home is a fitting example.
Interior designer Becky Rose Grinwald of Becky Rose Design has been pushing her clients to go beyond white painted cabinetry and millwork. “You can still maintain a fresh, classic approach without the millwork being white,” she says. “Comfort with color is coming around.”
Here, Grinwald’s gray-painted powder room in a Nashville home is a fitting example.
And in the home office of the same house, Grinwald used blue paint on the walls, cabinets and millwork to create an inviting room that reads neutral but offers more interest than all-white would.
5. Extra-Large Kitchen Islands
At what size does an island stop being an island and become a continent? Either way, the bigger the better when it comes to kitchen islands, designer Katelyn Gilmour of KBG Design says. “Many of our clients are doing away with kitchen tables and opting for super-large islands,” she says. “That way family and guests can be close by or dine informally while still gathering together in the kitchen.”
In this Los Gatos, California, kitchen, she created a supersized island with a light-wood base, a marble-look quartz countertop and seating for six.
More on Houzz
10 Home Design Trends on the Rise
Browse millions of photos for inspiration
At what size does an island stop being an island and become a continent? Either way, the bigger the better when it comes to kitchen islands, designer Katelyn Gilmour of KBG Design says. “Many of our clients are doing away with kitchen tables and opting for super-large islands,” she says. “That way family and guests can be close by or dine informally while still gathering together in the kitchen.”
In this Los Gatos, California, kitchen, she created a supersized island with a light-wood base, a marble-look quartz countertop and seating for six.
More on Houzz
10 Home Design Trends on the Rise
Browse millions of photos for inspiration
Designer Mariana Cronenbold of Meridith Baer Home says gone are the days of buying “suites” of furniture that all generally match in terms of shape and fabric. “Most of our clients are asking for rooms that look collected or acquired over time, mixing materials and finishes,” she says. “Prints are back in a big way, but we’re infusing those mostly through pillows and occasional chairs, leaving our larger pieces upholstered in textured solids.”
The living room shown here by Heidi Caillier Design is a good example of the collected-over-time approach. A roll-arm sofa in a textured fabric joins an accent chair upholstered in a flower print and two armchairs in patterned fabric for a mix that feels fitting for the vintage Tudor house.