Creative Twist

Trends in kitchen cabinets have held steady for many years, partly due to the sheer amount of space they occupy in the room. Visually, cabinets must create a foundation for a cohesive design, while also offering the space required to keep the kitchen organized and uncluttered. 

“Cabinetry is a huge part of kitchen design because it is usually the biggest visual component of a kitchen,” says Hannah Gebauer, marketing director at Showplace Cabinetry in Harrisburg, SD. “If you think about it, even if a kitchen gets new appliances, countertops and backsplash, the kitchen can seem outdated if the cabinets don’t match those updates. Outside of visual appeal, cabinets are important in making the most out of a space through convenience and storage accessories, or just designing the layout to be as efficient as possible,” she explains.

“The kitchen is the heart of the home and cabinetry is what makes it beat,” stresses Karen Wistrom, ASID, NCIDQ, CMG, v.p. of marketing for Dura Supreme Cabinetry in Howard Lake, MN. “It creates its look and its style, and it’s the number one feature that determines the layout and functionality of the entire space.”

Because clients have such a varied range in both style and practical use of the space, manufacturers must offer a vast range of options. With all those choices, clear trends aren’t always obvious. Even as classic elements – like shaker style and framed construction – prevail, innovative touches offer a fresh look.

“Many of our top-performing doors have a shaker style, but the latest cabinetry evolution is transforming the iconic look of the classic shaker-style cabinet door into a modern shaker or a modified shaker,” Wistrom continues.

Cindy Raymond, designer for Coaticook, QC-based Cabico, says, “We are still seeing a lot of warm neutral tones for wood and paint colors but, on the opposite side, color is back! Since we’ve spent more time in our houses over the past few years, people are really wanting to enjoy their living spaces more. Whether on the walls or through the cabinetry and kitchen islands, homeowners want to bring back color to these elements.”

Functionality is a top concern, with storage solutions a critical factor in the equation. “The more storage, the better,” Raymond stresses. “This trend includes hidden storage such as a hidden pantry, deep drawers and accessories.”

Natural tones, interesting accents and mixed finishes or materials, increased function, and new material options are also on the rise, according to manufacturers recently surveyed by Kitchen & Bath Design News. 

Clean, Modern Door Profiles

While shaker-style doors are still on top, the profiles are changing to offer a more updated and modern look. There’s also increased demand for slab doors, and those without hardware, due to their sleek aesthetic.

Sarah Landl, product manager for Elmwood, based in St. Catharine’s, ON says “Shaker, slab and recessed panel-style doors currently dominate the trends. The traditional shaker door is evolving into a thinner profile, which gives it a refreshed and more contemporary look.”

“Consumers continue to choose straight, clean lines in their designs with shaker styling continuing to be the focus,” adds John K. Morgan, CEO at Green Forest Cabinetry in Chesapeake, VA. “But look closer and you’ll see they are selecting softer profile attributes by rounding outside edges as opposed to stark 90-degree options. Sometimes, consumers are further leaning towards beaded options on the inside profile too.”

Jon Dahl, v.p. of sales & marketing for QCCI in New Holland, PA, states they are seeing more and more use of slab doors with a small molding profile wrapped on the edge. “In our Quality Custom Cabinetry brand, we call these our Edge Series of doors. Gone are the days of a simple slab as well as the shaker – this style blends the two together to create a very transitional look,” he observes.  

“We continue to see ‘fancy flat panels’ on the rise; door styles that are simplistic in overall design but with subtle shape/visual interest introduced in the inside and outside edge treatments,” explains Ann Rottinghaus, v.p. sales + marketing for Indianapolis, IN-based The Corsi Group, which manufactures the Greenfield and Siteline brands. “Stile and rail width is also critical; many designers today favor a narrower stile and rail.”

Priscila Forster, manager at MandiCasa NY Flagship Showroom in New York, NY, says, “Our style is mainly modern and contemporary, with the eventual transitional design request. We do offer different door styles but the flat door with little to no hardware is the most sought after. Clients and designers who come to us are already looking for clean lines, and often they will select a handleless model with a channel that allows you to open drawers and doors without the need of any exposed hardware.”

To Frame or Not to Frame

Manufacturers say both framed and frameless construction are popular, and the selection often depends on the region. “Since we are a national manufacturer – we see the answer to framed vs. frameless being very regional. We are seeing more and more frameless cabinetry move into the Northeast, a historically framed region; yet we are seeing more framed cabinetry going to areas that historically were primarily frameless five years ago,” states Dahl. 

Morgan adds, “Framed is still overall the most popular, with frameless ruling select regions. But this has less to do with consumer taste than it does dealer/installer preference and legacy supplier dominance. This will change in the future as yet-to-be-seen disruptor suppliers evolve in the North American channel. Frameless is just too easy to manufacture, and easy is more affordable. Millennials and Z’s will love and drive this.”

Gebauer offers, “For us, framed cabinetry is more popular, but our frameless offering continues to grow, and we don’t see that stopping.” 

One thing their designers are doing to create visual intrigue, Rottinghaus says, is to combine the two types. “We are experiencing new levels of designer creativity by mixing full access and inset cabinetry styles within the space,” she reports.

Natural and Neutral 

Cabinets finished in shades of white paint are still on top, manufacturers say, but demand for both natural looks and neutral tones is increasing.  

“White, ivory and sand are still the most popular colors, but earthy colors such as our Fjord Blue or Mineral Green are seeing rising demand and are very trendy,” states Andrea Fernandez, product training specialist at nobilia North America, based in Miami, FL.

“We are just starting to see the trend shifting from kitchens with bright white paints to muted, natural whites and raw, light stained woods like quartersawn white oak,” adds Wistrom.

Dahl adds, “Painted is still the vast majority of cabinetry we produce, but we are happy to see an increase of woods. Light species like bleached walnut or white oak are very popular.”

“Two-tone and even tri-tone designs are fashionable today. More often than not white is complemented with either soft, earthy light brown stains alone or in combination with green, blue or iron hues,” Morgan says.

“Wood grains with neutral or mid to light stains are really strong right now,” offers Gebaeur. “The past few years we’ve seen a seismic shift in the stain tones. Homeowners want mostly neutral with less warm red, orange and yellow undertones.” 

“The hard part with stains is the inconsistencies between formulas. Our natural quartersawn white oak is a beautiful clear coat stain, while some other manufacturers may have a ‘natural’ white oak, but it may actually be a toner formula,” she continues.

“Designers have so many options to choose from when designing kitchens. The finish they choose, natural wood or painted, really depends on the overall aesthetic of the design,” adds Jay Pannebaker, director, product management – NorthPoint Cabinetry, Hardware Resources, based in Bossier City, LA. Regardless of what is trending, he says, there is consistent demand for white and gray. “These neutrals can be paired with darker finishes like Espresso and Slate to add a dramatic effect,” he states.

Appealing Accents

While neutral tones dominate as the main finish, manufacturers say there’s a lot of interest in mixing finishes and adding color accents in the space.

Forster reports that pops of color are increasingly common, with shades of blue the preferred choice, including navy, gray blue and MandiCasa’s best seller, Blu Petrolio, a dark blue made with mica powder for a slightly pearlescent effect. The company offers other specialty lacquers as well, and she adds, “We have seen these special finishes being used as very interesting accents in combination with neutral ones.”

Rottinghaus states, “Custom-matched paint is hugely popular, and often mixed with a stained wood or complementary paint color for islands, coffee bars, butler’s pantries and other spaces within the overall design.”  

“We have experienced a growth in the breadth of complementary colors used in islands and vanities,” Morgan reports. “The navy blues are a little old but still strong, and the seafoam greens have stabilized their market share. In addition, we are seeing a big jump in demand for the super dark gray paints, almost black, and of course huge demand in the light earthy brown stains that have subtle black undertones, avoiding any red hues.”

Isabelle Gendron, product manager at Cabico, says, “We find that consumers who like to see some wood grain opt for mixing and matching uppers and lowers, such as warm stains and tones paired with a lighter paint color.”

Brian Stowell, president of Crown Point Cabinetry in Claremont, NH remarks, “For the past decade, painted cabinetry was 85% of our sales. The painted projects were often complemented with a stained or natural wood island. Currently, we are in the midst of a shift from reclaimed wood towards natural and lightly stained rift and quartered oaks”

Enhancing Function

While aesthetic trends are important, the primary purpose of cabinetry is to offer easy storage solutions that keep the kitchen organized and free of clutter. Advances in technology have led to a wide range of options that can be added, both internally and on the exterior, to increase functionality, including lighting, automation and organizational tools. 

“The kitchen is more than a place where families make and enjoy meals. It is where people gather to socialize, share, learn and play. The feel of the space can be greatly enhanced with thoughtful lighting design,” says Pannebaker. “Cabinetry lighting solutions under and inside cabinets, as well as toekick lighting, create real ambiance.”

“Keep your eye out for cabinet lighting solutions being integrated at the manufacturing level, and not something you have to buy aftermarket to install in the home,” reports Gebauer. 

Fernandez believes integrated lighting is the most important advance, but automated opening of wall, trash and sink cabinets is also relevant. Storage flexibility and ergonomic design are given more consideration as well, she adds.

Rottinghaus notes that they encourage and are seeing more requests for motion, such as Servo drives for waste cabinets and wall cabinet lift doors, and lighting, especially in corner cabinets.  “Every cabinet must have a purpose in the space,” she states. “Specialty storage is king.”

“The main requests we’ve been getting are for organization and functionality,” offers Forster. “A major trend is for clean-looking working surfaces, so built-in appliances and ways to hide or easily put away utensils, spices and small appliances are always in high demand.”  

They have also seen an increase in automation within the cabinets, from electric assist opening to integrating and controlling cabinet lights via home automation apps, Forster continues. “Some high-end appliance brands such as Gaggenau and Miele offer touch-to-open systems that allow for a seamless panel installation without the need of handles, matching the no-hardware look of the other cabinets,” she states. 

“From a manufacturer standpoint the advances in consumer technology that we are focused on is the evolution of appliances, especially under counter items like speed ovens and multipurpose microwaves,” Morgan says. “We are taking time to engineer/develop standardized cabinets that are more adaptable to the evolving appliance installation requirements.”

Sustainable, Quality Materials

Advances in the manufacturing process have led to new materials being used for cabinetry, manufacturers say.

“Kitchen cabinets are central to every kitchen, no matter how big or small. People interact with their cabinets on a daily basis. It’s important that cabinets be made from quality materials that can withstand the test of time,” remarks Pannebaker.

“As technology continues to improve, we see interesting new materials become available and, because our manufacturing facility is highly automated, we can add new finishes and new models very quickly to our collection and stay on top of all new trends,” Forster says. “The environment also wins with technological advancement. Traditional cabinet materials get greener as manufacturing processes improve and move towards zero waste and zero emissions.”

Wistrom notes, “HDF material has become more and more agreeable to machining and works so well for painted door styles, and Thermofoil surfaces are anti-fingerprint, anti-microbial and even self-healing for small scratches or mars.”

Landl observes, “Textured laminate finishes are growing in popularity thanks to advances in realism in the look and feel of these products. The newest laminates for cabinetry follow trends we have seen in flooring that provide very realistic wood grain patterns and textures with enhanced durability for wear and tear as well as anti-fading properties.”

“The decorative surfaces category is very innovative, and a lot of products offer great benefits for the end user – for example, anti-fingerprint, anti-scratch, heat resistance, etc.,” adds Gendron. “Textured faux wood is a lower price point as opposed to real wood but with the same finish look as oak – which is very trendy right now.”

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