When remodeling a kitchen, there are a lot of elements to consider. Lighting, flooring, appliances, and much more. One of the most important features you’ll have to account for is cabinetry.
Cabinets are what tie a kitchen together and choosing the right ones can make the difference between achieving an impeccable style or creating a DIY kitchen cabinet disaster. While many people may be able to identify cabinets they like in isolation, they might not understand how they can create a cohesive style.
With this guide, we’ll showcase some of the current trending kitchen styles and kitchen cabinet colors and highlight how cabinet choices can be used to emphasize these trends and make your dream kitchen a reality.
Country/Shaker Style Kitchen
There’s a chance you may have seen a Shaker cabinet, even if you are unfamiliar with the name. Shaker kitchen cabinet doors come in a box shape, with seemingly another box-shaped panel set into the frame.
Shaker cabinets are traced back to the 18th century, from the Shakers who immigrated to the US. They were a religious community, but they would become well known due to their furniture-making, with a style that persists until this day. With a design that wastes no resources, and still holds up in appearance no matter what era it is seen in, it is easy to see why Shaker cabinets have persisted for so long.
Nowadays, “Shakers” are one of the most popular kitchen cabinet styles for country-style kitchens. On top of their impressive construction, this is also due to their ability to work with rustic kitchen features. Therefore, if you’re looking to establish a country kitchen, and want to pick some cabinets that can complement your country décor, Shaker-style cabinets will play an incredible supporting role.
While you can opt for painted kitchen cabinets, you can boast a more classic appearance by choosing to emphasize a wood color and texture instead. Cherry, oak, or maple wood Shaker cabinets would bring any country-style kitchen together and provide that classic and cozy atmosphere.
Transitional Kitchen
Transitional kitchens are a style for homeowners who want to combine modern and traditional features into one cohesive kitchen style. This is one of the most popular kitchen styles today, according to the NKBA (National Kitchen & Bath Association).
The Shaker cabinets we just mentioned can fit well into this kitchen scheme, as their traditional kitchen cabinet design blends well with contemporary kitchen features. Transitional kitchens promote subtlety, avoiding flashy attractions in favor of clean lines and more neutral or muted colors. While some small amounts of color are splashed in, such as with the kitchen island above, cabinets will typically come in white or similarly light neutral colors.
Cabinets are emphasized so heavily in transitional kitchens because their goal is to provide an image free of distraction and clutter. Where other kitchen styles might have open shelves and hanging kitchenware, transitional kitchens look to keep everything neatly stored away with lots of storage space, and kitchen cabinet organizers.
Industrial Kitchen
The term “industrial” can hold a lot of negative connotations, but when it comes to kitchens, an industrial style is more concerned with the practicality of the space which often means less focus on intricate designs and more focus on simple features with a purpose.
Industrial styles are not well known for their inclusion of bright colors, instead, they feature a lot of neutral tones and gray and black are often a big focus. This too can be linked to practicality, as they could show wear and messes less prominently than lighter colors.
Stainless steel appliances, often highly modern and even restaurant quality, are also featured in industrial kitchens. Pair this with a lot of open space and room to move, and an industrial kitchen may be the ideal space for homeowners who anticipate a lot of cooks in the kitchen or find themselves being quite active during their cooking sessions.
As you can see in the example above, there can be some variation. Light whites can be included in your color options. When looking at the kitchen pantry cabinets, you can see how they boast the industrial philosophy of utilitarianism. They are big and broad, offering maximum kitchen storage cabinet space for any possible kitchen gadget or set of kitchenware you could possibly need to complete your recipes.
Modern Monochromatic Kitchen
If you value clean, sleek aesthetics, then a modern monochromatic kitchen will offer you a lot of appeal. On the one hand, a monochromatic kitchen is a practical choice. You don’t have to spend an eternity trying to match colors and textures and make endless comparisons. Instead, you’ll want to find the perfect color to set the mood in your newly renovated kitchen.
While industrial kitchens might also offer a clean simple appearance, modern kitchens are more concerned with aesthetics and embellishment. In the picture above, you can see how these unique cabinets complement the monochrome nature of this modern kitchen. With mirrored surfaces, more light flows through the room, and a sense of openness is added as well.
In any other kitchen style, this might appear too gaudy, but with the color and material choices here, these cabinets are a perfect addition. If you like looking towards the latest materials and making bold architectural choices, a modern monochromatic kitchen could be a welcome experiment that allows you to embrace new kitchen cabinet ideas.
Farmhouse Style Kitchen
A farmhouse-style kitchen is an ideal choice for homeowners who value natural materials and traditional aesthetics. With its classic charm that promotes a warm and inviting feeling, your kitchen will quickly become one of the most inviting areas in your home.
This is a less flashy style, and it is reflected in the simplicity of the design choices. White kitchen cabinets are an incredibly popular feature in Farmhouse style kitchens, with things like kitchen cabinet handles and other kitchen cabinet hardware utilizing natural wood textures and colors.
A popular trend with cabinets in Farmhouse style kitchens nowadays is using Milk Paint. This type of paint can offer a unique texture to your farmhouse kitchen cabinet that provides an even more rustic look to complete the Farmhouse feel.
You also have flexibility in choosing the layout of your cabinets. Some people even turn to open shelving as an alternative to traditional cabinet storage. Kitchen styles such as farmhouse kitchens can accommodate these features well.
The farmhouse style is an example of a classic kitchen style that still offers plenty of room to evolve.
Contemporary Eccentric
The kitchen styles mentioned so far have focused on clean, sleek, simple aesthetics, but applied them differently, using different materials. Some homeowners may find that these styles don’t fit their image and that they desire a kitchen more suited to their eclectic tastes. In that case, contemporary eccentric-style kitchens can offer this creativity.
In the picture above, you can see the possibilities offered by embracing a contemporary eccentric style. How many different materials, colors, and eras of style can you count in this picture? One of the most unique aspects of this kitchen, and a feature that truly brings it together, are the light blue cabinets.
When viewing this kitchen, they may be the first thing that pops out at you. There is another more muted corner kitchen cabinet that is wood textured, along with the cabinets running along the bottom of the kitchen, but their subtle appearance allows the smaller selection of blue to really shine through. Paired with the yellow accents and the blue décor near the front of the kitchen, these blue cabinets offer a brilliant burst of color without feeling too jarring or out of place.
Even with all of the unique properties of this kitchen, there is still a cohesive vision. Nothing stands out too much or dominates the feeling of the room. Instead, by combining a lot of unique elements a new and truly personal kitchen style is accomplished.
Designing a contemporary eccentric style kitchen may involve much more experimentation than the other styles mentioned above. With how unique they can be, following examples may not be as helpful. But for certain homebuyers, pursuing this style will absolutely pay off in the end.
Conclusion
As shown throughout these various kitchen styles, picking the right cabinets for kitchen styles plays a major role in setting the mood of your kitchen. As one of the most prominent features that is designed to be eye level for most people who enter a kitchen, cabinets will be what dominates your vision often. If cabinets are chosen that clash with your kitchen style, they can quickly feel out of place.
Making the right choices for remodeling kitchen cabinets is very much an art, which is why kitchen designers work so closely with homeowners to realize their vision. At Living Space Designs, our designers begin the remodeling process by consulting directly with homeowners, offering suggestions to help make your kitchen style goals a reality.
After receiving help with your design, you’ll get assistance with picking out your cabinets and other materials, and you’ll see a complete outline of your budget before construction ever begins. Once the construction is complete, we’ll conduct a walkthrough to ensure success and follow up annually for 2 years to account for any touch-ups or repairs.
Kitchen remodeling is an important project, and as one of the most important living spaces in a home, it should inspire comfort in the homeowner. With Living Space Designs, you can build the kitchen of your dreams, with the help of trusted and experienced designers and contractors.
Check out our before and after photos from previous projects for kitchen cabinet ideas, and don’t hesitate to reach out to discuss your needs.
