Kitchen Design Trends As We Head Into 2022

One of the greatest advantages of building with a custom home builder is the freedom to choose the features you want in your home. With the kitchen being such an essential part of the home, it’s no wonder why our clients allocate such a large portion of their budget on it. So it’s important to really give it some thought and make sure you’re going to end up with the designs and features that matter most to you. Over our many years in the building industry, we’ve seen many trends come and go. Here are some popular kitchen selections we’re seeing our clients make as we head into 2022.

Many homeowners find large islands to be a staple of the post-pandemic kitchen, according to the NKBA trend report. In addition to serving as a place for prepping food, cooking meals, and storing essentials, the kitchen island has evolved to accommodate more. Now, with work and other studies now making their way into the kitchen, we’re requiring more from our islands.

Another family favourite – using the kitchen island as a dinner table. Why not? It’s perfect. Easy serving, close to the stove and oven and easy clean up with the sink right near by. Because of this, islands now need to be large enough to accommodate seating for the whole family to eat together. These large islands are reminiscent of the coffee counters in restaurants of yesteryear.

Another plus- with the larger islands, comes greater lower storage space. Perfect for those larger, seasonal items that only need to be brought out a few times a year. Christmas punch bowls, fancy wedding china, and crystal bowls for example.

Move over bright white kitchens. Warm neutrals are taking over. Although white cabinetry still reigns supreme, there is an ongoing trend to tone down the white with a distressed look that might soon supersede those cooler tones. Fresh and welcoming wood tones are starting to catch on. Bringing with them, a timeless natural feel to your kitchen. These warmer tones add a dose of coziness while still feeling clean and airy. Turing your kitchen into a comforting and inviting gathering spot.

The past year and a half has changed the way a lot of us do things. Including the amount of groceries we buy at a time. Now, our kitchen storage is feeling the strain of more bulk buys and fewer trips to the store. Upper cabinets that extend all the way to the ceiling are a great option to really maximize the storage in your space. To add a little extra appeal to them, a lot of our clients opt to add glass doors with lighting to that upper row. The extended height does mean that top shelf is a bit high to reach, but again it’s perfect for those seasonal items that you’re not needing everyday.

Large pull out drawers have taken the place of traditional cupboards. Allowing you the ability to fill up the space inside them and still be able to get at everything. No more pulling out everything single item you own in order to reach the stuff at the back of the cupboard.

Large islands are also a great way to add some extra storage to your kitchen while also adding to the design. Islands can have hidden doors on the backside, underneath the counter overhang, that open up to extra storage. Add in your bar stools and no one will ever be able to tell.

With all of our small appliances, kitchen counter space is becoming a precious commodity. Dedicated pantries with countertops within are becoming a thing on everyone’s wish lists. That way you can keep the clutter of the small appliances tucked away off of the kitchen countertops and out of the view of guests.

Many of our clients are looking for that clean, modern look. And they tend to be drawn towards more open spaces in their kitchen. Instead of upper cabinets, we’re seeing more and more clients opt for some open wall space with floating shelves to give their kitchen a more spacious feel. While floating shelves offer a nice area for you to showcase some décor, they can be just as functional. Adding subtle ways for you to keep the kitchens most important equipment easily accessible.

When it comes to building a home, natural lighting is always better than artificial. It bathes your rooms in a rich full spectrum hue that artificial lighting only hopes to duplicate. Adding extra windows to your floor plan is a great choice for those who want to add some extra energy efficiency to their homes as it reduces the need to turn lights on during daylight hours. It makes your space feel larger when it is nice and bright and as a welcome bonus it increases your body’s serotonin levels! These skinny piano style windows above the cabinetry are a perfect way to add more natural light to your kitchen without losing precious cabinet space that a large rectangular window would take up.

Your cabinet door style can be one of the most important factors in your kitchen design, being that they are one of the most visual design elements in your entire kitchen. Flat panel door fronts are simple, yet stylish and are becoming quite popular. Their hard lines and minimalist form make them a great fit for contemporary and modern kitchens.

Kitchens are busy places. Especially during large family gatherings like Christmas and Thanksgiving. Our design team likes to re-route traffic away from the major areas like the fridge and the stove as much as we can with our floorplan layouts. We do so by creating cantilevers (or jut outs) adjacent to the kitchen that give you extra space without taking up valuable square footage out of your living space. These cantilevers often contain liquor cabinets or breakfast bars. Some have upper cabinets for glassware, liquor, or special dishes. The lower cabinets can contain a bar or drink fridge, sometimes even another sink. The countertop area can be used to hold all your coffee equipment for a coffee bar, or even as a charging station for laptops, phones and tablets.

Kitchen lighting options have become bigger, brighter, and more stylish that ever before while also becoming more energy efficient. The options are endless: pendant lighting, LED lighting, encased inside, over or under cabinet lighting and task lighting can dramatically enhance the mood in the kitchen. Pot lights are an economical and low maintenance choice in your kitchen and dining room area. Especially if you have a vaulted ceiling, where it can make it difficult to centre a light fixture.

One of the most common questions our design team is asked in regards to the kitchen is “where should we place the microwave?” The current trend is a microwave range hood that is located above the stove top. This is a great option for taller people, but it not as convenient for everyone, especially families with young children. Another reason we often recommend against this is accessibility. Our solution to keeping the microwave accessible to everyone, but also off of the countertops is to place is inside the pantry. Your pantry does need to be large enough to allow it, and a countertop to place it on. Under counter microwaves or built in microwaves are also an option to consider depending on what you want.

One of the best ways to really make sure you utilize the space you have in your kitchen is to add in some special features that are custom to you and your family. Our cabinet supplier, Cougar Custom Cabinets, offers special organizers in doors, drawers, and pullouts. From building cutlery organizers right into the drawer, pullouts with vertical storage baskets to keep large cooking utensils neatly tucked away. They use award winning features shown at The Kitchen and Bath Industry Show every year. Custom options like tall pullouts for each side of the fridge, Lazy Susans and drawers for specific products like Keurig pods are just a few examples of the possibilities. Anything you can think of, they can help you design a way to organize it.

The general trend as we head into 2022 is personalization. When it comes to the colour, finishing, and overall design of your kitchen, homeowners want something that is unique and personal. If you are planning on building a new home or renovating your current one, which trends will you opt for?