2017 Kitchen Trends

103 Fresh Kitchen Trends for 2017

2017 Kitchen Trends

Want to update the look of your kitchen? Maybe you’re interested in remodeling your kitchen, or you’re building a brand new home. Or perhaps you just want to upgrade a few important details in your existing kitchen décor. If you’re freshening up your kitchen in any form, before you spend any money, it pays to get informed about the current kitchen design trends for 2017.

2017 Kitchen Color Trends

1. Color Blocked and Two-Toned Kitchens

Homeowners are making some interesting choices when it comes to color schemes. Things don’t automatically have to be “matchy-matchy” in the kitchen like they used to be in times past.

2. Dark Colored Kitchens Are Trendy for 2017

Some newly revamped 2017 kitchens include at least one dark color as a main focus in the color palette. The dark colors are offset with lighter or brighter colors for kitchen designs that offer visually appealing levels of color contrast. Here are a few color combinations that are popping up with frequency in newly built and recently remodeled kitchens:

• 3. Black and white
• 4. Ebony and white
• 5. Dark charcoal gray with lighter pearl gray
• 6. Dark charcoal gray with white
• 7. Black and gray; black, gray and white

Black appliances and other black surfaces are trendy in the kitchen right now. These pair well with gray surfaces and white surfaces, both of which are also popular at the moment. Black stainless steel is an option, and traditional stainless steel appliances are still relevant as well.

Kitchen flooring is another spot where dark colors are showing up. However, unless your heart is really, truly set on having a dark colored kitchen floor, I’d personally advise against installing one at this point in the trend’s life cycle. While dark kitchen flooring continues to be a hot item by all appearances, it’s a mature trend that may be nearing the end of its reign of popularity. More importantly, dark flooring requires extra work to maintain, and many homeowners report dissatisfaction with it because of that.

8. White / Off White Kitchens

White is a classic color in the kitchen, but it’s also one of the top kitchen color trends for 2017. You can’t ever go wrong with a white kitchen.

National Kitchen and Bath Association members report having done significant numbers of white kitchens in the recent past.

A Houzz editorial staffer, Mitchell Parker, has alerted us that white paired with off white is a top color trend for 2017. Forbes quoted him as follows:

“There’s just something refreshing about a room bathed in white. But when done in one stark white tone, things can start to feel clinical. Balancing a white palette with creamy off-whites and natural linen hues creates a breathtaking look that can be rich with character.”

9. Gray Kitchens

Gray has been the go-to trendy neutral color for close to a decade. The questions on everyone’s minds right now: how much longer will this color trend continue? Is gray still relevant for 2017?

The verdict: Expert opinions diverge. We have some people who are busy proclaiming that gray kitchens are dead, and we have other people who are hard at work installing stunning new gray kitchens in high-end homes.

Kerrie Kelly from Zillow Digs put cool gray on her list of “fads to forget from 2016”. She points to jewel colors like emerald green and sapphire blue as the new trendy colors for 2017.

On the other hand, National Kitchen and Bath Association members report that they’re currently designing and installing significant numbers of new gray kitchens. Many top paint manufacturers have prominently included grays in their color trend forecasts for 2017. By all appearances, gray is shaping up to still be an item for 2017 kitchens.

Personally, I wouldn’t advise anyone who’s building from scratch to install a brand new gray kitchen — unless gray is the only kitchen color you’re lusting after. By all means, pick the kitchen color that would make you happiest — and if it’s gray, you definitely shouldn’t let my lack of enthusiasm stop you.

Do keep in mind that, at this point, gray is a mature color trend. At some point soon, gray will start to look dated. In a year or two, you won’t want to have a brand new gray kitchen that looks like it’s already 10 years old.

To my way of thinking, the smart approach would be to choose something other than gray for surfaces that are hard to change — like the countertops, backsplash and flooring. If you must have gray, put it in spots that are relatively easy to change. Paint colors and kitchen textiles are a couple of shorter-lived possibilities.

A Few Trendy Gray Paint Colors for 2017:

• Benjamin Moore’s “Sandlot Gray” is a top color choice for 2017. “Stormy Monday”, “Wish” and Knoxville Gray are other grays that are also mentioned on their 2017 color trend palette.
• See more trendy paint colors and other colors in our 2017 color trend report.

10. Warm Kitchen Colors

In an article on the topic of kitchen color trends, HGTV.com quotes Sherwin Williams senior designer Becky Ralich Spak singing the praises of warm colors in the kitchen:

“Aztec clay colors — such as copper, henna and ginger — as well as gold tones, are popular options.”

11. Green Kitchens

Whatever color palette you choose for your kitchen, a fresh foliage colored green can complement it well. It’s a lovely idea to add rejuvenating splashes of green to the décor by placing ferns, potted plants and herbs in the space.

If you love green, you don’t have to stop there. You could make green one of the predominant colors in your kitchen color scheme. A number of different greens are trendy this year: emerald green, kelly green, and a whole host of blue-ish greens such as mint green and deep teal.

Pantone’s color of the year is a fresh, livable mid-tone green called “Greenery”. It’s a radically different choice than the cool grays, purples and blues that predominate the paint manufacturers’ choices this year. Pantone’s choice is worth paying attention to because of their position in the market. They aren’t a paint purveyor, but rather they’re a company that creates a standardized system of colors that fashion and home furnishings industry professionals use for specifying the colors they’ll use for their products. What that means: Pantone is a company that has unique insights into the colors that thousands of manufacturers are currently using. If anyone’s well positioned to predict color trends, it’s the folks at Pantone.

If you want to paint your walls or other surfaces with this color, you’ll have to have your favorite paint manufacturer mix the color. You can click here to order a swatch of it.

12. Blue Kitchens

Blue is a fresh, new up-and-coming color being used in kitchen color palettes for 2017. Top picks are grayish blues that pair well with gray; icy, pale yet energetic turquoise blues that pair well with cool whites or darker accents of teal; denim inspired blues; and daring purplish blues.

Staff at Glidden chose “Byzantine Blue” as their 2017 color of the year. I grabbed a Byzantine Blue paint chip for reference. After studying the paint chip and mulling it over, I’m confident in saying I prefer a lighter wall color than this. I do think Byzantine Blue would be a lovely color for kitchen DIY projects like painting kitchen islands, open shelving, kitchen barstools or china cupboards to give the kitchen some color.

On the back of the Byzantine Blue paint chip I found suggestions for a couple of coordinating colors: “Dove White” and “Universal Grey”. On the front, there’s a color combination featuring a darker tone called “Deep Empire Blue” and a lighter tone called “Antique Violet”. These colors could easily form the basis of a stylish kitchen color palette.

2017 Kitchen Style Trends

13. Transitional Style Kitchens Are Still the Top Trend for 2017.

A transitional kitchen is one that incorporates elements that are both traditional and contemporary. In the past few years, transitional was an important design style for kitchens, with many homeowners remodeling their kitchens to reflect this style. We expect to see transitional kitchens remaining popular in 2017.

14. Contemporary Style Kitchens

The National Kitchen and Bath Association reports that contemporary-style kitchens have overtaken traditional kitchens in popularity, making contemporary kitchens the second most popular kitchen design style.

15. Traditional Style Kitchens Declining in Popularity, but Still Important

In many areas of the USA, the traditional style has been declining in popularity since at least 2015. However, we see no evidence that the traditional style is dead. There’s still plenty of demand for it.

It’s worth noting that multiple prominent manufacturers of kitchen faucets and fixtures have released new product offerings in the traditional category within the last couple of years. This is an indication of how much demand does still exist for kitchen elements in the traditional style. It takes a significant amount of demand to justify the design and product development costs for new offerings such as these.

Demand for traditional style kitchen fixtures is driven in part by homeowners remodeling older traditional style homes. No matter what the current trends are, the style of a home still dictates what its furnishings should look like to a significant degree.

16. Industrial Kitchens Are an Emerging Trend for 2017.

Rugged texture is one of the primary hallmarks of the industrial style. Think hand-scraped, rustic wood flooring, rough-textured interior brick walls, exposed pipes and natural stone surfaces. Cool, smooth metal is a prominent counterpoint to all the roughness. A neutral color palette can round out the look, although color palettes could possibly get brighter as the trend evolves in 2017.

Expert opinion diverges on where the industrial style is headed in 2017. On the one hand, we have National Kitchen and Bath Association members who are actively designing and installing so many industrial style kitchens that the NKBA put out a recent press release in which the industrial style kitchen was mentioned as a significant emerging trend.

On the other hand, the New York Times has quoted Zillow Digs home design expert, Kerrie Kelly, predicting the opposite:

“Homeowners will start to shy away from overly industrial designs that feel stiff or cold.”

Kelly also includes industrial furniture on her list of fads to forget from 2016, saying,

” While aspects of the industrial design trend like exposed brick will still be present in 2017, homeowners will start to shy away from its sometimes uncomfortable or impractical furniture.”

Both sets of opinions likely have some validity, but it appears to me that the NKBA is using the more reliable methodology in making their assessment. Since they’re analyzing actual remodeling and home building work that’s being done by the members of their organization, it’s hard to argue with their findings.

My main takeaway from all this: Perhaps the industrial style kitchen may evolve to become more approachable in 2017, but it’s going strong this year.

17. Mid-Century Modern Kitchens Are an Item for 2017.

Doesn’t it seem like mid-century modern has been a thing since, well, the middle of last century? I wondered: Have mid-century styled kitchens stopped being a thing at any point since then? So I looked it up.

According to the New York Times, interest in mid-century modern revived in 1998 and hasn’t died since. So there you have it: It’s been nearly two decades. This style is still going strong in 2017, and the trend shows no signs of slowing.

18. Mountain Modern Kitchens Are an Emerging Trend for 2017.

Mountain modern style is a regional variation of the broader contemporary style trend. It’s an up-to-date twist on classic lodge style decorating. If a cutting-edge urban industrial loft and an old-fashioned, traditional log cabin were to get married and have kids, the result would be a mountain modern style environment. In the kitchen, common hallmarks of the style include:

• Large, abundant glass windows and / or glass door systems
• Concrete countertops and / or floors
• Glass tile; glass tile backsplashes
• Minimal trim
• Ceiling beams
• Rustic wood floors
• High ceilings

19. Coastal Style Kitchens Are an Emerging Trend for 2017.

This is another regional variation of the broader contemporary style trend.

20. Shaker Style Kitchens

“Shaker style” is a style that fits within the broader transitional style. It is a minimalist look that is more traditional than modern style, but shares some common characteristics such as clean, simple lines and an uncluttered appearance.

21. Farmhouse Kitchens

Farmhouse style isn’t anything new, but for 2017 it’s an au courant take on country style.

See Also: Kitchen styles

Kitchen Remodeling Trends for 2017

22. The Decline of DIY

DIY is trending down; use of professional contractors is trending up. However, the DIY movement is not dead by any means. It’s more popular in some niches than others, and do-it-yourselfers are still handing some of their own tasks at home. For example, home painting is still a big thing with the DIY crowd. The latest data provided by the folks at Home Innovation indicates that do-it-yourselfers completed 70 percent of all interior painting as of 2015. Homeowners, however, aren’t doing much of their own roofing; the latest data available from Home Innovation reveals that DIY enthusiasts handled only 16 percent of their own roofing replacements in 2015.

23. Impressive, Well-Stocked Kitchen Pantries

D Magazine recently reported on the local popularity of French pantries in Dallas, Texas. These offer homeowners an attractive option for food storage that doesn’t waste significant kitchen space.

24. Universal Design Features

Kitchen designers are paying increased attention to designing layouts that don’t require heavy lifting, back bending, stair climbing or other strenuous physical activities.

25. Innovative Kitchen Work Stations

Innovative kitchen work stations are trendy in 2017.

One fantastic example is the Franke Chef Center, pictured above. An undermount sink is the foundation of the design, and it includes convenient storage and utility features chefs are sure to appreciate.

Another example is the Galley, a unique design that garnered attention and a best-in-show silver award in the kitchen category at the Kitchen and Bath Industry Show 2017.

26. Coffee Stations —

Do you make a beeline for the coffee maker every morning before you do anything else? Speaking only to those of you who have coffee mugs in an overhead cabinet, a coffee maker on the countertop, your coffee beans in the pantry, your organic coffee creamers in the fridge and your spoons in a separate drawer: Does this make any sense whatsoever?

No. No, it doesn’t.

That’s far more half-asleep stumbling around than you should really be doing to enable your daily coffee fix. Isn’t it?

The obvious solution: Set up a coffee station in your kitchen. Stock it with everything you need to fast track your morning caffeine buzz. That way you’ll have your first stop of the morning organized so you can get an efficient head start on your day.

We’re seeing bunches of different takes on this concept. Some people are keeping it simple with countertop or tabletop organizers for their coffee-drinking accessories. Others are taking it to extremes by setting up fancy, restaurant-worthy coffee makers on lavish furniture pieces. Either way, this is a trend that makes total sense for people who are coffee connoisseurs.

27. Gourmet Kitchens

Many homeowners want to stock their kitchens with all the amenities it takes to cook healthy, delicious gourmet meals. Those who are remodeling their kitchens are making space in both their floor plans and their budgets for these amenities.

28. The Decline of the Traditional Kitchen Table

When remodeling older kitchens in 2017, many homeowners continue to replace their kitchen tables with other choices such as kitchen islands or additional counter space.

Among those who are choosing to keep tables in their kitchens, pub tables, tall gathering tables and counter height tables are trendy choices for 2017. These tables are characterized by their height; they are typically 36 to 42 inches tall, which is taller than the standard kitchen table height of 30 inches.

29. Open Floor Plans

Open floor plans aren’t new by any means; this is a mature trend that is still current for 2017.

30. Dual Kitchen Islands

31. Built-In Breakfast Booths

32. Built-In Bars

What comes next after the bar cart trend? Some homeowners are abandoning bar carts in favor of creating more permanent built-in bar entertainment areas in their kitchens.

33. A Fireplace in the Kitchen

34. Minimalism

35. A Mix of Woods, Metals and Materials

Kitchen Countertops

36. Quartz Kitchen Countertops

Quartz is attractive for its durability and its consistent color characteristics. Among National Kitchen and Bath Industry professionals, quartz is currently the most popular countertop material being installed in kitchens, and its use is trending up. Reports from Home Innovations corroborate the idea that quartz is trending up, but their data indicates that quartz’s market share has been much lower in newly built homes. Their data pegs quartz countertops at a mere 9+% of the total market share. However, they report that the use of quartz and engineered stone is growing rapidly.

37. Granite Kitchen Countertops

Granite remains high on the list of trendy kitchen countertops for 2017; white granite is of particular interest to those who are decorating their kitchens in white, black or gray color schemes.

Those of you who follow trends are aware that granite countertops have been popular for what seems like ages now. Some of the trendiest trendsetters have moved away from granite countertops, but the home building and home buying markets as a whole are still embracing them.

As of mid 2015, the experts at Home Innovation were reporting that granite was gaining in popularity for kitchen countertops at the expense of tile, laminates and solid surfacing. Their latest 2016 update on this topic alerted us that granite was used in more than half of all the new homes built in 2015.

National Kitchen and Bath Association experts made us aware that granite has been the second most popular building material their members have reported using for kitchen countertops in the recent past. However, they alert us that granite’s overall market share is trending down.

38. Butcher Block Kitchen Countertops

Wood countertops command a significantly smaller percentage of market share than their natural stone counterparts, but interest in them is currently increasing.

Butcher block countertops are of particular interest as food prep surfaces in the kitchen. In some newly renovated kitchens, there’s a butcher block countertop as the main food prep surface, but natural stone countertops are used in the other areas throughout the rest of the kitchen.

As far as the trendiest wood species currently being used for wood countertops, American black walnut wood is one option that’s currently popular. The walnut can be finished with a rich chocolate brown-colored marine oil finish that harmonizes well with the dark-toned floors that are currently popular.

Other options include oak, blond maple, exotic woods and custom wood mixes where two or more woods are used in the same countertop for interesting patterned effects.

See Also: How to build your own butcher block countertops

39. Concrete Kitchen Countertops

While concrete kitchen countertops don’t have a majority market share by any means, they’re popular with homeowners who are remodeling to create industrial style kitchens, contemporary style kitchens and mountain modern style kitchens. They’re cheap and relatively easy to implement, which makes them particularly popular with the DIY crowd.

40. Marble Kitchen Countertops

41. Mixed Countertop Materials

There’s no rule that says all your kitchen countertops have to be made of the same material. It can make sense to mix things up, as I mentioned above regarding kitchens that only include butcher block countertops in the food prep work stations. For an on-trend look that keeps things interesting, you could use a different surface on your kitchen island than what you’re using in your other countertops.

2017 Kitchen Cabinet Trends

Kitchen cabinet trends have evolved over the course of the past decade. Back in 2008, the hottest kitchen cabinet style was a raised panel-in-frame, commanding 63 percent of the total market share. At the time, flat panel in-frame cabinets weren’t the trendiest style, although they did command about 19 percent of the total market share. Nowadays, flat panel cabinets command a more respectable 34 percent of the total market share. Raised-panel cabinet styles have fallen in popularity, but there’s still significant demand for them. The latest available data indicates their current market share is 46 percent of the total.

Other noteworthy kitchen cabinet trends are as follows:

• 42. Wood-finished, flat panel cabinets
• 43. All wood kitchen cabinets
• 44. Flat walnut wood cabinets
• 45. Rustic wood cabinets
• 46. Reclaimed wood cabinets
• 47. High-gloss kitchen cabinets
• 48. Simple kitchen cabinet door styles
• 49. Cabinets that look like furniture
• 50. White painted kitchen cabinets
• 51. Gray painted kitchen cabinets
• 52. Metal kitchen cabinets — an up-and-coming trend with a minority market share
• 53. Rollouts and pullouts in the cabinets
• 54. Under cabinet lighting
• 55. Flat cabinet door styles
• 56. Kitchens without wall cabinets
• 57. Crown molding on kitchen cabinets is in decline, according to reports from the National Kitchen and Bath Association.

Backsplashes

58. Glass Subway Tile Backsplashes

Glass subway tile backsplashes aren’t a new thing, but they’re still going strong in 2017.

59. Honeycomb Tile Backsplashes

Hexagons are trendy in everything from tile flooring to quilt blocks and crocheted blankets. Hexagonal shaped tiles are making appearances in 2017 kitchen backsplash designs as well.

60. Marble Kitchen Backsplashes

61. Mosaic Tile Backsplashes

Trendy Metal and Other Surfaces for 2017: Kitchen Faucets, Kitchen Hardware, ETC

62. Brass — Satin brass is a popular pick for kitchen hardware in 2017. If you want warm colored accents in your kitchen, look for satin brass drawer pulls, knobs and doodads. A range of different brass hardware styles are on trend right now.

63. Matte Black Kitchen Faucets — We’re seeing bunches of new matte black kitchen faucets and other black surfaces around these days. In January 2017, Moen just announced a new ultra-modern collection of matte black kitchen and bath faucets and valves. Delta has a new black faucet as well.

64. Chrome — According to a 2017 kitchen trend report posted at the Seattle Times website, this classic metal is catching on in the kitchen right now.

65. Pewter — Pewter is a classic and versatile kitchen hardware finish. If you’re painting your cabinets white or another color, the chances are good that pewter pulls and knobs would complement them well.

66. Stainless Steel — Stainless steel is more of a classic than a trend, and it’s still relevant for 2017 kitchens.

67. Nickel — Brushed nickel and satin nickel remain popular finishes for kitchen hardware this year. Brushed nickel pairs especially well with stainless steel surfaces.

68. Oil-Rubbed Bronze — People keep trying to tell me that oil-rubbed bronze is now out of style. If that’s the case, why is bronze dominating so many best-seller lists? An example: This list of best-selling kitchen hardware gets updated hourly, so you never know what you’ll find on it — but every time I’ve checked it lately, it has been dominated by oil-rubbed bronze and satin nickel knobs and doodads.

True, oil-rubbed bronze was ubiquitous during the now-outdated Tuscan trend. But, that isn’t the only look oil-rubbed bronze coordinates well with. Bronze looks rich and lovely in farmhouse style kitchens, industrial style environments and bunches of other kitchen styles.

2017 Kitchen Appliances

69. Concealed Appliances

Appliance camouflage is one of the top trends for 2017. I don’t mean you’ll literally be seeing mossy oak spots on your neighbors’ refrigerators. What I’m trying to say is that when you walk into an unfamiliar kitchen, it isn’t totally obvious where the refrigerator is. Now you have to spend a few minutes contemplating which door it might be hiding behind.

This is even more true for small appliances. In times past, they’d clutter up a counter, and you couldn’t miss ’em. Not anymore.

70. Warming Drawer / Slow Cooker Combinations

Please pardon the dreadful pun, but I just have to say it: Warming drawers are hot right now. I’ve looked at bunches of them lately, and the ones I’m finding most interesting are the new slow cooker / warming drawer combos. KitchenAid has one, and Viking just announced the release of a brand new model (pictured above).

It would be an UNDERSTATEMENT to say that I want one of these. Want, want, want!

71. Black Appliances

White and basic stainless steel aren’t your only options for au courant kitchen appliances. We’re seeing bunches of interesting new options for black appliances around.

KitchenAid released a line of black stainless steel appliances in 2015 that they recently decided to expand. The product line now includes a wider variety of offerings including refrigerators, icemakers, dishwashers, wine cellars and beverage centers.

In January of 2017, GE announced a new Black Slate finish for some of their GE Café™ appliances including single and double wall ovens, hoods and dishwashers. They plan to add Black Slate refrigerators to the product line in spring of 2017.

72. Freestanding Professional Kitchen Ranges Are Hot Again

Just when you thought the hottest cooking appliance was a cooktop/wall oven combination, the tides are turning to once again favor the freestanding range. Wolf is one of the trendiest brands to look for right now.

73. Induction Cooktops

74. Convection Ovens

Many of the world’s fussiest chefs agree that convection ovens provide an exceptional cooking experience. Their advantages result from additional air circulation, which warms food quickly and evenly. Convection ovens are ideal for impatient cooks; according to Susie Middleton in Issue#38 of Fine Cooking Magazine, you can speed up cooking times by around 25 percent if you cook in a convection oven instead of a conventional oven.

75. Microwave Drawers

We already mentioned appliance camouflage as being a top trend right now, and the microwave drawer phenomenon fits well with this trend. National Kitchen and Bath Association members report that microwave drawers are overtaking freestanding or built-in microwaves in popularity in their recent kitchen remodeling and home building projects.

76. Steam Ovens

It isn’t unusual for food trends and kitchen trends to converge. The steam oven is a niche item that doesn’t command a majority market share, but the National Kitchen and Bath Association reports that steam oven installations are trending up.

This rise in popularity coincides with the recent trends for enjoying real food and consuming locally grown organic vegetables and produce.

Steam ovens are appealing to homeowners who frequently prepare rice, steamed vegetables, fish or other moist dishes. For most chefs, a steam oven isn’t an acceptable substitute for a conventional oven. It isn’t an option for dishes that need to be crispy or dry.

77. The Unexpected Breakup of Refrigerators and Freezers

Refrigerators and freezers are kissing each other goodbye and finding new bliss in separate quarters.

78. The Decline of the Side by Side Refrigerator-Freezer

While this is the most popular refrigerator / freezer configuration, it has been declining in market share in the recent past.

79. Freezer-on-Bottom Refrigerators

The new up-and-coming trend in refrigerators is the freezer-on-bottom configuration. While this configuration commands a minority of total sales, the sales volume is growing.

80. Counter-Depth Refrigerators

If you’re decorating the kitchen in a studio apartment or any small kitchen space, a counter-depth refrigerator is a real space-saver. A counter-depth fridge sits flush with adjacent countertops and kitchen cabinetry. This gives the entire configuration a streamlined look, plus it frees up surprising amounts of walkway space in the kitchen.

Some of the most popular current options are counter-depth refrigerators with French doors; counter-depth refrigerators with the freezer on the bottom; and side-by-side counter-depth refrigerators.

81. Wine Refrigerators and Dual-Controlled Wine Coolers

Wine is trendy right now, and wine refrigerators are a tangible reflection of this trend.

Wine cellars are currently popular with affluent homeowners who have sizeable wine collections, but an entire wine cellar isn’t necessary for the majority of homeowners. For homeowners who don’t hoard large quantities of wine, a wine refrigerator in the kitchen typically offers sufficient storage space. Most have sufficient capacity to store enough wine to satisfy casual drinkers who enjoy a bottle with dinner on occasion.

See Also: Wine storage

82. Miele Dishwashers

83. Wood Burning Ovens

84. Pizza Ovens

Pizza ovens are a thing both in the main kitchen and in the outdoor kitchen. There are models designed for your countertop and models designed for your gas grill.

85. Smart Appliances

Imagine you look at your phone to check your latest text message. The text is from your oven. It wanted to let you know that it has just finished cooking your dinner. That could happen to you in 2017 if you decide to purchase a smart oven that’s wired with the capability to text, tweet on Twitter and perform other similar communication tasks.

Smart homes, in general, are predicted to gain traction in 2017. I personally won’t be jumping on the trend, since I like to do things old school. Plus books like 1984 and movies like Minority Report and The Net did a great job of illustrating some of the possible downsides to this type of technology. But please don’t let my lack of enthusiasm deter you from learning more about these ideas if you find them interesting. Our article about smart home automation has more details.

Kitchen Flooring Trends for 2017

86. Hardwood Flooring

The folks over at Home Innovation recently reported that installation of hardwood flooring is trending up in new homes, and that it has a 32 percent market share overall. Solid hardwood is the preferred choice, with engineered hardwood flooring accounting for more than 40 percent of the total market share in new homes. My understanding is that these statistics apply to all the flooring in newly built homes, not specifically the kitchen flooring. But in general, we’ve been seeing hardwood flooring in the kitchen trending up.

87. Huber Advantech® Subflooring

Home Innovation also reports on the subflooring being used. According to their findings, Huber Advantech® has more than one-third share of the OSB subflooring market, and Weyerhaeuser EdgeGold has about a quarter of the total market share.

88. Parquet Flooring

Just when you thought parquet flooring was as out-of-date as an item could possibly be, it’s back in style again. It’s a little different this time around, with the hottest parquet flooring styles being chevrons, herringbones and zigzag designs constructed out of beautiful woods like walnut or maple.

Of course, parquet flooring commands a miniscule portion of the flooring market overall, but by all appearances this is a thing that’s at the beginning of its bell curve and trending up.

89. Black Finishes for Hardwood Flooring

Dark-colored hardwood flooring has been popular for quite some time now. Previously, espresso brown and ebony were a couple of the trendiest colors for dark colored flooring. On one hand, there are significant numbers of people who are still interested in these flooring colors. On the other hand, these dark browns harmonized well with the now-outdated Tuscan trend — so if you go for this look, you want to be really careful with how you implement it. You definitely don’t want a brand new floor that looks 10+ years old.

One possible idea is to go with a newer, darker, less brown finish. Enter DuraSeal’s new Quick Coat in “True Black.”

I urge caution in adopting this trend for a couple of reasons. The first is that your flooring maintenance is going to be significant with any dark-colored floor. If sweeping the kitchen floor twice a day is your idea of fun, this might be exactly the right flooring for you. If not, please think carefully before staining your floor a dark color.

The second reason is that it’s easy to overdo black. You have to be deliberate about balancing it with light and bright colors to avoid having your kitchen look like a dungeon.

The Best Kitchen Sinks for 2017

90. Undermount Sinks — Undermount sinks work well with the natural stone kitchen countertops that have been popular lately. This type of sink offers you a sleek, seamless look that’s an ideal complement for modern and contemporary kitchens. Undermount sinks also offer a cleaner hygienic experience than their drop-in counterparts do, thanks to the absence of a seam around the edge that can collect crumbs, goo and dirt.

91. Trough Sinks — A long trough style sink could be just the right look for those whose kitchens incorporate an industrial aesthetic.

92. Granite Kitchen Sinks — Home Innovations has reported that, as of mid 2015, sales of granite and stone kitchen sinks were increasing at a more rapid rate than sales of any other type of sink material. It’s worth noting that this organization reports statistics relating to construction of new homes. Strong sales of granite sinks in 2015 has resulted in bunches of new homes now coming on the market featuring granite sinks.

93. Single Basin Kitchen Sinks — In 2016, we began witnessing a comeback in demand for the single basin kitchen sink. Home Innovation reports that SFD installations for this style of sink have been steadily increasing over the past decade, having climbed to 20% up from 5% by mid 2015.

94. Enameled Cast Iron Kitchen Sinks — In the recent past, these sinks suffered a brief decline in demand, with the low in demand happening around 2009 and coinciding with the recession. By all appearances, they began making a comeback in 2016, with rising sales driven by new residential construction projects.

Kitchen Lighting Trends for 2017

95. LED Lighting

LED Lighting is illuminating every crevice and surface you could imagine in the kitchen. It’s being installed in the pantry, inside drawers and cabinets, underneath cabinets, at the base of the floor, above the trim, and as a means to accentuate artwork.

96. Lutron Lighting Systems

Lutron is one of the hottest name brands to look for right now if you decide to go high-tech when you upgrade your lighting. They offer smart lighting solutions that you can use with bunches of different smart devices and smart systems — or not. They also work without having a whole home automation system in place.

97. Under Cabinet Lighting

98. Dramatic Kitchen Lighting

Eye-catching chandeliers aren’t just for dining rooms any more. Whether you choose a chandelier or a sleeker light fixture, it’s OK to put your most attractive showpiece lighting in the kitchen this year.

See Also: 10 Major Lighting Trends for 2017

Kitchen Window Trends

99. Glass Window/Door Combinations Allow Easy Outdoor Access — Some homeowners who are embracing the outdoor living trend have been finding they need a convenient way to get from the home’s main indoor kitchen to the deck, pool, patio and/or barbecue areas outside. One solution is to install a sliding glass door or folding glass door system in or near the kitchen.

100. Serve-Through Windows D Magazine recently reported on another clever solution that facilitates outdoor entertaining. The serve-through window is ideal for the chef who doesn’t enjoy running back and forth from the kitchen to the backyard. With a serve-through window installed, the host/ess in the kitchen can serve up snacks or meals to everyone in the backyard without making a special trip outside.

101. Dark Interior Window Colors — Andersen’s new product offerings include dark interior window colors known as “dark bronze” and “black on black”. These interior window colors are well suited for use in kitchens as well as other areas of the home.

Technology in the Kitchen

102. Home Offices, Docking Stations and Work Stations in the Kitchen

In 2015, the National Kitchen and Bath Association reported that desk or home office space has been created in a majority of new kitchens being designed by their members — approximately two-thirds of them. We saw this trend continue in 2016, and by all appearances it’s still going strong as of 2017 as well.

The kitchen or kitchen office space is likely to include a docking station for recharging mobile devices.

See Also: 8 Ways to Get the Best Value From Your Kitchen Upgrades

Kitchen Plumbing

103. PEX Water Piping — The experts at Home Renovation reported that as of May 2016, PEX water piping is now in 63% of all newly built homes. They also pointed out that this statistic marks a new high for the category.

Overall Kitchen Market Trends

The National Kitchen and Bath Association estimates the retail market value for remodeling-related kitchen product purchases to be nearly $50 billion US.

The Home Improvement Research Institute reports that 37 percent of new home buyers are tackling home improvement projects in their kitchens shortly after purchasing, and that more than 80 percent are making improvements to their homes overall. The median price of these renovations is $4,000.

After studying thousands of different resources including web pages, blog posts, articles, press releases, bestseller lists, store displays, catalogs, magazines and emails, these are what we’ve determined are the most important kitchen trends for 2017. We hope you found these insights interesting, helpful and comprehensive. If you’re in need of more in-depth information, the references linked below are the ones we found to be most authoritative and useful out of all the pages we looked at when compiling this trend report. You’ll find much more interesting reading material on the topic of 2017 kitchen trends if you visit these pages.

References and Additional Articles on the Topic of Kitchen Trends for 2017

• At the National Kitchen and Bath Association Website — Americans love their kitchens and baths; NKBA research pegs industry value at $134 billion
• At the At the National Kitchen and Bath Association Website Website — More Americans favor contemporary or transitional kitchen styling according to research conducted by NKBA
• At the National Kitchen and Bath Association Website — Contemporary kitchens
• At the Home Innovation Website — What’s New in the U.S. Remodeling Industry?
• At the Home Innovation Website — What is up or down in new US homes?
• At the New York Times Website — Velvet, marble and jewel tones among top home design trends for 2017
• At the General Electric Website — Refrigerators and Freezers Part Ways With New GE Appliances Monogram Columns
• At the Home Innovation Website — Data Hot Off the Spreadsheets! Latest Builder Practices Reports Now Available
• At the General Electric Website — Get Tweets From Your Oven
• At the ActiveRain Website — >What’s Hot and Trending in Kitchen Innovation
• At the Choice Australia Website — Steam Ovens
• At the Furnishing America Website — Counter Height vs Standard Height Tables
• At the KitchenAid Website — KitchenAid expands black stainless appliance collection
• At the Moen Website — Make a statement with the Align kitchen and bathroom suites, now available in matte black
• At the Builder Online Website — Five housing trends shaping 2017 window design
• At the D Magazine Website — Top Dallas Building Trends of 2016
• At the Summit Daily Website — The mountain modern trend gains popularity in Summit County
• At the North American Hardware Retailing Website Website — Greenery and Shadow Among 2017 Colors of the Year
• At the Home Improvement Research Institute Website — 80% of Recent Home Buyers Doing Home Improvements
• At the Forbes Website — Top 10 Home Design Trends to Expect in 2017
• At the Sebring Services Website — 6 Top trends in kitchen countertop design for 2017
• At the PPG Investor Website — Glidden Paint names Byzantine Blue 2017 Color of the Year
• At the PPG Corporate Website — Glidden Paint names Byzantine Blue 2017 Color of the Year
• At the HGTV Website — Discover the Latest Kitchen Color Trends
• At the Sebring Services Website — Top trends in kitchen backsplash design
• At the Seattle Times Website — Experts share their top kitchen design trends for 2017
• At the Hardware Retailing Website — Top kitchen and bath trends of 2017.
• At the Fine Cooking Website — Better cooking through convection
• At the Sebring Services Website — Top trends in kitchen cabinetry design for 2017
• At the Angie’s List Website — Pros and Cons of Undermount Sinks
• At the Kitchen and Bath Industry Show Website — Franke unveils new chef center
• At the Consumer Reports Website — Counter depth refrigerators to consider and Make great pizza at home on game day

More 2017 Interior Design Trends

• 2017 Lighting Trends
• 2017 Home Design Trends

Get the most comprehensive free kitchen trend report covering 2017 kitchen trends: kitchen styles, cabinets, colors, appliances, flooring and more.
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