by Here’s Everything You Need to Know About 2024’s Hottest Kitchen Trends: Kitchen Islands, Kitchen Sinks, Kitchen Faucets, Kitchen Tables, Kitchen Appliances, Backsplashes, Countertops, Flooring, Color Schemes, and Bunches of Other Kitchen Remodeling Trends.
Wondering about the most important kitchen trends 2024? We’ve rounded up a bunch of must-know-about kitchen trends to track for 2024 and beyond. This trend forecast includes information about kitchen islands, sinks, faucets, fixtures, countertops, cabinetry, backsplashes, hardware, appliances, flooring, tile, paint colors, lighting, wood and metal surfaces and more. Because lifestyle trends also influence kitchen trends to a significant degree, we’ll also take a look at some of the key lifestyle trends that are shaping what kitchens are going to look like in 2024.
So let’s delve into what’s trending up in kitchen design for 2024.
The Most Important Kitchen Trends for 2024:
1. The Sustainable Kitchen
Natural, Reclaimed, and Recycled Materials are Trending Up; Plastics Are Trending Down
There’s a growing backlash against the overuse of plastics in the home and kitchen. Although most people are still buying and using some plastics, there is a trend towards minimizing use of plastic wherever possible at home, and particularly in the kitchen. There is also an uptick in interest in reclaimed, recycled, and reused materials and also in vintage materials.
When summarizing the top kitchen design trends that were brought to light as a result of their recent survey, the folks at Houzz noted that sustainability considerations were influencing survey respondents’ decisions across multiple facets of the kitchen renovation process. These decisions are being driven by cost consciousness and also by environmental consciousness.
2. The Healthy Kitchen: Natural, Chemical Free, Organic and Clean
People look to their homes as being a safe refuge for nurturing both their mental and physical wellbeing. The “Healthy Home” is becoming one of the most influential global lifestyle trends — and the kitchen is one of the first rooms consumers are looking at when it comes to health-enhancing features.
One of the main health concerns in the kitchen: Clean drinking water. Studies show that most bottled water is contaminated with microplastics. Water filtration is the best way to ensure clean, healthy drinking water at home; therefore, water filtration is a top item of interest for kitchens and homes in 2024.
According to the National Association of Home Builders’ most recent post-pandemic survey of what home buyers want, drinking water filtration was one of the top 5 most desirable features in the kitchen. 32% of their survey respondents rated drinking water filtration as being “essential or must have.” 44% rated it as being “desirable.” All together, that’s 76% of their survey respondents who really want this feature in their kitchens.
Consumers are also interested in using natural, non-toxic and chemical-free materials in the kitchen. This includes elements in the kitchen beyond just organic foods, chemical-free soaps and all-natural cleaning products. Homeowners are seeking out everything from low-VOC paints to formaldehyde-free cabinets to nontoxic waxes for finishing their hardwood kitchen flooring.
See Also: Green Design Trends for 2024 and Beyond
3. Increasing Kitchen Sizes
The folks over at Kitchen & Bath Design News teamed up with people from the Research Institute of Kitchen & Cooking Intelligence (RICKI) to conduct a survey in which they asked kitchen and bath design professionals questions to determine how peoples’ lifestyles and product preferences have changed as a result of the COVID-19 health crisis. Some of their most interesting conclusions were that people are spending more time at home, and people are paying more attention to their kitchens. They report that 57% of their survey respondents have designed kitchens with greater amounts of square footage. 60% of their respondents also expressed a willingness to invest more heavily in their kitchens than before.
The researchers over at Houzz corroborate these findings, noting in their 2023 kitchen design trends survey that 27% of their survey respondents remodeled their kitchens to make them somewhat larger. 6% of them remodeled to create a significantly larger kitchen space, increasing their kitchen size by more than 50%.
4. Kitchen Islands
Multiple sources have confirmed the importance of the kitchen island as a top trend right now. Kitchen professionals at the National Kitchen and Bath Association noted that large, multi-functional kitchen islands were one of the most important trends they observed in their 2023 member survey; their members’ clients are using their islands as a food preparation area, dining area, work area, and space for charging their gadgets.
The folks over at Zillow also concur with these findings; according to a post at Zillow, the kitchen island is frequently being used as a food prep area, a homework table, and a home office workspace. Their data suggests that multiple finishes are popular for kitchen islands including wood stains, interesting paint colors, metal hardware, wood countertops, and stone countertops.
According to Houzz’s 2023 study, 55% of their survey respondents who recently renovated their kitchens either built a brand new kitchen island or made improvements to the islands they already had in their kitchens.
The National Association of Home Builders recently conducted research to determine the top-priority features that home buyers want when they buy a new home. According to their research, a central kitchen island is one of the top 5 most desirable kitchen features with the home buying public. 32% of their survey respondents rated a central island as being “essential or must have.” 45% rated a central island as being “desirable.” This makes for a total of 77% of their survey respondents who reported really wanting a central island in their kitchens.
The main takeaway: As we head into 2024, kitchen islands have already been a hugely popular and desirable feature, and this is unlikely to change to any significant degree in the coming year.
5. No Kitchen Islands: Kitchen Tables, Bars With Bar Stools, Kitchen Carts, and Other Solutions
While kitchen islands are far and away one of the most popular kitchen design elements, according to Houzz, you’ll be in good company if you decide to go in a different direction in 2024. 37% of their survey respondents do not have islands in their kitchens.
If you don’t have the space in your kitchen for an island, or you simply don’t want one, there are many other solutions to consider. The solution you end up with will depend on the functionality you have in mind.
In the last decade+, kitchen islands have been multifunctional, serving as food prep stations, kitchen tables, and kitchen storage areas. However, the kitchen island doesn’t necessarily make for the most comfortable seating. If you’re envisioning the center of your kitchen as being the primary gathering spot for meals, it would be far more comfortable to just put a kitchen table in this space instead of a kitchen island.
In fact, according to the National Association of Home Builders’ most recent post-pandemic survey of features that new home buyers really want, a sizable majority of their survey respondents — 78% — really want to include table space for eating in their kitchens. 35% rated this as “essential or must have,” and 43% rated this as “desirable.”
If space is the issue, and you have a dining area or dining room available elsewhere in your home, there is no need to cram a kitchen island into the kitchen just for the sake of having a space to sit and eat. There are plenty of on-trend kitchens where this is the situation.
If you’re thinking of taking this approach with your own kitchen remodel, I suggest looking at kitchens from locations like New York City and Toronto for examples of how to make this work, because many other homeowners there have designed delightful and totally viable kitchens sans islands in their small spaces.
Here’s an example of a New York City kitchen to start you off with. This actually isn’t a brand new kitchen for 2024; it’s an older photo. However, New Yorkers are often at the beginning of the bell curve when it comes to setting trends vs adopting them — and it appears that was the case here, because what we have is an older kitchen that is still passably on-trend for 2024. The things that make this kitchen on-trend include the L-shaped layout; the black-and-white color palette with just a touch of aqua; the flat-fronted cabinets with pulls; and all the personalized touches like the fridge art and the design on the door that differentiate this kitchen design from billions of others and make it unique.
One of the most important things to notice is that there is no island in this kitchen, but there is a kitchen table. So I think this is a really fantastic example of how you can make a small kitchen work for you without an island, even though it seems like everyone else has an island right now.
6. A Kitchen Cart on Wheels
If more work space or storage space is what you need in your kitchen, consider choosing a rolling kitchen cart that can be moved where you need it. If you have a pantry, a kitchen cart on wheels makes it super convenient to make one trip to the pantry to retrieve what you need and get on with your meal prep without making two dozen trips back and forth. Even if you don’t have a pantry, a kitchen cart is a particular viable solution for small kitchens where it would be ideal to have the capability to use a workstation when you’re preparing meals but be able to remove it and get it out of the way otherwise.
7. Walk-In Kitchen Pantries, Butler’s Pantries, and Fully Stocked Second Kitchens in 2024
In late 2019 and early 2020, when COVID-19 first came to the world’s attention, groceries disappeared from store shelves around the world, and keeping a well-stocked pantry became a high priority. Since then, grocery store shelves have restocked, but the memory of supply chain issues still lingers fresh in homeowners’ memories. The pantry is still a high priority feature in affluent homeowners’ kitchens.
In the National Association of Home Builders’ most recent post-pandemic survey, they determined that walk-in pantries are among the top 5 most desirable kitchen features for new home buyers. 34% of their survey respondents rated pantries as being “essential / must have.” 47% rated them as being “desirable.” All together, that adds to a total of 81% of survey respondents who really want this feature in their kitchens.
Furthermore, Insider reports that some homeowners are now taking things a step beyond the humble “butler’s pantry.” A butler’s pantry is sort of like a staging area where behind-the-scenes setup and cleanup happen. A butler’s pantry will typically have counter space to use for activities like lighting the candles on a birthday cake out of the sight of its recipient. It might hold small appliances like the coffee maker so that countertops in the main kitchen can be kept clutter-free. It might also be stocked with a second refrigerator just for holding beer or soft drinks, or perhaps a wine refrigerator.
But now, some affluent homeowners are not satisfied with a simple pantry or butler’s pantry. Instead, they are building complete second kitchens in their homes. This trend apparently predated the COVID-19 crisis, but picked up steam during the crisis in a significant way. This trend is happening at the high end of the market, primarily in homes valued at more than $10 million US, according to the Hollywood Reporter.
Rachel Stults, managing editor at Realtor.com, explains this phenomenon.
“You’ve got your kitchen for entertaining and then you have your kitchen for the actual prep work and where the dishes go,” Stults tells Insider.
Mauricio Oberfeld of high-end California-based builder Dugally Oberfeld concurs. In May of 2021, Oberfelt told Hollywood Reporter,
“On more than 50 percent of our projects, our clients are demanding two kitchens.”
According to the Hollywood Reporter, two kitchens had already been a trend post pandemic but the trend accelerated as a result of the health crisis.
So it remains to be seen whether these trends will fizzle, hold steady, or accelerate further as 2024 unfolds. I personally do not see any downside to adding and maintaining a walk-in pantry in your kitchen if you have the space and means to do so. Given the likelihood of a continued inflationary environment and continuing supply chain hiccups, I believe there will be sizable numbers of homeowners who see the value in this feature in 2024 and the years beyond.
As far as full second kitchens go, I’m not sure enough of the zeitgeist to want to go on the record with a prediction one way or the other at this point — but I’ll update this again as more data becomes available in 2024.
8. Impressive Moulding and Millwork
Personalization has been one of 2023’s top kitchen trends, and this isn’t likely to change as 2023 transitions to 2024. Considering that a lot of things look the same from one kitchen to the next — for example, if just about everyone has stainless steel appliances, a stainless steel sink, and a kitchen island — people are looking for ways to uniquely differentiate their own kitchens and make them feel like their own. Interesting millwork is one of the easiest ways to accomplish this.
What is millwork, exactly?
To give you a simple definition, millwork is factory-made construction materials; think components like crown moulding, interior trim, shelving, mantelpieces, doors, and other architectural details that are made at a mill or factory. For example, the details on your kitchen island or shelving, frequently, are millwork.
So if you’re remodeling your kitchen in 2024, pay attention to all these little details like the trim, moulding, and shelving. In particular, they should complement your home’s architecture. Beyond that, think of them as a way to personalize your kitchen. One important caveat: If you’re remodeling your home to fix and flip, avoid personalization and stick strictly to making the millwork look appropriate for the architectural style of your home.
9. Open Shelving Is Declining in Importance as Homeowners Seek to Hide Clutter in Their Kitchens
Multiple sources have observed that decluttering and hiding clutter are top priorities for homeowners right now. The kitchen design professionals at the National Kitchen and Bath Association observed that today’s homeowners prefer kitchen designs that offer an open look and feel but also have the capacity to hide clutter.
2024’s Most Popular Kitchen Styles
10. Transitional Style Kitchens
Transitional style kitchens were the predominant trend in 2023. They have been the predominant trend since 2013 when I first started tracking kitchen design trends, and I’d be pretty shocked to see this change in 2024. However, it is worth noting that, according to Houzz’s annual design trends survey, this design style saw a big drop in adoption since 2022.
11.Modern Style Kitchens
The folks over at Houzz report that modern style kitchens had overtaken contemporary kitchens as being the second favorite design style as of 2023.
12. Contemporary Style Kitchens
Contemporary style kitchens remain popular and on-trend right now.
13. Farmhouse Style Kitchens
Right now, there is a chorus of people proclaiming that the “farmhouse style is dead.” This statement is infuriating to a segment of the population, and rightly so.
So now we have to distinguish what, exactly, is meant by “farmhouse style” — because, a sizable number of Americans are farmers and homesteaders who live in actual farmhouses, and a statement like this unjustly, unfairly, and inaccurately (and probably unintentionally) marginalizes their lifestyles and decorating choices. The homesteading movement is alive, well, and thriving in the United States. It is also not dead, and the decorating styles that go along with it are not dead.
So now that I got that off my chest, let’s define our terms. What exactly is “farmhouse style?” and which aspects of farmhouse style are “dead,” in the eyes of today’s pundits?
I don’t honestly think that anyone is intentionally trying to bash actual farmers here. In popular culture right now, “farmhouse style” refers to the decorating style popularized by Chip and Joanna Gaines, the stars of HGTV’s former show called “Fixer Upper.” The Gaines family redefined the perception of what farmhouse style was all about. They did things like hang word art signs and install farmhouse sinks. To clarify, this style has been popularly known as “modern farmhouse style” (although personally, I would have called it “contemporary farmhouse style,” but to each their own.) This should be differentiated from “vintage farmhouse style.”
So my advice on that front would be to stop doing whatever Chip and Joanna were doing a decade ago, and instead pay attention to what they’re doing now — because they are still some of the top trendsetters in the home decorating space.
But if you’re a homesteader, and you just bought a fixer-upper farmhouse — in that case, actual, traditionally-based, vintage farmhouse style decorating is exactly what you should be doing, right? As long as you decorate in a way that complements your home’s classic architecture, you don’t have to worry about whether your home looks on-trend or off-trend. Most reasonable people appreciate a home that is decorated in a way that remains true to its roots.
Furthermore, when you study the actual data, it appears that reports of farmhouse style’s death have been premature and greatly exaggerated, considering that sizable numbers of homeowners reported renovating their kitchens to become farmhouse style kitchens in 2023, according to Houzz’s 2023 Kitchen Trends Study. This style update accounted for about 12% of the kitchen renovation projects they studied, and the number of farmhouse style updates actually increased by a couple of percentage points year-over-year from 2022. As far as I can see, the folks at Houzz didn’t make any differentiation between “modern farmhouse style” and “vintage farmhouse style,” so make of that what you will.
14. Traditional Style Kitchens
Traditional style is another kitchen style where I’ve had to roll my eyes at the constant proclamations that it is “dead”, “dying,” and “over.” It isn’t dead, and it isn’t over, and, in fact, according to Houzz, the numbers of people remodeling their kitchens in this style increased by a couple of percentage points year-over-year between 2022 and 2023.
Traditional style is still of interest simply because there are still so many older homes around. It doesn’t make sense to force a minimalist or modern kitchen style into a grand Victorian or Georgian home, for example. A traditional home that is decorated in a traditional way is a beautiful thing. If you doubt this, take a close look at the USA’s most famous home, the White House, for inspiration.
If you have purchased an older home featuring a traditional style of architecture, I recommend that you consider decorating in a traditional, transitional, or vintage farmhouse style (as opposed to a “modern farmhouse style,” a la HGTV / Chip & Joanna Gaines), depending on the specifics of your situation. Otherwise, a traditional style kitchen is probably not the best choice for your kitchen.
See Also: Kitchen Styles
2024’s Trendiest Kitchen Faucets, Fixtures, Hardware and Surfaces
15. Water-Efficient Faucets
Drought conditions in the United States were bad in 2023 but are improving so far in 2024. When I started writing this kitchen trends report in September of 2023, the US drought monitor had reported,
“As of September 12, 2023, 31.10% of the U.S. and Puerto Rico and 37.04% of the lower 48 states are in drought, according to the U.S. Drought Monitor.”
Yikes!
However, as of this update, conditions have eased significantly. According to the current report,
As of February 13, 2024, 16.32% of the U.S. and Puerto Rico and 19.46% of the lower 48 states are in drought, according to the U.S. Drought Monitor.
So the drought situation is less alarming than it was last year, but still problematic. All things considered, I think it is still a top priority to conserve water, particularly in drought-prone areas. Water-efficient faucets and appliances have been in high demand as a result, and I don’t see the demand for them easing significantly in 2024 even if flooding becomes as much of a worry as drought has been in the recent past.
16. Matte Black Kitchen Faucets
There are several good reasons to consider installing a matte black kitchen faucet in 2024. This is an option to try if you recently purchased a home that was last remodeled during the heart of the gray kitchen trend, and you’re hoping to give your kitchen an updated look without having to rip out every existing surface in the kitchen. Right now, black and white is one of the reigning favorite kitchen color palettes; some gray surfaces look just fine with black and white, so upgrading to a few black kitchen accents like your faucet, sink, and bar stools (as pictured here) can help to give your kitchen a fresh, updated look for 2024.
17. Brushed Nickel Faucets
Over the course of the past decade, sales of nickel kitchen faucets have mostly trended dramatically upward, but there was a slight decline from 2016 – 2017. In 2017, nickel was the third most popular kitchen faucet finish for replacements and remodeling projects in America. In 2023, nickel faucets were an item on the National Kitchen and Bath Association’s list of top 10 kitchen and bath trends. By all appearances, demand for nickel faucets is likely to remain strong in 2024.
18. Stainless Steel Kitchen Faucets
Stainless steel has been one of the most popular finishes for kitchen faucets and appliances for the entire decade I’ve been writing about kitchen trends here at this website (I started in 2013), and by all appearances, its popularity is still going strong with the buying public. On February 18, 2021, Home Innovation reported that stainless steel and chrome were the only two major contenders for kitchen faucet market share in 2020. In 2023, the National Kitchen and Bath Association reported that stainless steel faucets were still a top trend amongst their membership.
Although I expect to see stainless steel remain popular into 2024, I urge caution with installing it now because it is now a very mature trend. Major trends usually don’t last for more than about a decade, although there are exceptions. Stainless steel could turn out to be one of those flukes that ends up having greater staying power than the typical trend. But, if stainless steel follows the trajectory of most other trends, it will soon start trending down. I don’t believe a major downward trajectory has started yet, so for now I’m keeping it on the list of 2024’s trendiest surfaces. That said, unless you really and truly love the look of stainless steel, and you’re designing a kitchen that would best be complemented by stainless steel, my advice would be to choose a different surface for your kitchen faucet in 2024.
19. Pewter Faucets
So far, I haven’t noticed many people other than the folks at the National Kitchen and Bath Association proclaiming that pewter is a top trend. However, the NKBA’s members are heavily focused on doing work on behalf of the country’s trendiest and most affluent trendsetters, so if their members are doing this, I do not think it will be long before everyone else is, too.
20. Chrome Kitchen Faucets? Probably Not: No to Chrome in 2024
The jury is out on whether chrome will trend up or down in 2024. Chrome has been the other leading favorite surface for more than a decade, but it was trending down in 2018 and 2019. Then, according to Home Innovation’s research, chrome faucet purchases made a recovery in 2020. The experts at Home Innovation attribute the rebound to large numbers of do-it-yourselfers buying chrome faucets to use for making easy upgrades.
Experts at the National Kitchen and Bath Association did not include chrome on their list of top trends in 2023, which is telling. I’m thinking that perhaps chrome’s recovery in the previous couple of years was just a temporary anomaly in the overall downward trajectory of this metal.
If you are planning on installing a new kitchen faucet in 2024, I think it would be prudent to choose a surface other than chrome — unless, of course, chrome is the surface you appreciate most. I say follow your heart rather than the trends if you are remodeling to live in your home rather than to fix and flip it. And if you’re planning to flip your home soon, chrome still isn’t a bad choice, because everyone is so used to seeing chrome around. Where you could get into trouble is if you are planning to fix your home now to sell in a few years. In this situation, I’d say that it would be smarter to pick a different surface for your kitchen faucet, because chrome is already a very mature trend at this point. You do not want to install a brand new faucet that already looks like it is ten+ years old.
21. Brushed Bronze, Brushed Brass, Brushed Gold, and Other Warm Metals
Trends are multi-faceted. Something that is truly trendy will be reflected in sales — and a high volume of them. However, there’s a bell curve to trends. An item that has already seen massive volumes of sales is likely to run its course soon and be on its way out of fashion by the time those high sales volumes are realized.
The thing that is going to be trendy next is harder to spot; you can’t necessarily identify it by sales volume, because it typically starts as something new that only one or several influencers have (and flaunt). Then people start to copy them. It may take awhile for the trend to trickle down to the masses and reach a sizable sales volume.
That’s the situation with brushed gold. This is a surface I see as being a possible up-and-comer — maybe. There’s always a risk in being an early adopter. The thing that everyone thinks is going to be HOT can always turn out to fizzle and die instead of becoming popular.
I don’t have a crystal ball to know with certainty what will be popular in the future. But I do know this: I see manufacturers investing substantial sums of money in developing new product offerings in brushed gold, which they wouldn’t do unless they have confidence they can sell them. And I also see some prominent influencers flaunting them. That makes me think that this surface could be “the next big thing” in a few years’ time.
While many interior designers and media personalities have proclaimed that brushed gold is an up-an-coming home décor trend, so far, sales data backing up the assertion is inconclusive. My understanding of the situation is that goldtone faucets do not have a majority market share amongst the buying public yet. However, we’re seeing a resurgence in warm browns, warm-colored beiges and neutrals, warm-colored tiles like travertine, and warmer wood colors — and goldtone finishes complement these surfaces much better than any of the recently reigning favorites like stainless steel, chrome, and matte black.
Considering all the truly stunning and seriously impressive recent product development in this finish, I’ll be surprised if this doesn’t catch on in a big way with the buying public. Right now, I see this as being a trend that is towards the beginning of its bell curve. Time will tell if it will ramp up or fizzle. I love it and hope it will ramp. I mean, look at this. Don’t you think this color is simply stunning?
Jayson Simeon, who was formerly the global design leader at Moen, stated the following in a previous press release:
“Through our research, we found designers and architects are looking for a Brushed Gold finish that evokes the feeling of life and warmth but also mixes well with other gold accents they may have throughout their space. They’re also looking for a finish that will stand the test of time, and blend seamlessly with a variety of décor styles,” added Simeon. “This Brushed Gold does just that, allowing homeowners to add elegance into the space while still coordinating with existing home designs, whether their look is traditional or more contemporary.”
So it isn’t just me.
A few of the brands making brass, bronze, and / or goldtone faucets and hardware available right now include Moen, Kohler, Hansgrohe, Brizo, TOTO, and Delta. With so much innovation happening in these colorways, I think it’s possible that brushed gold could turn out to be a top trend for the next decade or so. If you like the look of gold metal surfaces, and you’re considering going in the direction of a warmer-toned kitchen, definitely put gold on your list of kitchen faucet surfaces to consider.
22. Coordinating Finishes for Your Entire Home
Over the course of the past few years, it has been trendy to have a hodgepodge of different metals, fabrications and surfaces coexisting in the same space. I’m not necessarily predicting a huge change from that, but I’m alerting you that it doesn’t have to be that way in your home unless you specifically want it that way. If you don’t like the hodgepodge effect, and you’d rather have matching fixtures at your place, it’s an option.
In 2023, Kohler announced an expansive new Finish Program that makes matching finishes available for their kitchen, bath, and lighting products. Warm metals account for two of the finishes in these product categories: Vibrant Brushed Moderne Brass and Vibrant French Gold. Other available finishes included in the program are Polished Chrome, Matte Black, Vibrant Polished Nickel, Vibrant Brushed Bronze, and Vibrant Titanium.
23. Single Lever Kitchen Faucets:
Single-lever kitchen faucets are clearly the trendiest style right now.
2024 Kitchen Backsplash and Tile Trends
Tile is a versatile surface that can be used in multiple places in the kitchen. Right now, it’s most popular for use in kitchen flooring and backsplashes. There have also been times in history when tile was a popular surface for using on countertops, but that is NOT something you’d want to do in 2024.
24. Fluted Tile
Any surface that appears to be pleated, reeded, or fluted is of interest right now, and fluted tile is an option in this category.
25. Large-Format Tiles for Kitchen Flooring
In 2023, Suzanne Zurfluh, director of trends and design at Emser Tile, told Floor Covering Weekly that “Larger format tiles ranging in size from 12 × 24 to 24 × 24 continue to be popular with consumers. These field tiles can make a room feel more seamless and spacious while also being less interrupted by grout joints…”
This is a carryover trend from past years, and it just makes so much sense. It is a lot less work to clean up tile that has more surface area and less grout. So I do not envision this trend reversing itself to any significant degree in 2024. With COVID-19 still fresh in our memories and many people still obsessed with cleaning and sanitizing their kitchens, nobody wants to go back to scrubbing all the grout it takes to install small floor tiles.
Beyond that, large tiles can have such a stunning visual impact if you’re decorating a large kitchen or great room. It’s possible to source extremely large tiles sized at 32″ × 96″, for example, and these can look spectacular and impressive in a large living space.
26. Square Tiles
Although rectangular subway tiles are still on-trend, too, they aren’t the one-and-only choice in 2024. Square tiles are of interest right now as well.
27. Subway Tiles
Yes, subway tiles are still a thing.
I know. You have seen subway tiles everywhere for the last decade. Maybe you’re tired to death of them.
If you’re tired of them, don’t install them. There’s still strong demand for them, though.
That said, at the higher end of the market, many trendsetters have turned away from subway tile and are onto the next thing. In December of 2022, architect David Pollard, writing at the Journal of Light Construction website, stated, “We have seen more and more clients move away from white subway tile, bringing in some texture for fun and personalization.” Pollard went on to explain that some of his clients were choosing other types of tile for their backsplashes, while some were customizing their kitchens with wallpaper and wooden shelving.
I don’t think subway tiles will go away in 2024, but I do think it’s likely that we’ll see them continue to trend down in popularity in the coming year.
28. Terra Cotta Tiles
Terra cotta, salmon, and coral are some of the trendiest home interior colors right now. If you’re embracing a warm color palette that includes any of these colors as accents, it would make sense to consider choosing terra cotta tiles for your kitchen. In that case, don’t forget to include a few houseplants in terra cotta pots, too.
29. Terrazzo Tile
Terrazzo patterns and surfaces including tile and flooring have been popular for several years now, and they’re still a thing for 2024.
30. Three-Quarters-Inch Thick Porcelain Paver Tiles for Outdoor Kitchens
Outdoor kitchens are still on-trend for 2024; this is another carryover trend that has been going strong in the recent past and is unlikely to abate in 2024. If you’re including an outdoor kitchen in your landscape this year, or working on your landscaping in any other capacity, porcelain pavers are an option to keep in mind because they give you a broad variety of options for including in various outdoor construction projects such as patios, outdoor kitchens, and terraces.
31. Quartz Tile
Lately, there has been a bit of a return to “matchy-matchy” looks. People who have quartz countertops are also using quartz and quartzlike patterns in other places, too — sometimes in their backsplashes or flooring. I urge caution with doing this because, if you go all-in on quartz patterns, when this trend starts to become outdated (possibly within the next 5-ish years), it will be expensive to replace it all. Nevertheless, I would be a bad trend forecaster if I didn’t include this item on the list. This is definitely all the rage right now.
32. Marble Tile With Silver Shadow Grout
In 2023, Mark Fougere, Owner of Duxbury, Massachusetts-based Coastal Tile told Coastal Home Life Magazine,
“The current trends that we’re seeing for kitchen and baths are a very classic look. We see a lot of Calacatta marble, Carrara marble, white marble, white and gray porcelain that has marble style to it…Silver Shadow is a very popular grout color right now because it works so well with so many different tiles and stones.”
There are a number of excellent reasons I’d expect to see this trend carry over into 2024. First and foremost, marble plays nicely with so many of the other current kitchen trends. While it doesn’t match everything, it is an endlessly versatile surface that can be accessorized in different ways. Beyond that, it is truly gorgeous, and its effect in the kitchen is impressive. If you want to impress your dinner guests, marble tile and marble countertops are one surefire way to accomplish that objective. Furthermore, people who are spending money on anything at all in this environment of rapidly-rising prices are hoping and, frankly, expecting to get a really good value in exchange for the money they’re spending. In a world that seems to be filling up with tacky plastic junk, marble surfaces stand out as being truly worth the money.
So if you’re looking at renovating your kitchen in 2024, definitely consider marble tiles as a possibility if you like the look of this particular surface.
Also keep in mind that there are ceramic tiles patterned to mimic the look of marble tiles. Presumably, these will also be on-trend for 2024.
33. Travertine Tile
Travertine was out of style during the last gray-dominated decade, but it is of interest again now that warm colors are on their way in and gray is on its way out.
34. Stone Tile
Right now, biophilic design is a huge lifestyle trend that encompasses more than just kitchen design. Natural surfaces are a key part of this trend, and natural stone is one of the elements that people are seeking out for their spaces as they seek to create safe spaces that promote health and well-being.
35. Natural Stone Slab Backsplashes
You have another option besides tile for your backsplash; you can use a continuous slab of natural stone. This gives you a solid surface rather than a patchwork of tiles surrounded by grout; it’s easier to clean, and the visual effect is more expansive. This expansive look is magnified if you choose the same material for both your backsplash and your countertops.
2024’s Top Kitchen Color Trends
36. Black and White Kitchens
37. Black + White + Gray Kitchens
38. Black + White + Bright Accent Color
Pick your favorite bright accent color to pair with black and white for an on-trend kitchen. Think black + white + blue; black + white + chartreuse; black + white + red; or black + white + terra cotta, as pictured in examples below.
39. Terra Cotta, Salmon, and Apricot
40. Navy Blue; Cobalt Blue
Let’s take a closer look at that stunning sage green refrigerator, shall we?
Sage green was one of the trendiest neutrals around the turn of last century, and by all appearances, the beige-y color palette that incorporated sage green is cycling back into fashion for 2024. Unlike last time around, blue is also on-trend; there are a broad variety of blues and greens you could decorate with in 2024 including navy blue, cobalt blue, olive green, sage green, aqua, teal, seafoam green….=
41. Aqua, Teal, Blue, Sea Green, and Sage Green
In a 2023 trend report, Linda Merrill, owner of Linda Merrill Decorative Surroundings in Duxbury, MA told Coastal Home Life Magazine, “While white painted cabinets are still king, we’re seeing more and more people gravitate towards more colorful cabinets, especially blues and greens.” Her observations turned out to be spot on for 2023, and I think blues and greens will continue to be popular for 2024’s kitchen cabinets and other surfaces as well.
Aqua, blue, and sea green are fantastic accent colors in the kitchen. If you truly love any of these colors, you could even possibly make your favorite amongst them work as a dominant color in the kitchen, as pictured above.
Sherwin Williams recently announced that their 2024 color of the year is “Upward,” which is a pale, moody blue evocative of the sky on a cloudy, overcast day. Pictured above, you can see an example of how a kitchen looks when it is painted in this color.
42. Warm Wood Tones: Wooden Cabinets, Wood Flooring, Wood Beams, and Wood Butcher Block Countertops
43. The Status of White Kitchens in 2024
The All-White Kitchen Is Out, But It Is Still Trendy to Incorporate White Cabinets and Selected Other White Surfaces Into Your Kitchen in 2024.
One question on everyone’s mind right now: Will white kitchens still be stylish in 2024? Are they on their way out? Or are they totally dead?
Bunches of bloggers, interior designers and media personalities are declaring that white kitchens are totally over and that the au courant kitchen is now either a) colorful or b) black. But if you read the comments section of their blogs, they’re full of dissenters arguing that white kitchens are classic and will never go out of style.
Who’s right?
As it turns out, both groups are.
No matter what some “influencers” might say, many homeowners simply are not willing to give up their fresh, clean-looking white kitchens. For this group, “more colorful kitchens” might turn out to mean kitchens that are still predominantly white, but that introduce enough colorful and wooden accents so as not to look sterile and cold.
David Pollard, architect, builder, and co-founder of Liv Companies, writes at the Journal of Light Construction website,
“White-on-white kitchens are becoming less common, and if we do see white, it is usually against a contrasted element like dark trim, a wood top, or wood hood vent.”
Pollard goes on to explain that some of his clients have been opting to retain white on one portion of their cabinetry but are styling the other portion with colorful accents or wood tones.
If your kitchen could be confused for a hospital because of its clean, white aura of sterility, that look is out — but you can easily bring it up-to-date for 2024 by introducing some houseplants, some wood furnishings, and some colorful kitchen textiles and accessories.
Stark, monochromatic white kitchens are giving way to kitchens that include more varied color nuances. White will remain a top kitchen color trend, but we’ll see it being paired with other interesting colors — perhaps black, cobalt blue, warm off-white, frosty pale blue, vibrant red or a fresh shade of aqua. Warm woods like oak and maple or dark woods like walnut are other possibilities for pairing with white; these could make 2024’s kitchens look less clinical and more approachable than some of the coldly white minimalist kitchens we were seeing last decade.
The main takeaway: White is an enduring classic in the kitchen; and we will also likely be seeing more colorful accents in 2024’s kitchens.
44. All-Gray Kitchens Are Out in 2024.
Overall, the consensus amongst knowledgeable high-end kitchen design professionals is that gray kitchens are out in 2024. However, everyone in the mainstream home building and buying public didn’t get this memo yet.
If You Already Have a Gray Kitchen Installed, Read on for Tips on How to Transition Your Gray Kitchen Without Taking a Huge Financial Loss on Kitchen Remodeling.
In the last ten+ years, gray has been the predominant trendy neutral color for use in kitchen decor and throughout the home. Perhaps you’re wondering at this point: How does gray fit into interior design trends in 2024? Will gray still be in style in 2024? Or will it be totally outdated in 2024? Will it play a part in kitchen design at all?
If you do not already have a gray kitchen installed, I would advise you to avoid installing one now. There are some people still installing gray flooring and painting their kitchens gray, but that does not mean you should, too. Trends usually follow a bell curve in the way they’re adopted — a few people get the trend started at the beginning, a great mass of people adopt the trend in the middle, and there’s tapering demand at the end. I estimate that gray is at the end of the bell curve.
However, I also believe it is possible to transition your gray in a direction that makes it palatable and current with the kitchen color trends for 2024. In fact, Behr’s paint color choice for 2024 is called “Cracked Pepper.” Some journalists are referring to this color as a shade of black, but I do not think this is accurate. It’s actually a deep, charcoal gray color. And, if used correctly — that is to say, as an accent color, and not as the color you use for painting every wall in your kitchen — I think this color is a great way to transition your kitchen out of 2014 and into 2024. The picture below gives you an example of how you can use “Cracked Pepper” along with wood cabinets and brown accents to create a kitchen that looks on-trend for 2024 despite its remaining gray tile backsplash.
The key is to add colors to the kitchen that put gray into a less dominant overall position in the environment. What you really want to avoid is having a kitchen where gray is the only color in sight. If you add in another color or two, the gray becomes less of a focal point. And if you make it a bright, trendy color like apricot, aqua, chartreuse, or color like black that isn’t so easily ignored, those colors draw the eyes away from the gray/.
So if you already have a gray kitchen, I do not advise ripping out your hard-to-change gray surfaces. In 2024, I advise extreme frugality and prudence when you make upgrades in your kitchen or, for that matter, anywhere in your home. I advise putting your money into upgrading systems that are likely to need replacing in the next few years due to functionality issues. I advise prioritizing upgrades that are likely to pay for themselves in the long run, like implementing water-efficient and energy-efficient appliances, if you haven’t already done so. I also advise making upgrades that will allow your family to function more independently, like installing a pantry or butler’s pantry in your home if you have the means to do so, or fully stocking whatever cabinet space and pantry space you do have available.
But looking ahead to the future, I couldn’t in good conscience advise anyone to renovate any existing surface in their home if it’s functional. On a scale of possible problems to have, an outdated kitchen really is not the most terrible of tragedies. And an outdated gray kitchen is particularly easy to deal with, because it can easily be transitioned to current without doing major renovations.
This is because gray will harmonize well with so many of the current trendy colors in the kitchen. You can add black and white to your gray, making it black + gray + white, with black as an accent used in small amounts.
You can also decorate around your hard-to-change gray surfaces by introducing shades of brown, wood tones, houseplants, and other on-trend accent colors.
2024’s Trendiest Kitchen Layouts
45. Open Floor Plans: The State of the Great Room in 2024
“Great rooms” and open floor plans aren’t new by any means; this is a mature and firmly entrenched trend that is still current for 2024. Many of the loveliest and trendiest homes feature great rooms as their most prominent feature.
However, the folks at Zillow observed that one of 2023’s most significant interior design trends is “floor plans designed for privacy.” This only makes sense since more people are working from home now. It is really hard to tune into a Zoom meeting if your kids are having a boxing match and your spouse is watching TV in the great room behind you.
A main takeaway from their 2023 trend report:
“The closed floor plan is coming back in style for some home buyers.”
The folks at Zillow aren’t the only ones who have observed the beginnings of a shift towards more privacy in kitchen floor plans and home design plans. Even before the COVID-19 health crisis became an issue, at the high end of the market, there has been a trickle of trendsetters who have been moving away from having totally open floor plans that encompass kitchens, dining areas, and family rooms.
According to a previous National Association of Home Builders press release dated 2018, some experts were voicing opinions that the “great room”, comprised of an open kitchen, dining room and family room, may be poised for a future decline in popularity after 30+ years of being a dominant home design trend.
This prediction is not going to come to pass quickly; it will likely take at least another decade before it becomes evident, if indeed that is the next trajectory in interior layout trends. Given the glacial pace at which such entrenched home design trends reverse themselves, I’m guessing perhaps this will be a possibility to watch for in 2034 and the years beyond.
Some builders and home remodelers are now taking steps to improve the differentiation between living spaces in homes, without totally eliminating the open elements. In some cases, this is accomplished through the use of partial walls or cabinetry.
However, my understanding is that mainstream builders are still heavily invested in home building plans that incorporate great rooms. It appears the shift away from great rooms is happening at the high end and is a small, very niche segment of the market at this point. In the most recent survey conducted by the National Association of Home Builders’ to ask about their preferred features when buying a new home, the vast majority of their survey respondents still want open layouts. According to their data, 85% prefer to have an open arrangement between the kitchen and the dining area, while 79% want an open arrangement between the kitchen and the family room.
A main takeaway from all this: Please don’t knock down walls in a recently-purchased older home just because everyone else has had great rooms for the past 30+ years. If you knock down walls, do it because that is really and truly what would best suit your family’s lifestyle. If your home already has closed-off spaces like a formal dining room and a standalone kitchen, that now positions you as one of the early adopters if the next major interior design trend does shift and return to more enclosed spaces.
And if you currently have a great room, but you’re amongst the people who want greater privacy between your home’s spaces, you can get creative with room dividers, shelving units, and furniture placement to create visual barriers in between spaces.
46. L-Shaped Kitchens Are the Top Trend for 2024
The latest data we found tracking kitchen layouts comes from a kitchen design survey completed by Houzz. The researchers tell us that L-shaped kitchens are the most popular, with 40% of 2023’s survey respondents choosing this layout when they remodeled their kitchens.
47. U-Shaped Kitchen Layouts
The second most popular kitchen layout is the U-shaped kitchen. In Houzz’s 2023 study, 31% of respondents chose this kitchen layout when remodeling their kitchens.
The third most popular kitchen layout is the galley kitchen (11%), and the fourth most popular layout is the single-wall kitchen (8%).
2024’s Trendiest Kitchen Countertops
48. Quartz Countertops
Quartz has been the trendiest fabrication for countertops in the recent past, and it is likely to remain so in 2024. At Kitchen & Bath Design News, approximately 30% of the survey respondents in their kitchen countertops survey chose engineered quartz as the kitchen countertop fabrication that is growing fastest in demand amongst their clients.
49. Quartzite Countertops
The folks over at Kitchen & Bath Design news give us a succinct description of quartzite: It is
” natural sandstone fused under heat and pressure with sparkly quartz crystals.”
In their recent kitchen countertops survey, it emerged that about 21% of their survey respondents had observed quartzite as being the rising star in countertop materials.
50. Granite Countertops in 2024? Expert Opinion Is Divided: You Really Need to Understand Both Arguments Before Making Any Expensive Countertop Decisions in 2024.
There is now a chorus of people proclaiming that “granite countertops are dead in 2023.” And so, if these people are correct, it would also follow that granite countertops will still be dead in 2024 — but let’s not be hasty in jumping to this conclusion.
First, I beg you to consider the fact that many of the voices making this declaration are people trying to sell you kitchen design services. And if you recently purchased a home with granite countertops installed, the honest truth is that you probably do not really need new countertops, assuming the former owners took reasonably good care of them. If too many of y’all decide to hang onto your “outdated” granite countertops, these people are going to be twiddling their thumbs and hurting for business in 2024.
Granite countertops have been one of the top trends for the past couple of decades. And granite’s long lifespan is one of the most appealing things about it.
This makes it a problem for people who earn their livings designing and installing new countertops.
The Status of Granite Countertops in 2024
As I mentioned above, the folks over at Kitchen & Bath Design News recently conducted a survey focused exclusively on kitchen countertops. They asked kitchen and bath design professionals for input relating to virtually every facet of kitchen countertop design. There were professionals who responded that granite is one of the kitchen countertop materials that is fastest growing in demand.
So, to my way of thinking, this means that granite is far from being “dead.”
BUT!!!
At this point in granite’s trend cycle, I would advise you to think carefully about your reasons for wanting to install granite in a new build or remodeled kitchen before you do so. If you are planning to fix and flip your home as quickly as possible, I would advise you to speak to your real estate agent to learn more about the countertop trends in your actual region before choosing. If granite is what buyers in your neighborhood are looking for, by all means, install granite. You should be aware that this is not the case in many affluent neighborhoods in the United States and Canada; so it would be a mistake to install granite countertops if the home buyers in your neighborhood are no longer interested in having homes with granite countertops. And if being on-trend is a top-priority consideration for you, I would advise you to avoid granite and pick some other surface for your new kitchen countertops.
If you plan to live in your home for the long term, and you want to install granite countertops because they are durable, beautiful, and exactly the look you want in your kitchen, I don’t see this choice as being an unwise one. However, I would advise you to do yourself a favor and at least pick a granite pattern that is not too busy. The busier the granite pattern is, the harder it becomes to decorate around it, and a hard-to-change surface with a busy pattern can make it challenging to resell your home later.
If you recently purchased an existing home that already has granite kitchen countertops installed, you might be wondering whether you should keep them or get rid of them. My advice to you in that situation would be to keep them and decorate around them unless you have some compelling reason to get rid of them. If you’re worried what the neighbors will think, here’s a reminder that sustainability — reducing, reusing, recycling — trumps all other kitchen trends right now. Making the most sustainable possible choices is now considered more important than having the latest, greatest, newest anything in the kitchen or anywhere else in the home.
Other high-demand materials mentioned by survey respondents include porcelain, wood, sintered stone, metal, recycled materials, and concrete.
51. Marble Countertops
(See the section on marble tile, above.)
52. Larger Kitchen Countertops: Kitchen Design Professionals Report That Countertop Surface Area Is Increasing
Experts at the Kitchen & Bath Design News website report that 74% of recent survey respondents in a dedicated kitchen countertops survey said that they’ve observed kitchen countertops becoming larger in size now than they have been in the recent past. They also observed that kitchen countertops are becoming more multifunctional; homeowners are using counter space not only for food preparation, but also for mobile device charging, schoolwork, remote work, and craft projects.
“Countertops are becoming far more important now than in the past,” Rich Metivier, of Kitchen Direct Inc., in Westfield, MA told Kitchen & Bath Design News. “Our clients are willing to spend more for the finishing touch of their kitchen. They also want a maintenance-free product, mainly because life in general has been turned upside down.”
Kitchen Sink Trends for 2024
53. Undermount Sinks
54. Side-By-Side Double Sinks
In the National Association of Home Builders’ most recent post-pandemic survey, they determined that double sinks were one of the top 5 most wanted features in their kitchens. 42% of survey respondents described them as being “essential” or “must have.” 39% described them as being “desirable,” for a total of 81% that really want this feature in their kitchens.
55. Workstation Sinks
A workstation sink takes into account all the functions you need your sink to perform, and it gives you a way to seamlessly integrate these functions into your sink space. Pictured above is a workstation sink by Moen that incorporates a cutting board, drying rack and colander into the design. If I were in the market for a new sink right now, I’d personally be very inclined to give this setup a try. It appears this style of sink could potentially solve some annoying first-world problems to everyone’s satisfaction.
This sink style fits into the “recent innovations” category, and for a relatively new style, it is selling quite well as of Q4 2023. In general, I expect to see this category of sinks trend up as 2024 unfolds. In the last 5+ years, I’ve observed manufacturers making big investments in producing and introducing these models, and I don’t think they would do that if their market research didn’t reveal strong demand for them.
56. Farmhouse Sinks
Are Farmhouse Sinks Trendy in 2024? YES. Yes, they are — But They Are Recommended for Actual Farmers and Homesteaders.
If you have a farmhouse in any location, or a country-style home in the Midwest, a farmhouse sink could be a fantastic choice for you.
If you live in an urban population center like New York City, Chicago, or Toronto, I would advise against installing a farmhouse sink unless you have some truly compelling reason for doing so (and “I really, really want one” does qualify as a compelling reason, in my opinion 🙂 ).
Otherwise, if you don’t actually own a farmhouse or a traditional style home out in the country, and you don’t truly love this style of sink, you should probably think twice about installing a farmhouse sink, or a “farmhouse style” anything at all, in your home in 2024.
2024’s Trendiest Kitchen Cabinetry
57. Flat-Panel Kitchen Cabinet Doors
A minority of homeowners want totally flat cabinet doors, but their numbers are trending up.
58. White Kitchen Cabinets
The stark, all-white kitchen is a trend from last decade that has declined in popularity now. However, the white cabinet trend that went along with it is a firmly entrenched carryover trend from last decade that was still a thing in 2023. However, it is trending noticeably down. If you are looking ahead to 2024, I suggest seriously considering a different cabinet color other than white in order to future-proof the look of your kitchen. But if your heart is set on having white cabinets, this is still an on-trend look for 2024.
59. Shaker-Style Cabinet Doors
Shaker-style cabinet doors remain a top trend for 2024, and they have been the most popular style. However, they are trending down in popularity, according to Houzz’s 2023 trend report.
60. Wood Cabinets
2024’s Trendiest Kitchen Appliances, Gadgets and Accessories
61. Energy-Efficient Appliances
According to the Farnsworth Group’s research, approximately one-third of all home remodeling projects completed in 2021 incorporated installations of energy-efficient appliances. Furthermore, researchers at the National Association of Home Builders conducted a recent study and determined that 81% of home buyers really want to have ENERGY STAR appliances in their homes. Breaking that percentage down further, 33% rated them as being “essential or must have,” while 48% rated them as being “desirable.”
There are a couple of different factors driving purchasing decisions here. The first is concern for the environment and interest in long-term sustainability; the second is an interest in lowering utility bills to achieve a long-term cost savings. Both of these are strong motivators that are likely to continue driving purchasing decisions in 2024. So I think it’s a fairly safe prediction that energy-efficient appliances are likely to continue being in high demand in 2024.
62. Built-In Appliances
The folks over at the Farnsworth Group report steady demand for space-saving built-in wall ovens, microwaves, and cooktops. These are of particular interest to the tiny home crowd.
63.Statement Ranges
Writing at the Journal of Light Construction website, architect, builder, and co-founder of Liv Companies, David Pollard, says,
“Large, heavy-duty, and well-designed ranges continue to be important elements in many of our clients’ homes. Both for their powerful cooking abilities and impactful appearance, these expensive appliances deserve a well-designed layout to help them shine.”
64. Refrigerators With the Freezer on the Bottom
65. Side-Opening Ovens
You’re familiar with pull-down ovens that open from the top, but this isn’t necessarily the safest or most convenient configuration for seniors who are experiencing mobility issues. The Farnsworth Group reports that there is growing demand for side-opening ovens. A primary advantage of a side-open oven is a reduced risk of burns when you open the oven door. It is also easier to get your hot dish out of a side-opening oven or put your dish into it. This configuration is also much easier for wheelchair-bound people to use.
One of side-opening ovens’ biggest downsides is their lack of ready availability. Also, this style of oven does not fit seamlessly into all kitchen layouts, so if you’re interested in trying this type of oven, you might need to seek the help of a design professional to arrive at a kitchen layout that integrates your new appliance into your layout.
66. LED Lighting in or on Home Appliances
If you routinely cook, dine, or snack after dark, it’s convenient to have appliances with lighting incorporated into the design.
67. Lower Dishwasher Drawers
68. Gas Stoves
According to a recent study conducted by the National Association of Home Builders, a majority (51%) of new home buyers prefer to cook with gas, while only 39% prefer to cook with electricity. This left me scratching my head, wondering about the other 10%. Maybe they head outside to barbecue their meals? Or maybe some of them are raw foodies who don’t cook anything? Perhaps they stick to eating fruits, salads, and veggie wraps? Not sure about that; it’s a mystery.
69. Matte Black Kitchen Appliances
70. Air Fryers
In olden times, people used to fry foods in oil. In the recent past, this became a highly frowned-upon behavior — although the truth is, fats and oils unfairly got a bad rap, as many of the today’s top health gurus will tell you. But since there are numerous people trying to safeguard the circumference measurements of their waistlines, the air fryer is in hot demand. Enthusiasts say that this device allows you to fry food to crispy perfection without using any oil.
71. Beverage Centers
There are lots of different ways to implement a beverage center in your kitchen, depending on the beverages of choice at your place. Coffee stations could be located in the kitchen if you like, but many people have moved those to their home offices, along with the rise of remote work. For those who don’t have separate wine cellars (and even for those who do), wine storage is a big thing in the kitchen right now. Under-counter beer or wine refrigerators are popular right now.
72. Popcorn Poppers
In today’s healthy home, microwave popcorn is out. Buying processed food is also out — and that includes bags of popcorn. If you want delicious, fresh-tasting popcorn, get yourself a popcorn popper, some Himalayan pink salt and a block of grassfed, organic butter and pop your own.
73. Docking Stations
74. Reeded, Pleated, and Similarly Textured Surfaces: Reeded Glass Cabinet Fronts, Reeded Glass Doors, Reeded Glass Lighting, Pleated Lamp Shades…
Kitchen Lighting Trends:
75. Recessed Lights
76. Undercabinet Lights
77. Pendant Lights
See Also: 2024 Lighting Trends
Kitchen Hardware
78. Long, Expansive Drawer Handles and Bar Pulls
Bar pulls have been the most popular style of cabinet and drawer hardware in the recent past. Manufacturers have been making big investments in long, easy-to-hold-onto cabinet pulls and drawer pulls in finishes such as brushed brass, brushed gold, copper, and matte black. This coincides with the “aging in place” trend, which aims to make it easier for people to remain in their homes instead of seeking care at assisted living facilities. Cabinets and drawers are sooo much easier for arthritic hands to grab onto and open when they have large, expansive pulls and handles installed. This is one of the main reasons that manufacturers have increased their offerings in long drawer handles, and that small knobs are trending down.
79. Unadorned Cabinets; Totally Absent Drawer Handles
At the other end of the spectrum, we also have a trend towards no pulls, handles, or knobs on kitchen drawers and cabinets. This isn’t a dominant trend, but it goes along with the rising trend towards flat cabinet doors.
80. Knobs
Knobs aren’t as popular as bar pulls right now, but they’re still a relevant trend in 2024.
The State of the Kitchen and Bath Industry as We Wrap Up 2023 and Head into 2024:
Kitchen design represents a significant overall portion of the spending in the US economy. Experts at the National Kitchen and Bath Association (NKBA) have projected that total US spending on kitchens and baths will amount to $179 billion by the end of 2023, which represents about a 5% decrease from total spending in 2022. This slight decrease in demand doesn’t do much to detract from the kitchen and bath industry’s relatively strong positioning in the US economy overall; affluent people are still investing in luxury remodeling projects for their kitchens and bathrooms, according to the NKBA. They have drawn these conclusions based on the work that their association’s members, primarily architects, remodeling companies and contractors, have already booked for the future.
For homeowners, the slight downturn makes this a fantastic time to seek professional assistance with kitchen or bathroom remodeling project, should you want to go that route. As of August 2023, kitchen and bath professionals reported that they have much less work booked for late 2023 and early 2024 than they did at this time last year. At this time, you’re likely to be able to find reliable contractors who are capable of getting your work done within a reasonable amount of time.
Plenty of people are also designing and building brand new kitchens from scratch. Experts at the National Home Builder’s Association (NHBA) report that sales of newly built, single-family homes increased by 4.4% in July of 2023.
NHBA analysts expect to see an increase in home remodeling as a result of multiple factors. The first is the aging population in America; they recently reported that a majority of their members have been working on completing aging-in-place renovations.
The other major driver they’ve identified is the recent increase in home mortgage rates. Their understanding is that many homeowners are reluctant to move because they are currently locked into a lower home mortgage rate than the rate they’d be offered if they were to move and buy a new home in a new location. They predict that many of these homeowners will choose to remodel their existing homes rather than moving to new ones. As noted above, they have also observed a steady increase in the amount of new homes their members are building and selling, despite the uptick in mortgage rates. They attribute this to the fact that sizable numbers of homeowners are hanging onto their existing homes purchased at low mortgage rates rather than selling them — so the supply of existing homes remains tight.
In a recent press release, NAHB Remodelers Chair Alan Archuleta, a remodeler from Morristown, N.J. provided additional insights on the developing situation, saying, “Demand for remodeling is holding up despite higher prices and borrowing costs…Customers have largely adjusted to the inflation and delays driven by supply-side challenges.”
NAHB Chief Economist Robert Dietz concurs, saying, “Remodeler sentiment remains positive even though the median price of a bath remodel has risen to $40,000 and the median price of a kitchen remodel to $75,000 as seen in NAHB’s latest survey…The low inventory of homes on the market, aging housing stock, elevated work-from-home and growing equity owners have in their homes are continuing to support remodeling demand.”
The experts over at Floor Covering Weekly also concur. In an article titled 2023 Kitchen & Bath Sales Trends, they noted that homeowners
“have been investing in their existing home since they are reluctant to make a home purchase with a higher interest rate mortgage. Rising home prices and changing lifestyles, as a result of the pandemic, is also stimulating homeowner investments to upgrade their kitchens and bathrooms. “
So there you have it: Those are the major kitchen trends I anticipate seeing in 2024. Thanks so much for your interest! I’ll be updating this report as 2024 unfolds and more information becomes available.
Posted By: Amy Solovay
About the Author: Amy Solovay is a freelance writer and content marketer with a background in textile design and product development. She is a former instructor at California Design College, where she taught textile design and trend forecasting courses. She is currently seeking new clients. Interested? Please contact us or see our “work with us” page for more information. Or, if you’re on LinkedIn, feel free to message Amy via that platform.
More Interior Design Trends for 2024:
References
- At the True Residential Website: The photo at the top of this page is courtesy of True Residential; it features a full-size, side-by-side refrigerator in the color known as “Bluestone” with stainless steel hardware, and a Beverage Column with glass door.
- At the True Residential Website: Refrigerator With Bottom Freezer
- At The National Home Builders Website: What Home Buyers Really Want
- At the Valspar Website: Renew Blue Is Valspar’s 2024 Color of the Year
- At the Behr Website: Cracked Pepper Is 2024’s Color of the Year
- At the PR Newswire Website: Sherwin-Williams Reveals 2024 Color of the Year, Upward SW 6239
- At the National Kitchen and Bath Association Website: 2023 Kitchen & Bath Market Outlook — July Update
- At the National Kitchen and Bath Association Website: NKBA/John Burns Kitchen & Bath Market Index (KBMI) – Q2 2023
- At the National Kitchen and Bath Association Website: NKBA 2023 Design Trend Report Key Takeaways
- At the National Association of Home Builders Website: New Home Sales Increase in July Despite Higher Mortgage Rates
- At the Kitchen & Bath Design Website 2023 Kitchen Countertop Trends
- At the Builder Online Website: IBS 2023: What Home Buyers Want in Kitchens Right Now
- At the Insider Website: Luxury homeowners are adding second kitchens to their houses so no one will see them doing dishes
- At the Hollywood Reporter Website: Demand for Houses With Two Kitchens Spikes in L.A. Amid Pandemic
- At the Journal of Light Construction Website: The ‘Post-Lockdown’ Kitchen: Design guidelines and trends for renovating today’s kitchens
- At the Floor Coverings Weekly Website: Tile’s Daring Design
- At the Kitchen & Bath Design News Website: Major Trends Shine at DCW 2023
- At the Kitchen & Bath Design News Website: Survey Spotlights Impact of Covid-19 on Kitchen and Bath Clients
- At the Kitchen & Bath Design News Website: Topping Things Off: 2023 Kitchen Countertops Survey
- At the Floor Covering Weekly Website: 2023 Kitchen and Bath Sales Trends
- At the US Drought Monitor Website: Current Conditions
- At the Bay Cities Construction Website: TOP 10 DESIGN TRENDS SEEN AT KBIS 2023
- At the Bay Valley Painting Website: What Is the Most Popular Kitchen Cabinet Color?
- At the Houzz Website: 2023 U.S. Houzz Kitchen Trends Study
- At Zillow: The 5 Biggest Interior Design Trends of 2023, Based on Zillow Listings
- At the National Association of Home Builders Website: Remodeling Market Sentiment Edged Down in Second Quarter
- At the National Association of Home Builders Website: Top Aging-in-Place Remodeling Projects
- At the Coastal Home Life Website: Kitchen and Bath Trends for 2023 /
- At the Architectural Digest Website: Travertine Is the Next Surface Du Jour
- At the National Kitchen and Bath Association Website: Top 10 Kitchen and Bath Trends for 2023
- At the National Kitchen and Bath Association Website — Cabinetry Study Reveals a $30 Billion Market
- At the Home Innovation Website — Nickel for Your Thoughts…Or Your Faucets? Remodeling Finish Trends
- At the Farnsworth Group Website — “Healthy Home” Could Be the Next Big Housing Trend
- At the Farnsworth Group Website: Large Kitchen Appliances Market Watch: Trends in Consumer Purchase of Stovetops, Refrigerators and Dishwashers
- At the Farnsworth Group Website: Homeowner Trends Regarding Healthy Homes, Air Quality, and Green Remodeling Projects
- At the Home Innovation Website — New Survey Data: Quartz Becoming the New Granite
- At the Moen Website — Bring Elegance to the Kitchen and Bath with New Brushed Gold Finish from Moen
- At the Moen Website — New Trend to Try: Matte Black Accents for a Minimal and Modern Kitchen Design
- At the Moen Website — Moen’s New Power Boost™ Technology Provides a Faster Clean and Faster Fill
- At the National Kitchen and Bath Association Website — NKBA Research Provides Valuable Market Insight
- At the Creative Commons Website — Creative Commons License and another creative commons license — Some (but not all) of the images used on this page are available under a creative commons license.
This page was last updated on 2-18-2024.
