5 Kitchen Remodel Trends on the Rise, According to Experts

The kitchen is arguably the most used, and most functional, room in any house, which means kitchen remodels—and even aesthetic upgrades––can cause massive disruptions to home life for extended periods.

For these reasons, designers encourage clients to look beyond trends, breathing new life into spaces with lasting materials or smart structural interventions. Rather than tearing out last year’s beige cabinets to chase this year’s perfectly polished range, accepted wisdom around kitchen remodels is to identify ways to elevate, update, and stylishly optimize what’s in place to best serve this room’s primary function: cooking. (And, if walls must come down, make sure there’s added light coming into the kitchen afterward.)

“We are seeing a rise in holistic design that considers the layout, improved lighting, better airflow, appliances, and storage solutions that support the modern chef in creating healthy meals,” says Elizabeth Valkovics, the founding principal of Batten Court Design.

To that end, we talked to designers to find out what’s going on in home kitchens these days. Below are the zhuzhing efforts our experts have been seeing a lot of lately—and how you can integrate their lessons into your own kitchen.

Kitchen “Facelifts”

“Kitchen remodels right now are less about starting over and more about softening and elevating what’s already there,” says Jessica Whitley, owner and founder of Jessica Whitley Studio. “The result is a kitchen that feels collected and livable, rather than brand new and overly designed.”

According to Whitley, these changes often take the shape of warmer materials, more functional kitchen islands, and hidden storage “that keeps the space feeling calm and uncluttered.” Designer Laura Jenkins also lists painting cabinets, adding in statement lighting, changing up your backsplash, or upgrading plumbing fixtures and countertops as a few “simple but bold moves that truly transform the space.” She even put her own advice into practice when working on the kitchen in this Atlanta home. Instead of ripping out cabinets, she repainted them in Farrow & Ball’s soothing Breakfast Room Green and layered in new ceiling pendants and a bit of zellige backsplash.

Appliance Upgrades

In the spirit of “kitchen facelifts,” Jenkins also recommends upgrading to sleek, stylish appliances as one easy way to breathe new life into your cooking space. Maybe you can conceal your dishwasher with a panel-ready model that blends into the cabinetry, or level up your range to something more polished and chic. These changes can make a big impact on a space, and require far less work than a wall-to-wall renovation.

High-End Materials

Those opting for substantial changes are doing so with longevity in mind, according to Valkovics, and investing in “high-end, timeless materials.”

“Choosing a timeless design paired with durable materials and fixtures, like honed quartzite, solid oak cabinetry, and unlacquered brass achieves just that,” she says.

More Natural Light

While new cabinetry or high-end fixtures often take center stage during substantive remodels, Jenkins encourages her clients to prioritize the addition of windows instead. “Allowing room to breathe in a kitchen can make the space feel larger and also make you breathe easier,” she says. Her recommendations include consolidating storage to one wall and using free space for windows that let in as much natural light as possible.

Character-Driven Spaces

Though practicality might rule in the kitchen, designer Delia Kenza sees clients embracing more color, bold patterns, and distinctive shapes or details. “Overall, kitchens are becoming warmer, more character-driven spaces that feel deeply personal rather than purely functional,” Kenza says. These additions can be as simple as adding a funky knob for a drawer pull or going with a surprising paint color. She emphasizes small changes that make a big impact—and need little more than a drop cloth and a weekend or two to enact.

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