15 Kitchen Trends for 2022

As we’ve look forward to this new year, we’ve rounded up 15 kitchen trends for 2022. We predict these kitchen trends will help us make our clients’ kitchens more functional and beautiful. Take a look to see if any of them will help you improve your kitchen. And when you’re ready to renovate, give us a call.

1. Green Cabinetry

Greens from light sage to deep forest have been trending for the past few years, and the classic look is here to stay. Mixing green and natural wood cabinetry with white countertops and backsplashes recalls beautiful English kitchens. And the color palette is also biophilic — it brings in natural elements that help us feel connected to nature.

2. Open Shelves

Floating shelves are a great way to break up rows of cabinets, add a touch of wood and provide a place to display your favorite things. Whether you want to place your everyday china and glassware within easy reach, keep your favorite cookbooks in a spot that’s easy to reference or show off favorite objects, open shelving will enhance the look of your kitchen.

3. Concealed Small Appliances

Now we know if you’ve invested in a fabulous floral Dolce and Gabbana Smeg toaster, you’re going to want to proudly display it on the counter. But otherwise, small appliances can clutter up kitchen counters and cut down on prep space. So many of our clients are opting for dedicated small appliance space in a butler’s pantry, pantry cabinet or appliance garage.

4. Smart and Efficient Storage

Bye-bye blind corners, cabinet doors with a jumble behind them and other inefficient storage options. It’s time to get smart about making the most of every inch behind closed doors. Super Susan corner inserts, deep lower cabinet drawers, utensil inserts, pull-outs for herbs and oils, paper towel drawers, baking sheet inserts and more specialty cabinet features will continue to trend in the new year.

In this home, we made the most of the slim space that surrounded the refrigerator. The area is a great spot for this busy family to keep track of schedules, tickets, events and their keys.

5. Dedicated Bar Space

Many homeowners are breaking away from the work triangle layout in kitchens and going for zoned layouts. Zones include cooking, prep, cleaning, tasting and beverage stations. Placing an organized bar in a kitchen is great for entertaining and will keep the drink serving out of the cook’s way.

6. Dedicated Coffee and Tea Space

Similar to the bar space, homeowners are also looking to make bleary-eyed mornings easier. Placing the accoutrements for coffee and tea near the coffeemaker yet out of the main kitchen space is a great idea. You can get your coffee ASAP while, again, staying out of the cook’s way.

7. Refaced Kitchens

Refacing kitchen cabinets is a budget-friendly option that can work for you so long as your cabinet boxes are in good condition. Refacing can include swapping out lower cabinet doors for deep drawers, adding high cabinets above your uppers to meet the ceiling and even panel fronts to conceal appliances like the fridge and dishwasher.

8. Refreshed Kitchens

Refreshed kitchens are a good option for people who have high-quality cabinets that are still in excellent condition, and a layout that works well and doesn’t need changing. Generally speaking, a refreshed kitchen will involve painting the existing cabinetry and changing one to three major elements. Here we turned a bulky peninsula into an eat-in island and reconfigured some cabinets that had a dated look on the left side of the kitchen. We also worked with the existing island to make room for a microwave drawer.

9. Butler’s Pantries

Butler’s pantries can provide all sorts of function and storage. They are a great spot to stash the good china and glassware, store food, and use small appliances. If you have a larger space like the one pictured here, you may want to add prep space, a sink and even a dishwasher. Butler’s pantries can also serve as bars for coffee and adult beverages.

10. Alternatives To Pantries

While butler’s panties are fabulous, most of us don’t have the space for one. So we need to find clever alternatives to a pantry when space is limited. We have donned this fabulous cabinet imagined by our design team “Big Blue,” and it provides space for small appliances, staples, canned goods and wine. The homeowner also likes to pull out the countertop to serve crockpot dishes during game-watching parties.

11. Large, Hardworking Islands

As islands have grown, so have all the functions they offer. In addition to offering casual seating and a prep surface, they can accommodate things like a bar sink or full kitchen sink, dishwashers, microwave drawers, trash and recycling pull-outs, deep drawers for cookware, cookbook shelves, beverage fridges and more.

12. Bar/Prep Sinks

Bar and prep sinks are great for families where more than one person wants to work in the kitchen at once. You can also fill them with ice to keep beverages cold when entertaining.

13. Workstation Sinks

Workstation sinks come in a range of sizes and ease food prep. They are especially useful in kitchens where space is at a premium because the cutting board inserts can tranform the sink into prep space. They also come with inserts for draining, storing, serving and more. Seen here is Elkay’s ADA-compliant Dart Canyon Sink.

14. Touchless Faucets

If there’s one thing the pandemic has taught us, it’s that we want everything we touch to be clean. Touchless faucet technology ups the hygiene level in a kitchen. Think about it — you touch the raw chicken, then can wash your hands without contaminating the faucet. Seen here is Kohler’s Tone Touchless Pull-Down Kitchen Sink Faucet with Kohler Konnect.

15. Statement Lighting

Lights are the jewelry of the kitchen. They are a chance to bring in special color and metal finishes, as well as interesting shapes to the kitchen. We love everything about this kitchen renovation we completed, but we kind of can’t imagine it without the cheerful turquoise pendant lights. They are the perfect finishing touch.

We hope you’ve enjoyed these 15 kitchen trends for 2022. If any of them pique your interest for your own kitchen renovation, schedule a free consultation to let us know more about your project.