Kitchens
This kitchen features some of the most popular choices among homeowners renovating their kitchens: white cabinets and countertop, wood floors, gray cabinets (on the island) and multicolored backsplash.Since survey respondents had completed a kitchen project in the previous 12 months, were working on one or planned to start one in the next three months, their responses provide a window on what’s trending in American kitchens now. Read on to find out which colors and materials were most popular.
Finishing Touch: Traditional RugAs a tailor-made finish to your transitional space, a warm, colorful traditional rug will make sure it doesn’t feel too staid, bringing a splash of personality and sense of relaxed confidence. Try a runner placed alongside your island or even in the main workspace, or a full rug anchoring an eat-in kitchen table.MoreHow to Design a Warm Contemporary Kitchen12 Great Kitchen Styles — Which One’s for You?Other Resources on HouzzSearch for kitchen productsFind a pro near you
Essential: Modern FurnishingsIf you stick to just traditional trappings, you might end up with a kitchen that slides from transitional to just traditional overall. This is where some great modern furniture pieces come in, such as high-tech extruded dining chairs, midcentury bent metal barstools, cool industrial accent lights or a minimalist dining table.
Mosaic BacksplashesIf you prefer the look of a mosaic backsplash, consider choosing one in a neutral palette in a rich, classic pattern rather than one in a trendy accent color. This is another great place to consider a herringbone installation or a tile with an interesting shape such as fish-scale or hexagon. This will suit the transitional style and help you avoid passing color trends in an area that’s not easy to update.
Essential: Rich WoodsMixing these broad strokes of crisp paint with wood brings in much needed texture, so it’s very common to see transitional kitchens with wood floors, wood bar stools and butcher block counters.Flooring planks in a herringbone layout bring additional richness, playing up the positives of traditional parquet floors in a way that doesn’t feel stuck in the past.
Dark and charcoal grays are quite popular as well, either instead of white cabinets or added alongside white for a tuxedo effect. Deep, true-neutral grays feel classic and sophisticated but also up-to-date.For a fun twist, a dark gray chalkboard paint gives a room a sense of levity that keeps the mood from being too somber.
The Palette: White and Gray with NeutralsWhite Shaker cabinets are not seen in every transitional kitchen, but they are certainly a popular pick. This is likely because the freshness of white instantly makes any space feel more spacious.Again, transitional kitchens are not strictly minimalist either, so the white is usually mixed with grays, woods, enticing metallics and other neutrals and textural elements for a friendly palette.
Essential: Shaker CabinetsPerhaps the best example of this balancing of traditional and contemporary elements is the Shaker style cabinet front.These cabinet doors and drawers typically have a flat panel in the middle with a raised flat border at the edges and no “profiling” (i.e., no fancy curved molding). This gives a bit more richness than a minimalist flat-front cabinet without feeling fussy.Cabinets in this style would have traditionally been wood toned, as built by the original Shakers, but they achieve a nice balance of old and new when painted in a crisp, contemporary shade.
The Basics: Mixing Old and NewFundamentally, transitional style is all about balancing traditional and contemporary elements to achieve an elegant style that doesn’t feel too stuffy or minimalist.
This kitchen in Hood River, Oregon, has a variety of built-in storage options, including cookie sheet organizers and pullout shelves.
This farmhouse-style kitchen in Bozeman, Montana, is L-shaped with an island. Houzz recently surveyed more than 1,700 homeowners in various stages of a kitchen renovation project as part of its 2018 U.S. Houzz Kitchen Trends Study. Among other things, the study asked the homeowners about the layouts, storage solutions and design styles they chose for their remodel. The answers offer a look at what’s popular now in American kitchens.
Reclaimed wood on island back
Island color
Barn door to pantry
Island color
Transitional look
Corner pantry cabinets
Island color
Island design
Stained island color
Butler Pantry
While black is hardly new, we do find more and more clients being bold and asking to include some elements of black to bring a stately appeal to their kitchen, especially when used as part of a two-tone look.Using black on the lower cabinets, or a pantry area, paired with black entry doors and even some modern black fixtures gives a room an effortless, fashionable look.MoreInterior Design Trends Expected to Take Hold in 2018Cabinets 101: How to Get the Storage You WantBrowse today’s most popular kitchen photos
11. Black. Finally, let’s end on bold black: the ultimate punctuation mark in interior design. While black can seem gothic and harsh, when used to dress a wall of kitchen cabinets, and balanced with a few elements of crisp white, stark black makes for a sophisticated statement.
8. Sliding doors. Barn-style doors on a sliding track have become a very popular choice for interior doors, both as a functional solution in tight spaces and as a style statement. Now they’re starting to pop up more and more in kitchen cabinets as a fun way to create a gallery-case look.A sliding door on a set of uppers combines the appeal of open shelves with the tidiness of a classic door cabinet, and it works in farmhouse style kitchens and modern spaces alike. Plus, not having to swing a door open and shut will make your kitchen feel just a bit bigger, and it makes a world of difference when two cooks are in the kitchen.Find barn-door hardware
Metal mesh inserts are a great middle ground, giving a slight peek at what’s inside the cabinet but without putting your stored goods on full display.I’ve used mesh inserts instead of glass on many recent projects. It works beautifully in both traditional homes and contemporary designs with some transitional flair, bringing a slight sense of old-world charm.Consider using mesh inserts on the “upper-upper” cabinets in a tall space on a full pantry wall …
Backsplash
2 tones & large island
Calcutta backsplash
2 Tones
Island edge
Glass herringbone backsplash
Herb garden on wall!
Gray contemporary
Reclaimed wood island
Butler pantry
Different color cabinets in different layers with island
Island with cooler on side
Counter top & Backsplash combination
Pantry storage
Hood
Gold
3 Different layers of cabinets/shelf. Wet bar/Butler pantry
Classic gray
Clever organizing
Classic white
Combination of flat & shaker drawer fronts
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