Unique and customized, these spaces will be designed for clients’ individual lifestyles.
By Elisa Fernández-Arias
Kitchens with innovative, personalized designs will be popular in the next two to three years, according to NKBA’s recently released 2024 Kitchen Trends Report. This emerging shift will have an impact on kitchen designs and how appliances, lighting, islands and more fit into the space. Featured changes include:
- More personality. Seven in 10 designers say homeowners don’t want a cookie-cutter kitchen and are looking for a design that is uniquely personal and just for them. “More personality [is what clients want],” said one designer. “I don’t think the first [approach] is going to be, ‘What will the next owners like,’ it will be more personalized to the current homeowner.”
- Individualized settings, controls and tech solutions. Appliances with individualized settings and controls that can be accessed via apps will be in demand, such as ovens with temperature control precision and delayed starts. Additionally, homeowners want programmable lighting presets for different times of day, as well as mobile-device-connected lighting, motion-sensor lighting and voice-controlled lighting.
- Personalized storage solutions. Many cabinets, islands, and pantries have personalized organization modules, improving the usability of the kitchen space. Homeowners specifically want cabinets to have improved storage solutions like drawer dividers and partitions that can be configured to their needs.
- Specialized sinks. Workstation sinks with food prep and serving areas are in demand, with popular features including built-in cutting boards, strainers and drying racks. And more than half of homeowners are embracing bold sink designs through new colors and ceramic finishes, while also including two sinks in the kitchen.
- Innovations for living in place. Cabinetry and islands that work for all ages will be another customized kitchen solution. Additionally, many homeowners are opting for nighttime lighting, such as toe kick lighting, for safety and aesthetics. These solutions, and technology like motion-sensor lighting and motorized window shades, can be part of living-in-place design.
- Customized color. Another way designers are personalizing designs for clients is by adding color, as kitchens move away from white to white and grays. For statement colors, designers are leveraging cabinetry, islands and vertical surfaces such as backsplashes, wall paint and wallpaper. Additionally, as islands become a kitchen’s design focal point, they are often designed with a contrasting color than surrounding cabinetry and/or countertop.
