Cabinetry takes up a lot of real estate in your kitchen. Which is why, when designing a kitchen, more and more experts are focussing on making them not just functional but aesthetically pleasing as well. Apartment Therapy, a global portal on home decor, after speaking with a gamut of designers and architects, has come up with five new trends that are piping hot in the kitchen decor scenario right now.
1. Glass cabinetry
Glass cabinet doors, which enjoyed a heyday in the ’90s, are coming back in style. According to experts, it’s all part of the trend toward simplicity and organisation. Busy as our lives are, the less time we spend searching for stuff in our kitchen cabinets, the more organised our lives will be. Thanks to Marie Kondo, who has taken the world by storm with her KonMari method of decluttering, more and more people are clearing out unused items languishing inside cabinets and only keeping things that are actually being used. But remember, only the uppers need to be in glass, not the lowers, or you’ll end up with unnecessary accidents.
2. Minimalist handles
When it comes to the hardware on your cabinets these days, less is more. Gone are the days of chunky handles that, over time, collected dirt around them due to so much, well, handling. Today, handles are being frequently hidden or unobtrusive and allow the natural wood or finish on the cabinets to take centrestage. While the no-handle look is on the rise, a big trend is cut-out handle, which allows you to simply slip in your hand to open them. Also, touch release or soft close is another big trend—a gentle tap and the cabinets open and close as you wish.
3. Sustainable materials
Yes, the eco-friendly movement has entered kitchens as well. Of late, there has been a huge uptick in interest for cabinets made with upcycled, repurposed and sustainable materials. Instead of throwing out old cabinets and installing new ones when renovating a kitchen, more and more people are simply painting them over in a new shade for a fresh look. Sustainable materials such as bamboo are becoming really big, and the leader in this movement is none other than IKEA, whose bamboo range is quite exceptional.
4. Return of colour
While classic, all-brown and all-white kitchens have long been in the game, experts predict dramatic pops of colour in the future. More and more homeowners are choosing colour now, whether that’s turquoise, avocado or lemon—shades that really break the mould. Here’s a tip if you don’t want to go all out with colour just yet—mix up the uppers and lowers. Keep the top cabinets white or brown and the lower ones in a bright colour. Or, break up a bank of white upper cabinets with just one or two in a bright hues. Another tip, stick to just one pop of colour, and use that in accessories such as dishes and towels. More than that will end up in colour chaos.