All-white kitchens have reigned for the past few years, but in 2015 big changes were afoot. This was the year of mostly white kitchens. Seriously though, it was a big year for color, and we watched all sorts of hues find their way back into the kitchen.
Though the most popular kitchen photos that Houzzers saved to their ideabooks ranged greatly in size and style, one common thread was personality. Designers and homeowners rebuffed many of the sanitized, one-size-fits-all options and instead chose unexpected light fixtures, a mix of cabinet colors and finishes, reclaimed-wood accents, places to display collections and even different shades of grout. Here, then, are 20 of the most popular kitchen photos of 2015 and the growing trends they illustrate.
HEYDT DESIGNS
Kitchens that are part of an open plan. When creating kitchens like this one, which is open to the dining area — and beyond that, the living room — designers had to consider what the views would be like from one space to the next.
Using a statement light fixture in lieu of a line of small pendants created a focal point in the long space. Open shelves viewed from the other rooms help the kitchen blend in with the adjacent dining and living room areas.
Light fixture: Mr. Brown Galaxy Pendant; chevron Riviera side chairs: Serena & Lily
VanderHorn Architects
Contrasting islands … While all white was still very popular, contrast has come into the kitchen, whether through the paint color on an island or elsewhere.
Island color: Down Pipe, Farrow & Ball; light fixtures: Chisholm Hall, Urban Electric Co.
Barker Associates Architecture Office
… or cabinets. The other popular spot where color started to spring up was on lower cabinets, often painted a different color than the white cabinets above.
Lower cabinet color: Deep Space, Benjamin Moore
Karr Bick Kitchen and Bath
Colorful appliances. Brightly colored ranges and refrigerators were another popular choice. I have a theory that people started small with the popular colored KitchenAid stand mixers and went bigger from there. Companies have caught on and more colors than ever are available. For those who remember kitchens of the 1970s, don’t worry — I doubt we’ll be seeing avocado green or harvest gold again anytime soon.
Refrigerator and range: Northstar
Anne Sneed Architectural Interiors
Cabinetry that feels like free-standing furniture. Another way that mixed cabinetry finishes came into play was in storage solutions that feel more like furniture pieces than built-in cabinets. Switching up the hardware on these pieces accentuates the look. The free-standing furniture idea is classic and lends an antique feel.
Cozy breakfast nooks and banquette seating were another favorite in 2015. Families liked the idea of making the most of these hardworking spaces used not only for meals but for work and homework. Many examples have storage drawers beneath the seats.
Table: distressed elm Belgian trestle table, Restoration Hardware; chairs: Thatcher chair, Room and Board; pendant lights: Cisco Brothers; barn painting: Jeff Pugh; horse painting: Michael Swearngin; counters: PentalQuartz in Mesa with a honed finish
Sue Murphy Interiors
Streamlined kitchens. In an open plan, designers often try to make the kitchen look not so “kitchen-y.” This helps keep the transition between the designated areas more cohesive.
This kitchen has stripped-down, Scandinavian modern style. Whitewashed floors, a light wood table and shell chairs with dowel bases blend in with the clean-lined, unadorned cabinetry.
Table: Ebbe Gehl, John Lewis; lights: Ava sparkling glass pendant lights, Jim Lawrence
Tom Howley
Shaker style. The simplicity of Shaker cabinet fronts works in just about every style of kitchen, from traditional to contemporary. This kitchen balances elegance and farmhouse style, with polished pendant lights adding a modern touch and tumbled marble floors infusing a bit of rusticity.
Paint color: Chicory, Tom Howley; counters: Ivory Spice granite; flooring: Mazzano tumbled marble
A modern-rustic mix. Perhaps it’s all the popular cooking shows on TV that have so many people borrowing design moves from commercial kitchens. Designers took note, choosing sleek elements like commercial faucets with built-in sprayers, aluminum-clad windows and streamlined, industrial style hardware.
Many designers balanced these crisp lines and stainless finishes with rustic touches like wood and vintage-style lighting. Exposed beams like those seen here are a rough-hewn feature that Houzzers loved in kitchens this year. Which brings us to …
Windows and doors:
Barbra Bright Design
The warmth of wood. We’ve already seen it in a few of the most popular kitchens. Whether on open shelves, islands, countertops, ceilings, floors or elsewhere, homeowners loved the look of wood in the kitchen. Walnut was especially popular, particularly on countertops.
In this Sonoma kitchen, the homeowner distressed the cedar boards himself using a process that included black tea and a steel wool pad soaked in vinegar. The floors are wire-brushed European oak.
Flooring: Pompeii Collection in Amiata, Provenza; sink and faucet: Kraus; cabinets: Brookhaven in Green Stone
M. Elle Design
Range alcove. Another page that homeowners took from the commercial kitchen notebook was large professional ranges and large vent hoods. Creating an alcove for them helps these large-scale pieces fit into a home kitchen. It also provides a place to keep cookware, utensils, oils, spices and other culinary needs within easy reach of the stovetop.
Connecticut Stone
Windows instead of upper cabinets. Houzzers made the most of their lower cabinets and interior walls to let in as much natural light as possible. Thanks to all the new smart storage solutions and strategies we saw in 2015, it was easy to sacrifice upper cabinets.
Paint: Arctic Gray, Benjamin Moore; counters: Calacatta Gold honed marble; floors: 5-inch white oak with Waterlox sealer; faucet: bridge kitchen faucet with sidespray in polished nickel, Perrin and Rowe; 39-inch-wide Risinger double-bowl fireclay sink: Signature Hardware
How to Lose Some of Your Upper Kitchen Cabinets
Advance Design Studio, Ltd.
Open shelves. Going with just lower cabinets makes room for open shelves. Houzzers were particularly drawn to reclaimed wood, which adds warmth and texture and breaks the kitchen out of the all-white box.
Here the homeowner added an industrial look with metal hooks sourced from Etsy. They look like they’re supporting suspended shelves, but in truth they’re decorative.
Countertops: Cemento Suede and Promenade, Silestone; cabinets by Dura Supreme in Storm Gray
More: How to Arrange Open Shelves in the Kitchen
JW Construction
Walk-in pantries. Another way homeowners were able to keep their kitchen walls open was by using pantries for storage. Designers noted that these spaces were being used for small appliances like coffee makers, microwaves and toasters, and that some were even outfitted with sinks and small refrigerators.
Collage Designs
Farmhouse style. Comfortable elements like beams, rough-hewn wood, slipcovered stools, bin pull hardware, brick veneer and Shaker cabinets give this room country warmth. At the same time, contemporary pendant lights, Cambria countertops, a professional range and clean lines add modern touches.
Flour-sack slipcovers, custom, Collage Designs; range: Thermador
deVOL Kitchens
Brass hardware. Houzzers have gotten over their bad memories of 1980s lacquered brass and realized that antiqued brass is a whole different animal. The living finish changes over time, taking on a beautiful patina that only gets better with age.
Counters: Carrara marble; hardware (similar): Signature Hardware
Violandi + Warner Interiors
Statement lighting. Rather than using small trios of pendant lights over islands, homeowners realized they were missing an opportunity to shake things up. They’re adding lights we’d expect to see in a dining room, a foyer or even outside. Larger in scale than the usual kitchen options, they can bring in unexpected color, texture and patina that wow.
In this Cape Cod kitchen, oversized lanterns in navy add to the home’s subtle nautical style.
Lanterns: Oomph, Welch Company Home + Design; island color: Club Navy, Ralph Lauren; perimeter cabinet color: White Dove, Benjamin Moore; counters: Lyra, Silestone; window treatment fabric: Katsugi, Schumacher; counter stools: Serena & Lily
Lewin Wertheimer
Subway tile with dark grout. Subway tile has ruled for a few years now. But the look is always evolving, with different dimensions and textures gaining popularity. But the most marked difference in how homeowners used subway tile in 2015 was in the grout they chose. Shades of gray and even silver switched up the look and was much easier to keep looking clean.
Range: Wolf; pendant lighting: One Kings Lane; ceiling lights: Rejuvenation; sink: Franke; faucet: Rohl; tile: Classic Tile & Flooring; cabinetry hardware: Crown City Hardware
User
French cafe chairs and stools. This is the third kitchen where we’ve seen beautiful woven French cafe chairs or stools. These pieces are a great way to change the look of a kitchen, adding color, pattern and texture.
Interior cabinet color: Beacon, Benjamin Moore; flooring: antique hickory; backsplash tile: Waterworks
Meadow Mountain Homes
Deep lower-cabinet drawers instead of cabinet doors. Houzzers loved the idea of deep lower-cabinet drawers over having to squat or kneel to dig around behind doors. The drawers keep things more organized and are easier to access, making them a good option for those who intend to age in place.
As we see in this photo, lower-cabinet drawers lend themselves well to the free-standing furniture look that’s become so popular in kitchens. The range looks like it’s flanked by a pair of chests.
Cabinets: custom alder wood, Custom Wood Products
LMK INTERIOR DESIGN
Undercabinet lighting. While we’ve seen undercabinet lighting that illuminates the countertops for years, this year we saw more kitchens with lighting along the toe kick just over the floor. The look is somewhat futuristic and is a really wonderful way to light the kitchen at night. Flipping on bright overheads when you’re ducking in for a snack on movie night is rough on your rods and cones, whereas a nice little lit path along the floor is just right.
Quick Fix: Easy Toe-Kick Lighting
Your turn: Did you have a favorite kitchen photo from Houzz in 2015? If you didn’t see it here, please share it with us in the Comments and tell us what you love about it.
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