Though we’re not quite halfway through the calendar year, some trends in kitchen design and remodeling have already emerged for 2017. These trends are all about personalizing the kitchen space for your individual family, lifestyle, and personality. The two main areas where we see trends emerging are in kitchen cabinetry color and technology use in the kitchen. The color trend continues to evolve from previous years, as advances in cabinet manufacturing techniques continue to evolve and improve. Other advances, in the area of appliance technology, seem to spring to life overnight, as new gadgets appear in showrooms and on the market that help the home cook both manage the kitchen and innovate how to get dinner on the table.
Color
Just like the “basic black dress” that is touted by fashion magazines, kitchen cabinetry colors have been tending towards basic neutrals. Black, gray, and even navy blue have all been fashionable cabinet choices this year, edging away from the white paint and deep wood tones of previous years. These are basic neutrals that are rich in color yet will be on-trend for years to come. Just as these colors are neutral building blocks in a wardrobe, they are neutral anchors in kitchen cabinetry.On the opposite end of the spectrum, using color to accent cabinets is another way to personalize the kitchen. These can be brighter pops of color, such as red, blue, or green to liven up a kitchen remodel. Using the island space as a spot for these color accents is a popular choice.
Technology
Some advances in the technology sector of kitchen design are improvements over old designs. Induction cooktops are relatively new and give many of the benefits of cooking with gas without the need to run a gas line if you already have electricity - an especially important consideration in a kitchen remodel! A smaller induction cooktop is something that can be added to a kitchen to add a different type or more cooking space, even if there is a standard cooktop already installed.The Galley workstation is another improvement to an old design. The pieces it utilizes are nothing new: bowls, cutting boards, a sink, etc., yet it incorporates all of these elements into an entirely new, useful, and completely revolutionary design. Adding The Galley to a kitchen remodel can completely change the way the space is used, even if the layout of the space remains otherwise virtually unchanged.Other technological advances are more futuristic. We’re seeing people use Echo, the smart-speaker from Amazon, as a way to control lights and sound, or even create shopping lists on command in their kitchen. Other kitchen appliances are now enabled with Wi-Fi. An appliance with Wi-Fi connectivity has the advantage of being able to accept software updates over the Internet, which requires less frequent updating of the physical appliance as the software updates itself automatically.
