From hotels to restaurants and even websites, themes are the heart of design. When remodeling your kitchen, picking a theme that is timeless, matches your tastes, and looks great is an important step towards creating a kitchen you’ll love to spend time in. In this article, we’ll take a look at the top ten most popular kitchen themes – highlights like granite countertopsand six-burner stoves are a part of the overall feel for a space, but the theme is its backbone. Without one, your kitchen will feel lost, or busy. Let’s get started.
Natural
For years, eco-friendly options and materials have been rising in popularity. Today, natural materials like granite countertops and bamboo cabinets are offering eco-conscious choices that homeowners love. Natural color palettes are also wildly popular at the moment.
Monochrome or Black and White
Kitchens based on a single color, often a neutral, are a hot trend to watch in 2014. Whites and grays are the most prevalent, although bi-chromatic black and white kitchens where black countertops and appliances, as well as minimal black accents, are also hot at the moment.
Outdoor
When the weather is great, take advantage of it. Outdoor kitchens are something to keep an eye on – more often, homeowners are opting to say goodbye to the standard outdoor grill, and upgrade to a full cooking space with a sink, fridge, countertop, and grill surface, so that everyone can join in the fun.
Unexpected Uses of Color
Monochrome kitchens are the rage, and white leads the race. Many offer something unexpected, however – a pop of color in an unexpected place. From bold and beautiful lighting fixtures to backsplashes bursting in blues, greens, reds, or even fluorescent shades, color in unexpected places is a fun a flirty new way to update an otherwise dull kitchen.
Blues
Of all the colors that are trending at present, blue is making the biggest splash. From blue sinks and countertops to backsplashes or cupboards, this color is in style for the season. Regardless of your home’s style, there’s a blue option that will coordinate well in it. Blue-gray soapstone or granite countertops, pale blue rustic or shabby chic cabinets, a deep cobalt farmhouse sink, the choices are endless, and there’s something for every design preference in this year’s hottest kitchen color.
Rustic and Reclaimed/Exposed Surfaces
If you love the idea of reclaimed materials and exposed surfaces, seize the moment. These items, and high-end copies of them, are trending at present. From rustic hardwoods to cabinets with no obvious finish and hand-crafted wrought iron hardware, rustic and reclaimed materials are in style. You’ll often find them paired with exposed surfaces, like natural stained hardwoods floors or exposed brick. The careful design and combination of these elements can still create a high-end feel, especially if paired with stainless steel surfaces, expert lighting, and quartz or granite countertops.
Sleek, Modern, and Open
Modern, open concept spaces are growing in popularity. One place they’re starting to take over is the kitchen. Center islands are morphing into dining spaces that double as cooking surfaces, and the concept of cabinetry is being tossed out the window as homeowners and buyers look for ways to display colorful and eye-catching dinnerware. If you aren’t the neatest person, this might not be a great option. For fans of organization, however, exposed shelving is a trend that’s worth noting. Look for other ways to make your space feel open and inviting, too.
A Classic or Vintage Feel
Think of your grandmother’s kitchen, and your mother’s. What elements did they share? Reaching back to classic kitchens and pulling vintage elements into modern spaces is a common theme in kitchen remodels for 2014. Hunt for ways to artfully incorporate the old with the new, or go all out and design a vintage kitchen – just make sure your appliances are modern, or the electricity and gas bills will leave you cringing.
A Chef’s Dream
If you love to cook, now is the time to create a kitchen that would make Gordon Ramsay squeal with delight. Mix materials to create the most impressive effects – a granite backsplash or countertop with installed butcher block, stainless steel, and marble work surfaces is a great feature for the avid home cook. Industrial appliances and range hoods are hot at the moment, too. Just don’t design a kitchen with a professional chef’s theme if you aren’t willing (and able) to do the cooking to match.
Warm Metals
Stainless steel has been popular for over a decade, but there’s a new trend afoot. As more homeowners and buyers look to make the kitchen a welcome and inviting space, chrome and stainless steel are being combined with accents in warmer metals like copper and brass. Bold fixtures in these colors are also available, and work well in homes with a rustic or opulent