If you are thinking of renovating your kitchen, you might want to look into the current kitchen trends.  Perhaps, they’d inspire you to build a kitchen that you would truly love.  2016 is the year for hi-tech work stations, muted colors and old 80s glam.  Here are the latest kitchen trends to watch out for:

1. Soft Muted Colors

If you are thinking of switching up your kitchen’s color scheme, then you might want to consider softer and muted color palettes.  Kitchen colors are indeed changing.  Although white is still the dominant motif, many modern kitchens will get some new colors.

Everything from your cabinets to the backsplashes will have a softer, less saturated tone.  You’d see more charcoals, grays and neutral pastels like pale green, pale blue, and pale gray.  These colors are the stylish alternatives to just plain white.

Kitchens will also feature wood with lighter tones. So, think walnuts, white oak, and whitewashed wood.  Bold colors will be relegated to the backburner.  They’re also out as accent colors.  Shop for muted blues, greens, and yellow as accent colors.

2. Hi-Tech Makeover

Make sure to get ready for a hi-tech kitchen makeover.  Nowadays, kitchen appliances are more complicated, more hi-tech.  Smart devices litter modern kitchens.  There will be designated spots for these devices this year.

Kitchens will have hidden charging stations, and there will be areas to place to phones and tablets so that they will be easily at hand.  The quintessential modern kitchen is designed for the convenience of people who are on the go. 

3. ‘80s Kitchen

While some modern kitchens feature muted pastel colors and hi-tech gadget, other kitchens are going for another trend – ‘80s design.  This means mirrored backsplashes, high gloss surfaces, and brass accessories.  Kitchens are more elegant and refined.  The design incorporates natural materials, something that is different from the “plastic” look of the kitchen in the ‘80s.  Homeowners will opt for brass with satin finish.

4. Metal Range Hoods

In 2015, kitchen trends feature metallic finishes.  So, there were lots of kitchens with copper, brass or bronze finishes.  These were small helpings, though.  You’d find them used in faucets, lights, and cabinet pulls.

This year, metal finishes will have a major role in this year’s kitchen designs.  You can say goodbye to wood mantle hoods.  They are being replaced with hoods that combine metal and wood.  If you’d like to stick with last year’s neutral colors, an addition of metal hood will give your kitchen a beautiful burst of contrast.

5.  Kitchen Converges with the Living Space

2016 is the year for integrated kitchen-and-living spaces. Maybe you’ve built a kitchen that is entirely disconnected from the other rooms in your house.  Maybe you’d like a more open space.  Maybe you’d like to have a kitchen that is warmer and inviting.  This is the trend this year.  People are aiming to get a more streamlined design, so they’ve started to destroy walls to create kitchens that converge with the rest of the house.

6. Cleaner Lines

Present day kitchens are embracing traditional designs, but this doesn’t mean boring.  Although the designs are traditional, they are cleaner.  They have bolder lines, but they have lesser elaborate features.

This doesn’t mean it’s the end of conventional designs.  It just means that homeowners will choose fewer embellishments.  They will also opt for strategically placed items.  Traditional designs will remain fashionable at all times, but there will always be some changes.  There will be an emphasis on some kitchen elements like hoods, islands, and cabinets.

7. Reimagined Contrast

Kitchens will have a reimagined contrast.  There will be variations in texture rather than the conventional texture contrasts.  You will see sharp contrasts in texture instead of contrasts in designs.

You won’t see mixed-and-matched textures, though.  You will find the same texture but in different patterns all over the kitchen.  For instance, you will find the same stone wall finished in three different ways.  The difference will be quite subtle though.

8. Midcentury Modern Furniture

This year’s trend includes the return of midcentury furniture.  You will find more of this period’s designs in kitchens.  In truth, this has been quite evident.  There is an increasing use of walnuts in the kitchen.  You will find a nod to ‘60s modern style or the Nordic style.  You can get this by opting for white color palettes with light wood textures.  This gives a minimalist appearance.  This clears excessive disorder.  Minimalist design is about simplicity and functionality.

9. Well-lit Kitchen

There will be more well-lit cabinetries.  Kitchen lighting will not be limited to ceiling lights or table lamps.  There will be extensive cabinet lighting.  Light tape strips in low voltage will be installed below, above, inside cabinets and countertops.  These accent pieces will offer better mood settings.

Image Credit:
What Homeowners Have on the Kitchen via examiner.com
20 High-Tech Kitchen Gadgets via refinedguy.com
Giving New Life to an 80's Kitchen via goeye4design.com
Custom metal range hood via houzz.com
Parc Soleil Suites via hilton.com
Green Kitchen Walls on Pinterest via pinterest.com
DIY Painted Backsplash via runawayapricot.com
Contemporary as a Design Style via janetbrooksdesign.com