Connected to multiple rooms and key to cooking and entertaining, most kitchens are at the center of the home. This year, its relationship to surrounding rooms is driving many of the trends, but kitchen design is still all about getting the look and functionality that matches your lifestyle. Here are the 2023 kitchen trends experts expect to see in the coming year.
1. Extending the Kitchen’s Reach
“With so many clients going for an open-concept kitchen over the last few years, we are designing more than just the kitchen space itself,” says Lauren Schulte, National Kitchen and Bath Association (NKBA) member and owner/designer Monarch Kitchen Design Studio. Now, kitchen design also encompasses spaces like a pantry, mudroom, dining room, and half baths. This is in addition to the other living areas that connect to the kitchen in homes with an open floor plan.
“It is not that the space feels like one big extended kitchen, it is that the spaces flow openly into each other with different functions and blend the areas together well,” says Schulte. A kitchen’s connectivity directly impacts its design. Continuous visibility is influencing how homeowners want a kitchen to both look and function in the larger space.
2. Expansive Windows
Windows will be a focal point in 2023, whether updating an existing space or designing a new kitchen. “We can expect to see kitchens having huge window walls that slide open or into pocket walls, merging the indoor-outdoor spaces,” says Meet Pahwa, a certified kitchen and bath designer with NKBA. “These windows create stunning and refreshing spaces with nature, daylight, and fresh air pouring in.”
Multiple trends converge to make windows a key design element this year. To start, Pahwa notes the continued popularity of outdoor entertaining and adjacent kitchens. Second, whether visual, physical, or both, a connection with the outdoors is fundamental to current trends like biophilic design and organic modern style. Finally, the NKBA’s 2023 Design Trends report notes that low-E (or low-emissivity) windows and doors are among the top three kitchen sustainability trends. Not limited to stunning picture windows, Andersen Windows & Doors predicts pivot doors and white oak to break out in homes in 2023.
3. Doubling Up for Efficiency
“Kitchen enthusiasts are seeing double,” says Tanna Edler, an NKBA member and interior designer/owner of TANNA BY DESIGN. More activity in the kitchen has homeowners opting for duplicates of the fixtures and appliances they use most. “With more families cooking at home and multiple members working in the kitchen at the same time, adding a second single bowl sink will be in high demand,” says Edler. The NKBA’s 2023 trend research notes that dishwashers and ovens are also popular duplicates. Even double islands–one for cooking and meal prep, with another for work, dining, and family activities–may be appearing in homes, according to Edler.
4. Subdued Countertops
Say goodbye to bold stone patterns and dark granite. As more dramatic colors and rich woods enter the kitchen, expect countertops to lighten the space. “Kitchen palettes are moving toward an earthy and muted tone, much darker and richer than before. The combination of strong dramatic colors mixed with light natural woods will warm up spaces and give them that desired organic vibe homeowners are wanting,” says Edler. And countertops are changing in response.
“Countertops will be clean-looking in soft muted shades and honed finishes, void of the busy patterns of the past,” says Michele Youell, an NKBA member and designer behind Natural Domain Interiors. “These countertops work in a complementary way with the warmer wood cabinets now re-emerging as another kitchen trend,” Youell says. Specifically, these lighter surfaces are likely to be made of quartz or quartzite, which are non-porous, stain-resistant, and easy to maintain. Keep an eye on sintered stone, too, which is a newer category of manufactured material with similar characteristics. The NKBA notes that it's gaining more attention as a countertop choice.
5. Simple Cabinet Doors (That Aren’t Shaker!)
Shaker-style cabinetry is incredibly popular for its simplicity, but designer Catherine Deutschlander, NKBA member and founder of CW Design PLLC, anticipates seeing newer, but still simple, cabinetry styles in the kitchen. “Let’s face it: your decor style will change over the years. So why are you sticking with the Shaker door style that does not go with your sleek dining room chairs and the beautiful oval cherry table that was passed down from your grandmother?” she says. For a fresher approach, Deutschlander suggests a slimmer, sleeker take on the Shaker style. In more personalized and visually connected spaces, updated cabinet doors can make a big impact.
6. Touches of Traditional Style
With decorating styles like Americana and cottage resurfacing in new ways, anticipate more traditional elements coming back into the kitchen, too. “We now yearn for a touch of old fashion look,” says Jake T. Galang, Certified Kitchen and Bath Designer (CKBD) behind ILUSTRACION BY JAKE, CORP. For home designs moving away from the simplicity of flat panels and ultra sleek lines, “we now want to see something familiar like the classic beaded inset cabinets,” says Galang. “Accent colors will be introduced back again, as well as custom cabinet doors and statement hoods.”
The trend can be achieved in smaller doses, too. Pinterest predicts that a major trend in 2023 will be finding “new ways to honor old stuff” in the home. The kitchen and its adjacent spaces will be a backdrop for bringing vintage and hand-me-down pieces, from buffet cabinets to dinnerware to wall decor, into more contemporary homes.
Storage and organization are a top priority in kitchens. Early in the pandemic, homeowners simply needed more storage for utensils, food, and cookbooks. Now, it’s about creating solutions that keep kitchens organized while concealing clutter. “It’s what’s behind the doors and drawers that impacts your life; these solutions will lessen the chaos in your home and make it better,” says Deutschlander.
"People are really into having an organizational option for the things that they use the most every day,” says Schulte. Schulte recommends storage for spices, baking sheets, pots and pans, and even hand towels and sponges. “This allows the stuff that was once on top of the counter to neatly find its place inside a cabinet,” she says.
Similarly, homeowners are seeking solutions for countertop appliances, including under-counter stand mixer lifts and spaces for coffee machines and toasters that can be concealed with cabinet doors when not in use.
Walk-in and built-in pantries are another popular way to keep storage out of sight. Integrated, paneled appliances fit right in with this trend, too, hiding boxy stainless-steel refrigerators and dishwashers.
7. Concealed Storage and Appliances
Storage and organization are a top priority in kitchens. Early in the pandemic, homeowners simply needed more storage for utensils, food, and cookbooks. Now, it’s about creating solutions that keep kitchens organized while concealing clutter. “It’s what’s behind the doors and drawers that impacts your life; these solutions will lessen the chaos in your home and make it better,” says Deutschlander.
"People are really into having an organizational option for the things that they use the most every day,” says Schulte. Schulte recommends storage for spices, baking sheets, pots and pans, and even hand towels and sponges. “This allows the stuff that was once on top of the counter to neatly find its place inside a cabinet,” she says.
Similarly, homeowners are seeking solutions for countertop appliances, including under-counter stand mixer lifts and spaces for coffee machines and toasters that can be concealed with cabinet doors when not in use.
Walk-in and built-in pantries are another popular way to keep storage out of sight. Integrated, paneled appliances fit right in with this trend, too, hiding boxy stainless-steel refrigerators and dishwashers.
8. Range Alternatives
Influenced by personalization trends and the kitchen’s connectedness to the rest of the home, the team at Gaggenau anticipates homeowners will look for alternatives to the range and vent hood traditionally situated along a wall. Cooktops paired with downdraft installation at an island, for example, allow the cook to more easily converse with others in the kitchen or adjacent rooms, making it perfect for entertaining or helping the kids with homework before dinner. The same setup lets the cook appreciate outdoor views in a kitchen with windows. Swapping an over-the-range vent hood for downdraft ventilation further opens up the space.