Kitchen Trends That Are Clearly Taking Hold in 2018

Want to keep up on the latest and greatest?  Or perhaps maybe 2018 happens to be the year you remodel your kitchen ?  Maybe it was your new year’s resolution to work on your house and you need some motivation?  Look no further.  This is the complete guide on trends that are sticking around for good in 2018.

As a preface to this article I just want you, the reader, to think about two general themes as I present the trends.  This will help you simplify the article and will give you a conceptual approach to go off of.  First off, the way of thinking about kitchens in 2018 is a practical approach.  With people’s insanely busy lives, formal dining room dinners are diminishing rapidly. As a result, lots of the trends in 2018 are reflective of a convenience approach.  The second general theme that seems to be taking hold is one of personalization.  People are sick of the standard modern kitchen and people are adding some personality and uniqueness in 2018.  So with that in mind, here are the kitchen trends that are taking hold this year.

  1. Open Shelves Are A Must
Credit Unsplash

Remember that convenience approach I was telling you about?  Open shelves are a huge part of this convenience piece.  Being able to see where things are in an instant is big in interior design in 2018.  In addition to this, many people want some dining ware to be on display for an aesthetic appeal.  Open shelves expand the opportunity for this aesthetic.  Open shelves also put out the feel that your kitchen has more space which is great for giving kitchens a natural feel to it.  A word of caution for this trend, however.  Every dish that is in the open shelf will contribute to the design of the kitchen, so if you have an ugly Buzz Light-Year kids mug on an open shelf, then you might want to put it on a closed shelf.

  1. Out With Islands, In With Eat-In Kitchen Tables
Credit Pixabay

This is a huge trend that I don’t see going away for a long time.  This trend, like the first trend, also goes with the convenience aspect.  With more and more hectic schedules, and mad dashing, formal dining rooms still remain in use but we are seeing more and more people eating at quick kitchen tables that speed up the dining process.  When you think about it, how many people have dining rooms that rarely get used?  My guess is a lot.  To counter this, people have traditionally squeezed into kitchen islands for quick meals.  This is changing however.  Islands are very informal and no one faces each other during a meal.  To get around this, people have introduced “eat-in kitchen tables” (kitchen tables in the kitchen).  Dining tables in the kitchen give a formal dining feel with the convenience of eating “in the ” for great convenience and quick meals.

  1. Transitional Kitchen Design Is Here
Credit Pixabay

What is transitional kitchen design?  In essence, transitional kitchen design mixes design elements of both modern and traditional design to give a very distinct feel to your kitchen.  This trend incorporates personability and uniqueness (the second general theme introduced in the introduction) to a large degree.  Do you love the clean and minimalistic appearance of modern design but also want some nostalgia with traditional design?  Now you can.  This isn’t anything new in the design world but for the first time it’s going mainstream.  Bringing in natural and synthetic materials with neutral colors is at the heart of this aesthetic.  Transitional design also incorporates lots of different textures with marble, polished/rough stone, tile, and various wood textures all making appearances in the same kitchen.  In addition to this, lots of cabinets in transitional kitchens feature a clean, fresh wood that isn’t polished (traditional element) with no handles and flat covers that streamlines the (modern element).

  1. Integrated Appliances and Flat Covers=Streamlined Look
Credit Unsplash

This trend I would say goes hand in hand with the “eat-in kitchen table” trend.  An eat-in table requires a lot of space in the kitchen.  To get this kind of a feel, a giant stainless steel appliance among a mostly wood interior will cramp the design scheme.  To get around this, many people are integrating appliances which basically just means that they are putting covers on their appliances that perfectly match the overall design of the kitchen.  This gives the a very streamlined look.  It also helps create spacing to be able to add in the eat-in kitchen table.

Conclusion

In conclusion, convenience and personalization are huge in 2018.  The idea is to have a that is personalized with many different textures, new and old elements, and an overall focus on convenience to give your kitchen the most formal/unique look while still having great functionality.

About the Author

Tyler Dahl knows that interior design in everyday life is really important and has a great effect on your emotions and mood.  He is a psychology buff who loves reading and has been doing writing and interior design work for the last couple of years.  In his free time, he loves spending time with his family and going camping.