In over 15 years as a luxury residential interior designer, I have never seen such an intense desire for custom kitchens. These may be the most expensive rooms in the house, but the pandemic has encouraged people to take full advantage of these high-use spaces, while the rising cost of real estate has prompted some not to find new homes. but to make their current homes, including their kitchens, reflect their style.

Trendy finishes

Spectacular natural stone is gaining popularity. People particularly appreciate the magnificent veins or unique pieces of marble and quartzite. They also look for man-made stones, such as quartz and porcelain, that offer vibrant colors and patterns. This masonry can then be incorporated into the rest of the kitchen with stone wrapped hoods, handcrafted stone sinks and backsplashes with ledges.

Metallic accents enhance everything from cabinetry to lighting. The most popular metals are warm tones, such as unlacquered brass with a soft patina. Indeed, when Google reported a 90% increase in searches for brass homewares and lighting in 2022, it wasn’t the brassy gold of the 80s and 90s. Instead, people search an understated handcrafted look that blends with other natural materials and can even blend with other metallic tones.

Customers are also looking for the timeless drama of on-trend flooring. This includes tiles placed diagonally or in a checkerboard pattern, as well as dynamic wood flooring patterns, such as herringbone or herringbone. People are also making statements with the bold colors and sizes of their devices. This includes expressions of personality through the hundreds of custom colors and configurations found in luxury European ranges such as La Cornue, Lacanche and ILVE.

Organic shapes, colors and textures

People bring nature into their spaces because they are drawn to wellness and sustainability.

In the kitchen, nature appears in organic forms, including curved cabinets, rounded countertops, round dining tables and arched doorways. Psychologically, it creates a feeling of welcome and abundance. Whether muted or saturated, blues and greens bring the freshness of the outdoors to the interior color palette. Nature’s influences continue in natural textures such as wood cabinetry and butcher block countertops, or in the move away from white painted cabinetry to darker, richer wood tones.

People are looking for the look of a kitchen that flows with the rest of the house. They can reuse single tables as islands or use cabinet-style cabinet fronts, reed panels, decorative grilles, arched tops and beaded edges. Panel fronts are also used to hide more utilitarian appliances, such as refrigerators, so that they blend into cabinetry. This visually unbroken palette gives the kitchen a clean look. Small appliances can be tucked away in drawers and cabinets for a clean, calm feeling. Layering decorative pieces such as art, accessories, and lighting also connects the kitchen to the rest of the home.

A cohesive style also comes from the fact that the kitchen work areas are highly efficient so that there is room to successfully balance the space. For example, we can have large pantries on one side of the room and then a kitchen hood with decorative sconces on each side to create a visual break. Alternatively, we could have a stone backsplash with a ledge or an open shelf to display ornaments.

The most beautiful and inspiring approach to customizing kitchens comes from the evolution of wellness design. It brings us natural materials, colors, textures and shapes, room for bold statements and design flow between the kitchen and the rest of the home.

Sarah Walker is an interior designer and owner of Nuance Interior Design Showroom in Bellevue.