7 Exciting New Kitchen Design Trends in California
Just In Time to Spice Up Your Kitchen
As a full-service kitchen design+build firm servicing Santa Clara County and Silicon Valley, Acton ADU knows the value of smart kitchen design. Still the focal point of any home, modern kitchens have evolved to include advances in technology, clean and simple styles, and essential natural lighting. If you’re tired of looking at a kitchen that is past its prime or working in a kitchen that is dysfunctional, now may be the time to get your creative juices cooking.
With advice from our design experts, here are the top seven trends in kitchen design we expect to see in 2018.
1. Smart Kitchens
Today’s kitchens are not only using fancy gadgets and smart appliances, they are incorporating smart home technology into virtually every function of your home—from kitchen faucets to home security systems.
Keep your family safe and secure with live video streaming delivered right to your phone or tablet. Regulate your home’s heating and cooling systems to automatically maintain the perfect temperature day or night, and save money on your energy bills.
Light every room in your home to your exact specifications, on a device or by voice command. And utilize smart home appliances to regulate everything from no-touch faucets to a refrigerator that monitors your egg and milk expiration dates. Ready to experiment with these novel technologies?
2. Clean-Lined Cabinets (Back to the Basics)
Cabinets are one of the most prominent features in a kitchen, playing a huge role in the overall statement the kitchen makes. For years, shaker style cabinets have been homeowners’ top choice for their kitchens. Today, that trend seems to be shifting more towards streamlined flat-panel doors. This smooth, minimalistic door style has sharp lines and contours that fit well with both transitional and contemporary styles. The splendor of this look is that the cabinets can fade into the background and allow homeowners to highlight essential areas in their kitchen, such as a bold Viking stove or a colorful geometric backsplash.
On the flip side, choose a bright color or two-toned cabinetry, and it’s your cabinets that will be on center stage.
3. Creative Storage Solutions
From pots and pans to kitchen appliances and every specialty gadget under the sun, the kitchen is always in need of creative storage solutions. Kitchen design dilemmas are being solved with custom walk-in pantries, deep drawer dividers, corner drawers, appliance garages and pullout waste and recycle bins, to name a few. Built-ins are especially valuable for displaying cookbooks, kitchen collectibles, organizing spices and utensils or hiding media devices.
4. Quartz Countertops Are Here to Stay
Countertops are an essential component of the kitchen. Beyond durability and maintenance considerations, the countertop design, material, and finish that you choose will significantly impact the kitchen décor.
Since the late 80s, granite has been the popular choice, with its more formal appearance and abundant strength. However, granite requires some housekeeping (sealing it on an annual basis) to maintain its beauty and prevent stains. With the lower maintenance quality of quartz, coupled with its versatile design options, it has steadily become homeowners’ first choice over its granite counterpart. Since quartz is a manmade product, it comes in literally hundreds of colors and patterns and is harder and more durable than granite. Moreover, quartz is not porous and requires no sealing to keep it clean and stain free.
According to the National Kitchen and Bath Association (NKBA), homeowners’ choice for countertop products last year stacked up as follows:
- Quartz: 88%
- Granite: 83%
- Marble: 43%
- Solid surface: 43%
- Butcher block: 35%
- Other wood: 29%
- Other stone: 26%
- Recycled countertops: 22%
5. Bring In Induction Cooktops
On the appliance front, one trend that is definitely creating buzz lately is the installation of induction cooktops. Induction cooking uses an electromagnetic field to generate heat instead of radiant heat (like an electric cooktop or a natural gas stove) and therefore never gets hot to the touch. Popular among Southern California residents who don’t want to cook over a hot stove on a hot day, this is a fabulous alternative to the traditional way of cooking on a stovetop. Induction cooktops also heat up faster and are more energy efficient than their counterparts, making it a more environmentally friendly choice.
6. Everything Including the Kitchen Sink
Photo courtesy of Standard Plumbing
Kitchen sinks have come along way—now available in a variety of shapes, colors, sizes, and materials. And, they are finally getting their rightful place in the kitchen design plan. Santa Clara County homeowners are opting for larger, single-basin sinks to make room for bulky pots and pans. They are also choosing from a wide array of sink accessories like cutting boards, drying racks and colanders to maximize functionality and create additional workspace.
Adding a second smaller sink for food prep is another popular choice among Southern California homeowners looking to remodel their kitchens.
7. Fabulous Fixtures and Faucets
There’s fun in faucets. In addition to deep sinks that are easy to clean, homeowners are choosing pull-down kitchen faucets with a high arc, as well as hands-free and motion-sensor faucets.
There’s also fun in fixtures—it’s where we can get creative and let our personalities and design sensibilities shine through. Each year, new options with different colors and finishes show up on the market. Here are a few of our favorites:
Matte Metal
Perfect for modern and contemporary design styles
Photo Courtesy of Design Milk
Brass
Offers a touch of shine
Photo courtesy of Fresh Home
Mix it Up
Who says fixtures need to match? Mixing various metals and finishes will be big for 2018
Custom
Did you know you can customize your own hardware? We love these leather handles & pulls:
Make 2018 the year that you bring your kitchen into the 21st century. Let these kitchen design trends serve as design ideas for your kitchen renovation—combining the best in functionality and aesthetics to create your dream kitchen.
For further inspiration visit our Kitchen Design Portfolio. Ready now? Call 408-663-6530 or fill out our online form to request a personal design consultation today!
