What Colours Are Trending In Kitchen Design?

Kitchens are often the first room in your home that visitors see when they walk through the door. The kitchen is not just any old space, either – it has a special significance for family members who cook together and spend lots of time there every day.

That is why colours are a very important consideration and are a greater commitment than you might think. That’s because this area won’t just be seen by your immediate family, but all of those near and dear to you. 

The colours you choose for your home’s interior design will have an impact on not just how it looks but also what kind of mood or feeling is created. Your kitchen cabinets, benchtops, splashbacks and walls are only some aspects that need consideration when deciding upon a colour palette because each plays its own role in creating the overall feel.

So when it comes to renovating your kitchen, you need to choose the colours wisely. With all of this in mind, let’s take a look at which colours are currently trending in kitchen design and what colours will work best for your kitchen renovation. We will also discuss kitchen renovation trends over the last several decades and which trends have stood the test of time.

What Kitchen Colours Are Trending Now?

As mentioned above, there are a number of different factors to consider when choosing colours for your kitchen. Cabinets, splashbacks, walls, and tiles can all influence what colours you choose and for which part of the kitchen they are most suited.

For vertical surfaces such as doors and drawers, various shades of black are a growing trend along with warm timber look laminates and natural timber veneers, such as walnut. 

For benchtops, veined stone is continuing to grow in popularity however, over the last decade, black stone benchtops are also trending along with black tapware that emerged early-to-mid last decade. 

We are also seeing the black trend continue through to the inside of cabinets. Rather than boring old plain white carcasses, we’re seeing dark greys on the outer sides and blacks used for internal fittings as well. 

What is the Difference Between a Fad and a Trend?

The main difference between fads and trends is essentially how long they last. Trends tend to last for longer than fads so it’s a matter of understanding what causes “trends” to occur. From there, you will have a better idea of how long the “trend” or “fad” is likely to last. 

As an example, I can remember many years ago someone commenting that they thought black tapware would just disappear overnight and not actually last, and that’s where it can be hard to pick what will last and what won’t. You might think, “this is just a bit of a fad that’ll disappear” however, certain trends will emerge and continue to be popular for many years to come whereas fads tend to fade out and die.

Aside from the strong trend in black benchtops, cabinets and tiles, earth tones and colours that are found in nature such as greens, blues, ochres, browns etc, are also popular trends. 

Kitchen Renovations Become Fashionable

In the last 20-25 years, what has occurred is some of the large companies that manufacture and supply kitchen and bathroom cabinets, accessories etc have discovered that they’ve been able to turn domestic home renovation into a fashion product area. 

Going back even further to the ’60s and the ’70s, someone would buy a woodgrain teak kitchen with the view that it was going to last for a lifetime because there was no pressure from the marketplace to constantly change and renovate your kitchen. So there were no real trends or fads that stuck because everyone just kept doing what had been done previously. 

In the ’90s, this changed fairly dramatically. During this era, we began to see products and finishes and materials being brought out fairly regularly and suddenly. Suddenly, we’re now in the 2020s and seem to be under considerable pressure to stay fashionable. 

On the one hand, you could say it’s good for an industry like ours because it gives us more things to talk about and to offer our customers. Whether we like it or not, consumers are wanting to change their kitchen more often than they would have 20-30 years ago. 

To give you a bit of an idea, in Europe, the average kitchen gets turned over about every 7-10 years. In America, it’s about every 12 years and in Australia, it’s about every 15 years. I imagine the timeframe in Australia will probably come down fairly rapidly because we are under more and more pressure to stay fashionable.

That is why now, trends have a whole new life. Some could argue that we live in a very consumer-driven society where, unfortunately, we waste money chasing trends. There is huge pressure to get the latest which means trends tend to be much shorter-lived than they were 20-30 years ago. This means we end up turning over a lot more products to try and keep up with trends, and probably spend more money than we need to.

Final Thoughts

As we can see from the above there are a number of different things to consider when it comes to choosing the right colour scheme for your kitchen renovation. Things such as benchtops, cabinets, floor and wall tiles and various accessories all need to be considered to achieve the perfect balance for your kitchen.

We also discussed the difference between a fad and a trend and how the kitchen renovation industry has progressed throughout the last several decades with certain trends and fads being affected along the way. This is a topic that we will explore in an upcoming blog post as it is worthy of understanding in more detail. 

At the end of the day, what really matters is that you choose the colours for your kitchen that you feel will best match your personality, your lifestyle as well as something that will look good for many years to come and maintain its relevance.

Speak To The Experts at Let’s Talk Kitchens & Interiors

If you are looking for some expert advice and some design inspiration for your kitchen renovation, then speak to our qualified designers at Let’s Talk Kitchens & Interiors.

Let’s Talk Kitchens & Interiors has been designing and building bespoke bathrooms in Melbourne and greater Victoria since 1972. Over those 50 years, we’ve made every mistake known to man, so why not take advantage of our hard-won, learning experiences?

If you would like further help designing your new kitchen call Let’s Talk Kitchens & Interiors today on (03) 9068 5496 to speak with one of our qualified Interior Designers or book a consultation.