From smart appliances to sleek cabinets to the counter materials that are de-throning granite, Amber Carfield, design director of Kitchens at Good Guys, a kitchen and bathroom remodeling company in Scottsdale, has worked in the kitchen and bathroom realm for 20 years. Here’s her take on what’s new and on-trend in today’s kitchens.
1. Cabinets: Cabinets are the linchpin of the kitchen. Not only does the cabinetry solve all the storage needs, but it also has the ability to bring style, color and beauty to the space. I put great importance on the quality, function and style of the cabinetry before any other kitchen component. Ten to 15 years ago, the cabinetry was basic and boring and typically no thought really went into them. Now, we see more efficient, specific organized storage options. We now see beautiful paint colors, warm wood finishes or sleek glossy finishes to really give us some fun options to make a kitchen amazing.
2. Countertops: Quartz is king! We are seeing a continuing rise in popularity in man-made quartz products. With quartz, we can achieve almost any look and know that we have a durable, almost maintenance-free product. Granite is still a big player, but we sure don’t see it as often as we used to. There will be a new material finding more popularity in the near future: porcelain. It is very durable once installed and can be used on interior and exterior surfaces as well as shower walls and flooring.
3. Flooring & Backsplash: Here in Arizona, tile flooring wins the comparison most times. We are seeing very large-format tiles gain popularity, and I expect that larger size to just get larger into the future. We can’t discuss tile without bringing up backsplash. We put a lot of emphasis on backsplash tile because it can really put the polished look on a kitchen. Trends in backsplash tile are pointing to less color and more pattern along with actual 3-dimensioned designs.
4. Appliances: Technology has made huge leaps and bounds in the appliance industry. We are now able to ask Alexa to pre-heat our oven on our drive home from work or start to the dish washer. We can see what is in our REF from an app on your phone while you are at the grocery store. The appliances are getting smarter and have a very cool sleek look to them.
5. Hardware: I often equate cabinet hardware to jewelry. We can really dress up a space with a little sparkly cabinet knob or even hide a little tab pull to keep it very understated. The hardware gives us the opportunity to really set a style.
