Painted Finishes and Clean Styles Remain Popular for Cabinets

Kitchen cabinets double as the most functional and most prominent aesthetic features of the kitchen space. Cabinet design and style influence the rest of the room and, with homeowners increasingly favoring open design concepts, the living and dining rooms as well. While trends in cabinetry shift slowly, on a two-to-five-year cycle according to some manufacturers, it is important to follow these consumer and interior trends to meet lifestyle demands. Kitchen & Bath Design News spoke to several cabinet manufacturers to gauge the current trends in the cabinet segment, and many highlighted painted finishes, clean lines, and traditional design.

Painted Finishes 
The popularity of a painted finish for kitchen cabinetry continues to rise. While whites and grays still dominate, manufacturers say they’re seeing a shift toward color as well.

“Paint has rapidly become more popular than stain. We’re still seeing whites and grays as being the dominant choice for paints; although blues, greens and beige requests are emerging with greater frequency,” says Mary Baber, design and training manager at Marsh Furniture in High Point, N.C. “These emerging color trends may be a direct impact of consumers’ desire to begin pivoting away from grays. We’re also seeing warm brown stains, both light and dark, being paired again with painted product within spaces.”

The demand for painted finishes also influences material choice. “Maple is still the most popular, just because it is painted the most,” says Jeff Ptacek, CKD, director of product management at StarMark/Fieldstone in Sioux Falls, SD.

Clean Style
Style in the kitchen continues to favor clean lines and an uncluttered feel, and cabinetry follows suit. “The trend of clean, flat lines is continuing from a year ago, according to our sales and customer demands,” says Perry Miller, president of Kountry Wood Products in Nappanee, Ind.

“Door styles tend to be of cleaner design with simple and elegant proportions and details,” adds Steve Wilcox, director of design and new product development at SunnyWood and Sagehill Designs in Cerritos, Calif. “However, we still see door styles with elegant applied moldings as being very commercial. In general, most styles can be simply categorized as ‘casual traditional’ or ‘casual modern.’”

The demand for an unadorned look affects which overall design styles are favored. Cabinets are a long-term investment, not easily replaced every time a new trend comes along, which may be why simple, classic doors like Shaker style or slab doors continually remain most popular.