Your kitchen is the heart of your home.
It’s the place you gather, work, share meals and entertain. It’s a focal point of your home and in most cases, the most costly room you have. When you are planning a renovation on a space like a kitchen, finding trends that won’t feel dated quickly is a prudent plan. Investing in quality materials and lasting design while adapting to suit your style and lifestyle can be a big ask. Solid Stone is here to help, and we’ve come up with a list of some of our favourite trends that we think will last as long as our stone.
Open Shelving
Increasingly popular in today’s kitchen designs, open shelving offers a place to store your most-used items within easy reach and beautiful display space for your most treasured belongings. Open shelves can make kitchens feel bigger and visibly brighter while providing visual interest beyond what is possible with closed cabinetry.
It’s important when thinking about open shelving to take inventory of what you’d like to display. Not all of your kitchen items will make the cut if you want to keep open shelves looking tidy. Having a place to tuck away plastic containers and those old water bottles is critical if you don’t want your shelves to look cluttered. Thankfully mixing and matching cabinetry and open shelves is also a popular trend. Close off what you don’t want to see, and show off the things you do!
2-Tone Cabinetry
This stable trend has been holding strong for good reason. It’s quickly becoming a timeless look as homeowners have more fun with their spaces. While the choice to use multiple finishes in cabinetry can be practical (your lower cabinets are more likely to suffer damage, so wood or darker finishes will hide minor scratches better) they’re often purely aesthetic. Visually, having more than one finish/style is more interesting than an entire kitchen of matching cabinets, and gives you the opportunity to create different zones and highlight parts of your kitchen.
Stone Countertops
More and more, homeowners are investing in stone. Both beautiful and durable, stone lives up to the hype. With enough options to suit the style of any kitchen, stone will stand the test of time and with minimal care, will look beautiful for decades. (For more information, check out our Solid Stone 101 post).
From natural stone like granite, quartzite and marble to manufactured stone like quartz and porcelain, every stone has unique characteristics and we can help you find the best stone for you.
Matching Backsplashes
When you invest in solid stone countertops, you want to showcase them. One incredible way to showcase the beauty of stone is by matching your backsplash to your countertops. With smart planning, veining that runs through the countertops can continue up the wall for a clean, consistent, modern look. Dramatic veining is a fun way to add visual interest and texture to your kitchen and give your guests something to talk about.
Waterfalls
What’s more beautiful than a waterfall? While you might be picturing a misty forest scene, we always think about stone countertops first. A waterfall detail is when the countertop continues over the edge of the cabinetry and down to the floor.
It’s most commonly used on islands, but using a waterfall on wall-mounted cabinetry also produces beautiful results. Similar to matching backsplashes, using a waterfall is a great way to make a statement with the stone you chose.
Texture
Matching is nice, but mixing and matching is better. Every space does better with added texture. Combining materials like wood, stone, tile, fabric, masonry, natural fibres, plants, and glass add character and warmth to a space. To make your texture pop even more, use a variety of lighting sources (overhead, pot lighting, task lighting, under-cabinet lighting, etc) to highlight certain areas and features. Start with the cabinets and countertops as a base and layer from there.
No matter what the trends are, building a space you love and want to live in is the most critical step. Take a look at the trends for guidance but don’t be afraid to make your kitchen your own! You know best. If you need help with your stone surfaces, don’t hesitate to reach out. We can show you all the options available and help you find the best one for your space.