5 Top Kitchen Trends for 2022
Popular kitchen trends for 2022 will be bright, bold, and take your kitchen into the modern world. Functionality and comfort with a splash of color will make your kitchen more inviting than ever. Discover the top trends when it comes to color, workspace, smart appliances, and custom lighting.
Vibrant Colors Are In and All White Kitchens Are Out
All white kitchens used to be the standard but it always felt a little cold and sterile. Add a bit of color to warm up your kitchen and make it cozy. Paint your cabinets a deep red, sky blue, or a rich luscious green to make a bold statement. A neutral wall color will offset the bright colors so it won’t feel overwhelming. Primary colors will match perfectly with appliances that are black, chrome or white.
Wood finished cabinets are also still in style so paint your walls a bright color if you’d like to keep your cabinets natural. Most colors match up well with light colored pine cabinets. If you have wooden cabinets that have a yellow or orange tint to them then the best colors to suit them are any shades of blue; ranging from a pale blue to a dark navy blue. A pale pink or lavender will look nice too if you want something more subtle. Dark wood cabinets go well with most colors as well but stick to colors that are bright or light and not too dark.
You can also paint the trim around the kitchen a bright color if you’re a little hesitant in painting your cabinets or walls boldly. Add dish towels, glasses, and small appliances of the same color as the trim to tie everything together.
Customized Backsplash
Make a strong statement with a larger than normal backsplash. A backsplash is the area behind the stove and sink. It’s usually made of tile so it;s easy to clean when grease or sink water splashes onto it. The standard height was around 6 inches but that doesn;t always provide enough protection. Extend the backsplash to the bottom of your cabinets or have it go all the way to the ceiling for a striking appearance.
Backsplashes are normally made of tile but you can jazz it up by using glass tiles, metal, wallpaper, or hand-painted ceramic tiles. More materials to choose from means more colors to choose from as well. You can have this wall stand out with a bright color scheme and keep the other walls neutral if you so choose.
Change up the tile pattern for a dynamic look. Tiled backsplashes are usually laid out in a horizontal pattern. Try a different pattern like Herringbone, Chevron, or Diamond. A Checkered pattern is whimsical if you’re using different colored tiles. The size of tile also comes in different sizes ranging from 1” to 12’ square or rectangular tiles. Large marble, granite, or quartz slabs can be used as a backsplash and have it match your countertops. The options are innumerable and have come a long way since your grandmother’s subway tile backsplash. By the way, subway tiles will never go out of style.
Multifunctional Kitchen Islands
Kitchen islands first started off as a small mobile area for extra storage and extra counter space for prepping meals. Today’s kitchen islands have taken on a life of their own as a multifunctional station. Islands started off at an average 4 feet but now have grown to 7 feet long. Of course you should choose a size that comfortably fits the size of your kitchen. A longer island can quickly convert into an informal eating area by extending the countertop on one side and adding bar stools for sitting. It’s also a nice spot to sit at and chat while dinner is being prepared. Some people have even turned it into a workspace so they don’t have to run from their office to the kitchen to check on things while cooking or baking.
Kitchen islands can also be fitted with a sink and electrical outlets thereby expanding your countertop and cooking areas. A bar sink would be an excellent addition for prepping and washing vegetables or filling it with ice to cool drinks during a party. Extra electrical outlets make it easier to use a crockpot, food processor, or blender on the island instead of having to unplug everyday appliances on the kitchen counter. It’s a great place to plug in warming dishes for buffet style serving. You can also store those appliances in cabinets built into the island. Extra outlets also make it easy to plug in your phone or laptop for work or homework.
Smart Kitchens
Using your laptop or tablet in the kitchen aren’t the only high tech devices you can use in the kitchen. Many appliances are “smart” now and can be accessed or controlled by your phone. Did you forget your shopping list when you went to the store? No problem, look inside your smart refrigerator from your phone or check the grocery list it created for you. Are you sitting on the couch and way too comfortable to get up and check whatever you’re baking in the oven? No worries, check your phone and the oven camera will show you if the cookies are golden brown or on its way to being burnt.
Aside from large appliances in new kitchens, sensors and small smart appliances can be added. Install a kitchen faucet that turns on when it senses your hands under it. Voice activated faucets will turn on and pour whatever amount of water you ask for. Programmable coffeemakers have existed for a while but now you can control it with your phone in case you want your coffee made sooner or later than what the timer is set for. Smart air fryers and countertop ovens can be controlled by your phone and they have cameras like big ranges so you can watch your dinner as it cooks. There are many small smart kitchen gadgets at reasonable prices for you to add to your kitchen.
Kitchen Lighting
Your appliances aren’t the only smart devices you can install in the kitchen, Smart lighting is not only convenient but can also be healthy for you. Smart bulbs can be programmed to emit whilte light during the daytime and early evening and slowly transform into a warm light during the evening hours. Warm, dim lighting alerts your body that it’s time to wind down and go to sleep. A bright white light at night can actually keep you awake and trick your body into thinking it’s still daytime. If you wake up and go to the kitchen in the middle of the night, a sensor will be activated and low lighting under the cabinets will come on. You won;t be jarred by a bright light and you don’t have to fumble with the light switch in the dark.
Smart bulbs can be installed in any kind of light fixture so you don’t have to remodel the lighting system in your kitchen. The most common kitchen light fixtures are recessed lighting, pendant lights, and wall sconces. Recessed lighting is great as the main source of light and pendants are an added light source for areas like the sink and kitchen island.
Chandeliers are making a comeback in 2022! Big crystal chandeliers or simple pendant chandeliers are not too fancy or hoity-toity for the kitchen. It’s a classic fixture and works well in kitchens of any style from modern to country. Chandeliers are like kitchen islands; pick the right size for your kitchen.
Are you ready to update your kitchen for 2022? Call Alamo City Handymen and let us get to work. We can remodel your kitchen, handle small jobs like installing faucets, or do even smaller jobs like installing smart bulbs so you don’t have to worry about climbing a ladder. Call us for any job big or small.
