Following Their Lead

The word ‘component’ can have a different meaning on the shop floor than it does to a designer. For a hands-on cabinetmaker, it includes the box, face frame, doors, drawer fronts, drawer boxes and shelves. To a designer, it can also include outsourced elements and accessories such as slide-outs, electronics, specialty hardware, backsplashes, corbels or even coatings. Spotting trends in these areas requires a mix of listening to customers, keeping up with industry news, and listening with a discerning ear to salespeople. It also means reading a few design magazines or visiting websites to take the pulse of the marketplace. More often than expected, new ideas in components come from clients who have thought long and hard about how they want their new room to look and have researched accordingly online or in print.

A century of custom kitchens and bathrooms has taught us that there are popular waves and smaller ripples that come and go, and then come back. For example, LivingEtc (livingetc.com) is predicting bold colors, wood floors, and islands with rounded ends for 2024. Those notions are all trending, but not new. The editors also point to another returning trend, the addition of pantries or sculleries, and note that oversized handles are hot right now, as well as porcelain countertops.

That last one surprises some cabinetmakers. According to MaxSpace Stone Works (maxspacestoneworks.com), porcelain is a vitrified pottery material that can be opaque or somewhat translucent. It’s made by heating a mix of powdered china stone and white china clay (kaolin) at about 1450 degrees C. Porcelain can handle pots right off the stove, is easy to maintain, and available in just about any color or pattern imaginable.

Houzz, another guiding light for designers, states in its latest kitchen trends study (at houzz.com) a desire among homeowners to incorporate sustainable features during a kitchen renovation, such as LEDs and energy-efficient appliances. And when it comes to cabinet components, Houzz notes that Shaker is still the most popular choice but is losing a little ground to flat panel doors.

Several outsourcing suppliers are taking that trend to another level by introducing sophisticated blends of Shaker and flat panel. Two new doors from Elias Woodwork (eliaswoodwork.com) illustrate this. The Gamma is a slim Shaker in the company’s Precision Series line of 5-piece laminate (polyester) doors and drawer fronts. It has a 1/2” frame profile with a subtly recessed panel and is available in six trending wood grain colors. And Elias’s new Marvel, available in a clear lacquer and stained finishes, features a 1”-wide stile-and-rail profile with a slight inward bevel and a standard 5/8” panel.

As one might expect in this tech age, electronic components are stealing the limelight in design, with ideas such as docking stations, wireless speakers, WiFi connectivity, and phone or tablet controls for appliances taking the lead. Houzz also mentions that recessed lights are chosen now by most renovators, with under-cabinet lighting a strong second. LED has opened up a lot of lighting possibilities, and the industry isn’t shy about incorporating them. Expect less invasive, motion-sensitive, muted, but well-placed LED lighting to continue to grow as a trend.

Despite higher interest rates, new retail spaces and home renovations seem to be picking up a lot of the slack caused by the slowdown in new housing starts. That shift can change the focus for cabinet and furniture manufacturers who serve both residential and commercial markets. Again, this is a cycling trend: as interest rates rise, renovation always picks up speed.

In both the new construction and renovation fields, Sherwin-Williams (industrial.sherwin-williams.com) has identified some stain and paint color trends for kitchens that its DesignHouse experts think will be trending over the next few years. Those include a return to brown stains on natural wood and organic tones that contribute to a sense of serenity. Texture, says the team, is more popular than ever, with distressed rustic finishes, cerused materials, and geometric patterns leading the way. Charred finishes are also prevalent.

Meanwhile, the reemergence of warm blonde bleached coatings suggests natural wood components might see a rise in popularity over the next couple of years. Sherwin-Williams is not alone in that opinion. In May, Caitlin Sole shared 22 kitchen cabinet trends with her Better Homes & Gardens readers (bhg.com), and first on her list was the natural wood revival.

“Though wood is trending, these aren’t the orange-stained oak cabinets from decades past. Instead, modern uses of wood cabinetry typically feature natural finishes that add subtle dimension and texture to a space. Depending on the cabinet’s door style and finish color, the look can lean either warm and rustic or clean and contemporary,” she explained.

In January, A&E’s homebuilding expert Cinque Cerra-Saunders told House Digest (housedigest.com) that wood cabinet doors are surging in popularity, and that designers should pick a species such as walnut to avoid what he calls the bland look of the early 2000s. And he echoes the color advice given by Sherwin-Williams: “As for stain colors, avoid honey and reddish tones. Think deep rich browns or ethereal whitewashes.”

This might be a good time to research more traditional cabinet component materials and seek out suppliers who can meet a need should it arise. With all of the supply chain woes and rising costs of the past couple of years, being prepared for trends seems logical. It may not yet be time to stock up on natural veneer sheet goods, but it’s probably time to check on their availability and pricing.

Sole also notes that open shelving is still a hot trend, along with glass doors, the color blue, and once again those long bar pulls. She also mentions that even as designers are eliminating wall cabinets in favor of floating shelves, there’s a new trend toward floor-to-ceiling cabinetry along some walls. These higher hide-aways can replace storage space that’s lost when shelves are added. For shop owners, they can present an optimization opportunity if the units maintain a 16” depth all the way up.

In its 2023 kitchen trends round-up, Good Housekeeping magazine (goodhousekeeping.com) chose the lack of upper cabinets as its leading trend. In second place is a concept called high contrast, which can impact cabinet components in a profound way. Woodshops that are used to building 5-part doors or foiled MDF can discover a whole new direction here. The sample photo shown on the GH website is of black-painted, inset, eight-pane glazed doors; white casework with thick panels; a white-painted, horizontally slatted range hood; and flat warm woodgrain laminate base doors under a stark white marble waterfall countertop. The overall effect is quite dramatic, very clean and masculine.

House Beautiful picked up on that trend, too. In a piece by Kelly Allen about 2023 cabinet trends, the magazine (housebeautiful.com) underscores the dark wood stain concept and talks about two-toned kitchens gaining popularity. “Black and white cabinets,” Allen writes, “are a classic combination that can create a stunning look while other popular choices include blue and white, gray and white, and even green and white.”

Allen also quotes designer Hilary Matt as saying that “we will see even more natural wood finishes in kitchens”, which is a trend that can extend to appliance panels. And designer Margarita Bravo added that “cabinets made from a combination of wood and metal are becoming increasingly popular, as they offer a unique look that is both stylish and durable”.

One natural wood trend that has ancient roots is a return to louvers. For example, Keystone Wood Specialties (keystonewood.com) offers both Open and False Louver cabinet door designs. The open version has a small gap between the slats, while the false option has no gaps and is a better choice where dust is an issue, such as around sensitive electronics.

Another natural wood option from WalzCraft is the new Olivia door and drawer front (item S1014 at walzcraft.com). This is a flat panel (no stile or rail) with a beaded profile. The one-piece component features the company’s Center Panel Face Rout option with a 1/4” continuous bead or reeded grooves. It’s currently being offered in white oak with a white ash stain.

Waterfall counters are definitely trending, as are other ways that custom tops can dramatize a room. The North American edition of Homes & Gardens magazine (homesandgardens.com) offers insights gleaned from the casework industry on two continents. In an article published in August, design expert Lola Houlton concentrated on countertop options and quotes one property developer as saying that “soapstone is becoming more popular as a countertop material due to its unique look and incredible durability. Soapstone countertops are nonporous, so they’re resistant to stains and don’t need to be sealed like some other materials. They also come in a variety of colors, making them easy to customize.”

According to Teixeira (soapstones.com), this trending material choice has vein patterns that suit many décor styles and is durable enough for commercial kitchens. It’s impervious to heat, chemical, and acid damage, and also resists mold and stains. Plus, it can come in a variety of finishes and textures.

Among the more popular trends in cabinets and furniture of late are the use of decorative wire grids and a return to tambour that coincides with the evolution of round-ended islands. Brown Wood Inc. (brownwoodinc.com/dod) has added several new flexible and solid tambour options to its Designs of Distinction catalog, including 4’- and 8’-long versions of the bendable version. Made in the U.S., the tambours come in hard maple, red oak, a poplar paint grade, walnut and white oak, and 12” and 24”” widths. The flexible backing allows the tambour to bend around curves and corners for a seamless design. DOD’s new solid tambour panels are 24” wide x 46” long in solid wood and are routed to popular tambour profiles. A custom profile program is also in place.

The DOD catalog has also added a new flat-fluted decorative grill which comes in three sheet sizes or can be ordered cut to size and is available in a wide variety of metal finishes.

Outwater Plastics & Architectural Products (outwater.com) has also introduced a collection of woven wire grilles, in addition to expanded metal and stainless-steel options. Sizes include 2’ x 6’, 4’ x 6’, and 3’ x 4’ and there is a wide selection of styles in brass, copper, nickel, chrome, and bronze.

Islands have become a big part of kitchen design over the past couple of years, and one aspect of the trend is to add unusual legs. New from Osborne Wood Products is the Double Twist Island Leg (item 143658 at osbornewood.com), which can be ordered in 15 different species from paint-grade poplar to mahogany, walnut and cedar. It’s 34-1/2” tall and 3-1/3” square, so with care one leg could be band sawn and installed as two faux half-legs. In fact, Osborne offers that as an option, along with a quarter-notch version that can cover an outside corner. These legs can also be used to build matching tables.

Pullouts have always been trendy, but a new generation of innovative options is adding more convenience and better use of limited space. A good example is the new Swivel Shelf Pullout from Rev-A-Shelf (item 448SW at rev-a-shelf.com) with a chrome railing that doubles as a handle to rotate the shelves.

Electronics are as ingrained in kitchen design as phones are comfortable in our pockets, so it’s no surprise that part of the evolution of cabinet components is offering clients ways to combine the two. Doug Mockett & Co. (mockett.com) has been riding the crest of this wave for some time and the company’s newest gadget, the PCS126 dual socket, is a sleek grommet that offers two tamper resistant power outlets, one USB-A port, and one USB-C charging port. It has a nearly flush fit and comes in three brushed finish options. When the USB-A and USB-C are working simultaneously, the grommet’s intelligent identification shares the 5V3.4A power supply.

In a similar vein, Häfele America (hafele.com) has introduced a new Docking Drawer that includes two AC household current outlets plus two USB-A ports. This is a simple plug-in charger that fits drawer sizes over 15” wide, and it is recessed into the back wall of the drawer box (cut-out templates are provided). Among the safety features are a thermostat that cuts power if the surrounding temperature exceeds 120 degrees F, and an optional limit switch that senses the drawer’s position and de-energizes the outlet when the drawer starts to close.

Worth noting is that the new iPhone 15 has just come out with a USB-C charger port that is the same as the one built into Galaxy and other Androids, and this type of charger has just been mandated by the EU for all mobile phones and other devices sold in Europe. The USB-A will still be needed for some time to charge existing devices, but kitchen installers may want to offer the USB-C as an option for the future as that seems to be the trend.  

This article was originally published in the November 2023 issue.