The emergence of modern farmhouse and industrial themes takes the kitchen space in a contemporary direction — but neutral tones endure.

By Donna Heiderstadt

Throughout 2023, as NKBA celebrates its 60th anniversary, we’re looking back at major kitchen and bath trends over the seven decades since our founding. This week, we’re revisiting what happened in kitchen design in the second half of the last decade — 2019-2015 — as we continue to work backward a half-decade at a time until we highlight the top trends in the kitchen and bath spaces in the early 1960s.

1. Transitional Inspires Two Popular Trends

While the transitional design trend of the early 2010s remained popular in the decade’s second half, a move toward a more contemporary kitchen space also emerged. In its 2016 Design Trends Survey, NKBA noted increasing homeowner interest in both the modern farmhouse and industrial aesthetics, with 44% and 19% of designers, respectively, reporting requests for those design styles. Seemingly overnight, farmhouse sinks and Edison bulbs were everywhere. Mid-Century Modern had a moment, too, but more so in living and dining spaces as the whites, grays and blacks of farmhouse chic ruled the kitchen, giving it new relevance as a lifestyle space.

2. Neutrals Endure — Even as Two-Tone Mixing Emerges

Gray, white and off-white kitchen cabinets were in high demand as homeowners ditched dark wood cabinets to create lighter spaces that felt more spacious and modern. Simultaneously, two-tone cabinetry began trending, often with darker lowers in gray (and later in shades of blue and green) paired with uppers in white, off-white or light wood. Judicious use of color, as an accent in paint or tile, appealed to some clients. Cabinet design also evolved, as manufacturers added new pull-outs, tilt-outs and tilt-ins for easy storage, and open shelving gained momentum.

3. Quartz & Granite Countertops Remain Popular

Homeowners continued their love affair with quartz and granite countertops, but NKBA’s 2016 trends report also noted that two-tone mixing extended beyond cabinets. Many designers said they were using a different countertop material for the island vs. the perimeter, creating a mixed palate that sometimes incorporated both stone and wood, such as butcher block.

4. Homeowners Request Built-ins to Match Their Lifestyle

Whether it was a coffee station, wet bar, undercounter wine fridge or pet-feeding space, designers increasingly fielded requests for features and amenities tailored to a client’s specific lifestyle. Also in demand: integrated technology and convenient charging stations for devices.

5. Demand for Outdoor Kitchens Grows

Outdoor entertainment areas, complete with a chic and functional kitchen, increased in popularity beyond their initial emergence in the southeast and southwest, with almost 50% of designers reporting their projects in 2015 and 2016 included an outdoor kitchen. By 2019, demand had sky-rocketed and ultimately ended up providing a practical solution for pandemic-era gatherings.