22 Cabinetry Trends to Try for a Kitchen You'll Love for Years to Come

By BH&G Editors
Updated April 08, 2020
Jeff Herr
Many kitchen components, including appliances, color schemes, and decor, are subject to fads and fashion, but a look at popular cabinet choices can help you zero in on the style you'll still love down the road. These kitchen cabinet ideas are versatile and timeless. Whether you're painting kitchen cabinets or replacing them entirely, these cabinetry trends offer style with staying power.
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Wood Revival

Kim Cornelison

Once considered outdated and unattractive, wood cabinets are back in style. These aren't the orange-stained oak cabinets from decades past, however. Modern uses of wood cabinetry typically feature natural finishes that add subtle dimension and texture to a space. Depending on the door style and finish color, the look can lean either warm and rustic or clean and contemporary.

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Open Concept

residential interior

With this timeless kitchen trend, less is more. Open shelving offers a stylish alternative to upper cabinets that can give your kitchen a lighter, airier feel. Line your walls with floating shelves and use them to display dishware, potted herbs, or even decorative accessories. If you'd rather not rip out your existing cabinetry, you can simply remove the doors to convert basic cabinets into open shelving.

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Glass-Front Cabinets

Laurey Glenn

Glass-front cabinet doors give the eye a break from wall-to-wall cabinetry and create display space for collectibles, pretty dishes, and glassware. Add just a few glass doors to your current kitchen design to create a light and fresh look. Here, glass panels help visually lighten the look of rustic wood floor-to-ceiling cabinetry.

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Blue Cabinets as a New Neutral

Anthony Masterson

Blue is one of the most popular colors of the year, and that's no exception for kitchen cabinets. Found frequently in nature, subtle shades of blue are quickly becoming a new neutral. For a no-fail combination, pair dusty blue cabinets with natural wood accents and industrial materials.

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Accent Cabinet Hardware

Jeff Herr

Direct attention to your kitchen cabinet doors with accent hardware. Here, purple cabinets stand out even more with striking gold cabinet pulls. You can also find unique antique knobs and pulls at vintage stores and flea markets.

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Floor-to-Ceiling Cabinetry

Kim Cornelison

In this kitchen, the entire wall opposite the cook zone is dedicated to storage with kitchen cabinets. This feature is often seen along with other kitchen trends, such as open cabinetry and oversized windows. When storage is reduced from other areas, a floor-to-ceiling bank of cabinets can house kitchen essentials including everyday dishes, small appliances, and linens.

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Mix-and-Match Cabinetry

Buff Strickland

For a modern twist on traditional cabinetry, try the two-tone look with a different color for upper and base cabinets. This kitchen takes the look a step further by pairing Shaker-style base cabinets with raised-trim upper cabinets. The warm shade of gray continues on the kitchen's patterned tile floor.

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Gray Cabinetry

David Tsay

Gray continues to be a favorite paint color for walls and cabinetry alike. The neutral shade can read cold or warm, depending on its undertones. To find the right gray for kitchen cabinets, consider how much light the room gets, plus the tones of surrounding paint colors.

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Open Shelving by the Kitchen Range

Kritsada Panichgul

If wall space is limited, opt for narrow open shelving options to display favorite dishes and keep spices within close reach while cooking. Without overhead kitchen cabinets, the kitchen feels open and airy, a design trick ideal for a small kitchen. You can also squeeze storage out of base cabinetry built into both sides of a kitchen island.

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Traditional Details

David Tsay

To add vintage, traditional, or cottage flair to your kitchen cabinets, utilize custom trimwork and secondhand hardware. In this kitchen, cabinets above the range feel like a work of art thanks to intricate corbels and a small mantel. Brass cup pulls on base cabinets add patina.

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Light and Simple

Michael Luppino

White kitchen cabinets are enduring and versatile, appearing in cottage, traditional, and even modern kitchens. Especially on simple Shaker-style doors, the right white paint color can create a light, fresh look in a kitchen. Choose modest hardware with clean lines to keep with the classic look.

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Top White Paint Colors

Wondering how to paint kitchen cabinets the right color? See our picks for no-fail white paint colors for cabinets. These colors will brighten your space and make it look larger.

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Custom Cabinet Storage

Gordon Beall

Twenty years ago, kitchen cabinets were considered custom if they included a lazy Susan and a built-in spice rack. Now, storage options are plentiful and mainstream, including pullout trays, bread boxes, and customized storage spots. Here, a narrow space that would otherwise have a false cabinet front is utilized as storage for pans and cookie sheets.

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Built-In Appliances

Jeff Herr

Kitchen appliances might be more intelligent, efficient, and feature-packed than ever, but that doesn't mean they need to grab the spotlight. Consider disguising appliances as kitchen cabinet doors for a more streamlined appearance. Here, the fridge is hidden behind matching cabinet doors at the end of the island to maintain a cohesive look.

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Display Cubbies

Kim Cornelison

For tight areas between kitchen studs, consider open cabinets. These narrow cubbies serve as both display space for cookbooks and favorite tools as well as handy storage for spices. Paint them the same color as surrounding cabinets for a built-in look or make them stand out by painting the trim with a contrasting color.

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Mixed Materials

Paul Dyer

You're not limited to one color or trend when it comes to mixing up your cabinetry. This kitchen pairs dark blue glass-panel upper cabinets with flat-panel rustic wood cabinetry. The wood tone continues onto seating to warm up a stone island.

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Contrasting Island

Edmund Barr Photography

A cabinet or island in a color or wood that's different from the rest of the kitchen works much like a patterned scarf with a solid-color shirt. More than a finishing touch, it breaks up the monotony to become a pivotal design piece. This kitchen mixes contemporary black kitchen cabinets with a traditional white island, bringing warmth and dimension into the space. It's also an option to treat a hutch or a section of cabinetry in the same manner.

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Customized Drawers

Werner Straube

Cabinets and drawers now conceal custom features. Where you'd expect to find swinging doors that open to reveal storage inserts, there are pullout doors attached to shelves for pots and pans, holders for recycling and garbage bins, and racks for canned and dry goods. Drawer inserts can be set up to hold dishes, silverware, or cutlery. Kitchen pantry cabinet inserts are often customizable and help to maintain a clutter-free kitchen.

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Combining Cabinet Styles

Brie Williams

When combined, cabinets, drawers, and open shelving can meet any kitchen storage needs. Mixing types of kitchen storage cabinets keeps the design feeling fresh and avoids a room full of heavy cabinetry. The corner unit takes advantage of the small, but valuable, wall space around the window.

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Furniture-Like Features

Emily Followill

Call it the European influence or a return to this country's early-1900s notions. Many of today's kitchens are assigning furniture duties to cabinetry. Some pieces are freestanding, but others simply appear to be, emulating the look of china hutches, turned-leg tables, and buffets.

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Open Cabinet Accents

Robert Brinson

Add a pop of color to glass-front kitchen cabinets or open shelving with bright paint or bold wallpaper. Accent with contrasting accessories to complete the room's color scheme. Using bold color in a small area is high-impact and offers an alternative for the color-averse.

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Detailed Embellishments

Jeff Herr

Gone are the days when kitchen cabinets were unadorned boxes. Today's most interesting styles take their finishing touches from furniture and architecture. Add-ons such as undercounter corbels, fancy feet, and arched openings achieve a focal-point status that's more a result of style than location. Carvings, cutouts, and moldings add emphasis to a cabinet's decorative aspects.

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By BH&G Editors