Design · 8 min read
Kitchen Trends Worth Following in 2026 (and Three to Skip)
April 8, 2026 · By James Neth
Every January, design publications publish their kitchen trend forecasts. Most of them are written by people who don't have to live with the choices for the next twenty years. We do — or rather, our clients do — and so we're a bit more cautious about what we recommend.
1. Unlacquered brass is here to stay. Three years ago, we were still in the 'satin nickel forever' camp. Today, roughly 70% of our kitchen projects specify unlacquered brass for cabinet hardware and faucets. The reason isn't trend-driven — it's that the patina actually improves over time, hiding fingerprints and water spots that polished finishes show off.
2. Quartzite is overtaking quartz at the high end. Quartz (the engineered material) is still the workhorse for busy families with kids. But for clients willing to seal twice a year, natural quartzite — especially Taj Mahal and Calacatta Gold variants — is winning the aesthetic battle. The depth of a real stone is hard to fake.
3. Beverage zones, not bars. Dedicated bar areas with sinks and ice makers were the request five years ago. Today's clients want a 'beverage zone': a tall pantry with an undercounter beverage refrigerator, coffee station, and pull-out trash. More functional, less square footage.
Now the trends we'd skip:
Open shelving as the primary kitchen storage. It looks beautiful in photos. In a real kitchen, it requires constant editing, collects grease above the cooktop, and turns every breakfast into a styling exercise. We still install limited open shelving — but only as accents, never as the primary cabinetry strategy.
Two-tone islands with painted bases. A dark island base with light perimeter cabinets read fresh in 2018. Today it reads as 'remodeled in 2018.' Tone-on-tone or natural wood islands age better.
Trendy backsplashes. That mosaic herringbone or scalloped fish-scale tile? Beautiful for three years. By year five, it dates the kitchen more than anything else. We steer clients toward classic subway, slab stone, or hand-glazed zellige instead.
If you'd like to talk through what makes sense for your kitchen specifically, we'd love to walk through your home.
— James Neth, Founder
