2021 was quite the year. While the state of the world is uncertain, spending time with loved ones, creating cherished memories, and building a house that feels like home has grown that much more important. The kitchen is the heart and this year’s design trends have reflected that. While cream, white, and stark kitchens have had their heyday, and will continue to be popular in 2022, uplifting shades of blue and green, as well as warm natural materials, have become the standouts. 

Go Green

Green kitchen cabinets will continue to be seen in the new year. Chicago-based designer Tracy Cimba crafted an inviting and highly functional dreamspace for food blogger Megan Hastings. The kitchen, which features our DIY Shaker fronts painted in Benjamin Moore’s Black Forest, has a countertop hutch, white quartz countertops, and brass hardware. “She needed this space to function as a proper chef’s kitchen fit for near-constant cooking and recipe development, as well as a photo studio for her blog,” Cimba says. “She basically wanted an upscale, custom kitchen on an IKEA budget.” 

A Fresh Start

For homeowner Brittany Black, a kitchen renovation represented so much more. It was an opportunity for a fresh start for herself and her young son. Black, who worked on the space, alongside her contractor father, went for BOXI’s Oat Slab cabinets. “Everything that we put into this house was to make me feel calm and to make it my sanctuary,” she says. Black fell in love with the Oat Slab cabinets, which arrived in just two weeks, as they added an organic element to the kitchen.

A Pro Renovator’s Take

Dr. Celine Ord, a Reno oncologist and house flipping pro, has a kitchen which shows off the best of this year’s design trends. Her two-toned space, which includes our Supermatte Night Sky Slab fronts for the floor-to-ceiling cabinets and SSS Black Beaded fronts for the kitchen island, which also functions as the family’s dining table, is sophisticated, smart, and stylish. “I love that I can be in the kitchen prepping dinner and cooking while interacting with my husband and daughter in the living room,” Ord says. 

Bright and Blue

A cheerful palette is just one of the highlights of this LA kitchen. Designer Velinda Hellen melded a menagerie of influences from Scandinavian to farmhouse to California coastal for this kitchen remodel on a builder-grade budget. “So much of this project was spent deciding where to splurge and where to save, and defending those decisions,” explains Hellen. While she spent on a reclaimed pantry door and vintage dining table, she saved thousands on the Semihandmade DIY Shaker cabinet fronts painted in Sherwin-William’s Riverway, appliances, and shelving below the upper cupboards. “The caning was $25, and we applied it directly to the wall,” she shares. “It was a very affordable custom touch.” 

Moody and Modern

A 1980s home went through a modern overhaul thanks to designer Anne Sage. The once crowded layout now has an updated vibe featuring BOXI’s Peppercorn Edge cabinets, plus it was completed on an impressive timeline as the family was anxious to move-in. She finished the look with a beautiful black granite with graphic veining for the countertops and waterfall edge, floating shelves, and Fireclay tile. 

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