If you’ve been endlessly scrolling Pinterest or Instagram for must-have details in your perfect kitchen… stop here!
We compiled 9 kitchen design trends we’re seeing in 2026 that you might want to incorporate into your own space whether you’re building your dream mood board, planning to renovate, or building from the ground up.
1. Statement Range Hoods
One surprising element that can really define the entire personality of a kitchen, is your range hood.
There are so many different styles to choose from between the shape and material. From plaster, to shiplap, to stained wood – statement hoods give any space a focal point and add character.
Shown above, we built a custom bell curved hood for this spec home.
→ See more of this project: Chic Meets Comfort
2.) Statement Kitchen Islands
→ See more of this project: Pearl River Home
Kitchen Island Color: Benjamin Moore Ocean Floor
One of our favorite things to do is to finish the island in a different color or stain than the perimeter cabinetry.
The contrast creates definition, draws the eye, and gives the kitchen a layered, thoughtful look.
We even take it a step further with what we call a “lightbox.”
This is a custom ceiling detail directly above the island that frames the pendant lights within paneling or wood accents, appearing as a shallow coffered ceiling:
→ See more of this project: Skinny Kitchen Makeover
Kitchen Island Color: Sherwin Williams Roycroft Bottle Green
It ties the vertical space together, gives the pendants a finished home rather than just hanging from a flat ceiling, and adds an architectural detail that photographs beautifully!
It’s one of those details that we did once on a whim, and now clients come to us looking for their own version!
3.) Paneled Appliances
Some refrigerators can be a real eye sore. Panel-ready appliances are one of our absolute favorites to hide them. We get custom panels to match the rest of the cabinetry to fit over your appliances whether it be your fridge, dishwasher, or even under-counter ice makers and beverage coolers.
The effect is super seamless and it’s a small detail that makes a huge difference in the overall appearance.
→ See more of this project: Sunlit Kitchen Project
4.) Full length backsplash and Cabinets
→ See more of this project: Denim Blue House Tour
Kitchens built in the ’80s and ’90s loved two things:
1.) Adding a short strip of backsplash tile above the counters leaving a blank gap of drywall above it.
2.) Cabinetry that doesn’t quite hit the ceiling. (Basically its only purpose was to collect mounds of dust).
Now, everybody wants the counter-to-ceiling backsplash. It’s just so much easier to clean, and it protects your walls from all the elements of the kitchen.
As for the cabinets, brining them all the way to the ceiling eliminates that gap, maximizes storage, and gives the kitchen a sleeker and more finished look.
5.) Hidden and Integrated Storage
→ See more of this project: Sunlit Kitchen Project
The best kitchens in 2026 hide their work.
Thing like an appliance garage that tucks the coffee maker and toaster out of sight. Or spice pull-outs that perfectly organize and display your everyday essentials.
We incorporate integrated storage into virtually every kitchen we design, because nobody likes clutter!
Basically, the philosophy of “everything has a place.”
6.) Extra Thick Countertops
→ See more of this project: Coming Home to Boston
This might not be the first thing you notice walking into a kitchen, but it’s one of those details that makes a space feel more high-end and considered.
It adds visual weight to the island and perimeter in the best possible way, and pairs beautifully with both traditional and modern cabinetry styles.
Once you see it, you can’t unsee it.
7.) A Walk-in Pantry or Scullery
→ See more of the project above: Coming Home to Boston
The walk-in pantry is becoming more and more desired to everyday homeowners in average single-family homes.
At a recent renovation project, we designed a full walk-in pantry complete with a small serving window that opens directly into the kitchen for easy access and cleanup.
It’s practical, it’s beautiful, and it’s the kind of detail that you’d get use out of every single day.
→ See more of the project below: Addition by Subtraction
8.) Open Concept Living
→ See more of the project above: Same Space Different Place
Even though there are a lot of people leaning away from open concept living now… it still remains as a functional layout for a lot of families.
Here’s an honest question we ask a lot of our clients: when was the last time you actually used your formal dining room?
Most of the time, we’re told that formal dining rooms end up as a catch-all room. Where packages piles up, school projects get done, and anything overflowing from the kitchen.
For a lot of people, opening that space up into the main living area is more functional, connected, and designed for how you actually live.
9.) White Appliances (Done right)
→ See more of this project: Maynard Magic
White appliances are making a comeback but not talking about the plastic-handled, builder-grade refrigerator currently living in your garage.
We’re seeing more modern white appliances with refined finishes, and gold or brass hardware.
Recently, we did an entire kitchen of white appliances. The fridge, range oven, dishwasher, and even the microwave. With the modern finishes in this space, it really tied everything together and brightened up the room.
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