We spend a lot of time in our kitchens. Even if your specialty is reheating yesterday’s takeout, creating a kitchen you love and want to be in is essential. So much of our day begins and ends there. And a few times in between if you’re feeling snackish. If you’re ready to remodel or refresh your kitchen, Matt Stenzel, owner of Artistic Visions Cabinetry, shares five kitchen design trends he’s seeing in 2025, plus tips on incorporating trends while keeping your kitchen timeless.
1. Massive center islands. “I call them ‘small continents’ rather than islands,” says Matt. “They’re 12-16 feet long and 4-6 feet wide and are designed for multiple purposes, often with various heights to accommodate use zones.”
2. White Oak has peaked. “While white oak is still very popular, I’m seeing more people trend away from this type of wood for their cabinets.”
3. Painted, natural-finished, and stained wood cabinet combos. “We have more projects that use multiple species of natural wood. Currently, we’re working on a project with dark walnut, light hard maple, and white oak alongside a few painted cabinets.”
4. Frameless Euro-style cabinets. The sleek aesthetic of frameless cabinets is trending for 2025. “Inset framed cabinets might be the least popular due to their cost as they take precision and are the hardest to make. But, when done right, I think inset framed cabinets look the best.”
5. Fewer open-concept kitchens. “Nationally, the open-concept kitchen design is shifting. People are separating the kitchen from the living areas. However, locally, I think our Midwest culture of entertaining and hosting gatherings will keep the open concept going for a long time.”
Love the trends but want to make sure your kitchen design stays timeless? Matt advises, “If you’re set on following a trend, do it with a nod to the classics. I don’t think you’ll ever go wrong with natural finishes or classic stains on wood. You can create character, contrast, and visual appeal through the use of different woods like walnut, cherry, hickory, mahogany, and maple.
If you love the painted cabinet look, Matt suggests going with an ivory or bone white rather than a bright white. “If you’re going to go with a bold color, dark natural colors are more timeless — think dark grays, greens, or burgundy tones rather than bright. However, one advantage with painted cabinets is that you can always have them repainted to keep them on trend!”