5 Top Kitchen and Bath Design Trends for 2022

By McDaniels Kitchens and Bath | Bathroom design

Kitchen and bathroom designs are central to home life and have become even more important in recent years as kitchens become multi-functional living spaces and bathrooms transform into a home spa retreat.  While classic elements of kitchen and bath design are slow to change, the latest trends offer an opportunity to rethink the materials, technology, storage, and color schemes that keep these spaces relevant to your home’s style.  From updated cabinet tones to freestanding tubs and multi-functional spaces, here are a few of the top trends to watch in 2022.

Updated color schemes and focus on wood tones

White cabinetry and painted neutrals are always in style for kitchen and bathroom design, but this year will also see a move toward updated shades that bring bold color tones to your home.  If you are ready to commit to a vibrant color, consider selecting kitchen cabinets or a bathroom vanity in the increasingly popular deep or bright shades of blue, red, or green. If a complete color transformation pushes the envelope out too far for your tastes, then consider sticking to island cabinetry or a section of cabinets. Alternatively, focus on smaller items like accessories for your color choice.

You could go for the creative and optimistic tone of 2022’s Pantone color of the year, Veri Peri, which pushes the boundary with a bluish-purple shade. Or go for the more subtle, relaxing color of the year from Sherwin Williams, Evergreen Fog, which gives any space a natural feel.  Make sure any color you choose fits the style of your home, especially for an open plan kitchen design that must blend seamlessly into adjacent home living areas. Small bathrooms like a powder room can tolerate bright colors and bold patterns that are out of synch with the rest of your home, so you could consider going bold in this small space. Or, bring in these brighter colors in accessories like towels, storage containers, and soap dispensers.

The flip side of these color trends is the move toward more natural wood tones for cabinetry in 2022. While white and neutral painted shades will never go out of style, many homeowners are rediscovering the appeal of choosing the best quality wood cabinetry they can afford and allowing the natural wood grain to shine through.  Light wood is increasingly popular for its contemporary appeal, but deeper shades also bring warmth to a kitchen or bathroom design, and rustic reclaimed wood adds texture to any home living space.  In addition to cabinetry, wood is ideal for floating shelves, countertops, and flooring.

Making Space for Open shelving

Cabinet storage has become more sophisticated with ultra-custom storage solutions, and clever layouts that maximize the use of available space. For kitchen designs, this could include everything from trash and recycling pull outs to spice drawers, custom pull outs for cooking utensils, deep drawers with inserts for pots and lids, tray dividers, mixer lifts, and more. In a bathroom cabinet, storage accessories reduce clutter by providing space for all your toiletries, make up, styling tools, and even divided jewelry drawers. In both kitchen and bathroom design, you could include an electronics drawer with internal charging for devices or even built-in power outlets so gadgets can be plugged in and used straight from their storage.

These custom storage solutions (combined with a healthy dose of pre-remodel decluttering!) mean your countertops and floor remain clear and your new design can take center stage.  They also free up space to replace upper storage cabinets with on trend open shelves that perfectly balance style and functionality.  These storage gems provide space to store items that need to be readily accessed but also for displaying decorative items.

The shelves themselves become part of your room’s design style by selecting a material that complements your space, such as metal for a modern or industrial design, sleek wood for a transitional space, or reclaimed wood for a rustic design. Open shelves also allow the wall behind them to become part of the design style, where paint colors, wallpaper, or tile give your kitchen design or bath remodel an extra flair with color, pattern, or texture.

Choose items for open storage carefully, as the things you place on these shelves become part of your room’s style. Select containers that enhance your room or choose items in an accent shade to bring a pop of color to your room. If open shelves are part of your chosen style, make sure you are happy to commit to maintaining them.  Regularly declutter if you are prone to adding items to these shelves, and clean and dust the shelves often to keep them looking fresh.

Flat bottom tubs…and upscale shower/bathtub combos

Whether or not to keep a bathtub is often a topic for debate when planning a bathroom remodel.  The short answer is, decide what you like and how you want to use your space and design the room to fit your needs! If your family loves the occasional soak in a tub, then a bath should be part of at least one of your bathrooms.

If you are creating a large bath design, the clear winner for 2022’s bathroom is a flat-bottomed freestanding tub.  These sleek tubs have architectural lines and can fit any style bathroom remodel. Their eye-catching appearance makes them the centerpiece of any bath design, and as such it makes sense to position your tub where it can be the focal point of the room.  Placing the tub near a large window allows you to soak up the benefits of both the bath and the sun. Alternatively, if this is a busy bathroom used by more than one person and you prefer more privacy, include a half wall, or curved dividing wall, to give the bathtub its own private alcove.

If a freestanding tub is not your preferred style, or if you just don’t have the space but still want a bathtub, this year’s updated tub/shower combo styles are the answer. These high-quality alcove bathtubs combine with stunning glass doors and tile or slab surrounds to create a luxury bathing and showering experience.  Combine this with the same selection of showerheads and recessed storage as you find in your high-end showers and you have the best of both worlds for bathing and showering in a compact space.

Multiple islands…or one multi-functional island

If the kitchen is the hub of the home, then the island is command central. This is where everything happens from food prep to cooking, dining, entertaining, clean up, and even study and work from home. Particularly in an open plan kitchen design, work and socializing all take place in one connected space. In this case, distinct work zones allow these many functions to co-exist without interfering with one another and an island is often key to creating these work zones. For example, a large island allows you to have a cooking area on one side with seating and an adjacent beverage on the opposite side.  This means that guests can sit across from you while you cook and refill their own drinks without having to cross paths with the chef.

The latest trends are to include a large, multi-functional island, a T- or L-shaped island, or even two islands if space allows.  This means you can create specialized zones within your kitchen islands, for example with one island designated for food prep and the other for dining and entertaining.  If you don’t have space for this, then a kitchen remodel is the ideal opportunity to reinvent your kitchen layout, or even to knock down or move a wall to create a larger kitchen design. Smart storage and workspaces mean that, even if you can’t accommodate a large island space, you can still accomplish a lot with a smaller island or even a peninsula.

The island also offers a prime opportunity to showcase your personal style.  Choose island cabinetry in a contrasting tone to add a pop of color to your kitchen design, without having to commit to a bold color throughout the kitchen. Bring beautiful metallics to your room with glamorous hardware or bold light fixtures for your island such as this year’s popular lantern style lights.  A customized island means you can install appliances ranging from induction ranges to dishwashers, built-in microwaves, undercounter beverage refrigerators, and more.

Sophisticated bathroom design styles

Bathrooms have moved from being considered purely function to becoming more integrated into the rest of your home’s style. Part of this trend is the inclusion of more sophisticated design features in today’s bath remodels, including wood tones, glamorous metallic finishes, stylish lighting, and luxurious materials.

For a sophisticated bathroom design, stick to the best materials you can afford, particularly in the most visible areas such as the vanity cabinet or shower wall. Warm wood cabinetry, dark tones, and furniture style vanities are all obvious choices for a bath remodel that is sure to be a style icon.  Consider changing up metallic finishes for brass to add warmth and charm to your sophisticated bath design or black for an unforgettable look, and pair this with elegant light fixtures that fill the need for necessary lighting without being purely functional.

Marble is a top choice for this style bathroom design, with its classic, one-of-a-kind look, or go for handmade tile to give your space a unique flair. Vintage touches such as a unique piece of free-standing furniture like a cocktail table next to the freestanding bathtub bring old world charm to your room.

If you are ready to uncover the potential of your home, a fresh kitchen design or bathroom remodel could be the key! Consider your remodeling goals carefully and get inspired by the latest trends and by our kitchen remodeling and bathroom design galleries.  Then contact our team to discuss your plans and get the dream home living spaces you always wanted.