The U.S. housing market exhibits strong momentum heading into 2020. Interest rates, still at historic lows, helped drive new-home construction to a 13-year high in December. Further fueling supply, tens of thousands of baby boomers will exit the housing market altogether when they transition to senior-living communities. And there’s ample pent-up demand among those hoping to finally break into the homeowner ranks.

Against this backdrop, the consensus among industry experts is that 2020 will see U.S. homeowners continue to invest heavily in home improvements, especially remodels of kitchens – the most popular room targeted for renovation.

According to Houzz, spending on kitchen remodels jumped a whopping 27 percent last year alone!
Exactly what will kitchen remodelers spend big on this year? Key kitchen design trends can be grouped into a handful of themes.

SMART TECH KITCHEN CREEP WILL ACCELERATE
Tech-savvy millennials have come to expect it, and older homeowners will come to rely on it in order to more safely and comfortably age in place. We’re talking about “smart” kitchens with connected “smart-home” appliances and devices that can be activated and controlled via a smart speaker, phone or watch. Some connected devices, such as smart lights and smart TVs, can even learn your personal preferences and habits and adapt accordingly. It’s not a pipe dream. The National Kitchen and Bath Association (NKBA) reports that nearly half of all U.S. homes will include smart home systems by the end of the year.

ONE CAN NEVER HAVE ENOUGH PANTRY STORAGE OR SPACE FOR GRAZING
Housing-data experts, Meyers Research, recently surveyed more than 25,000 homebuyers about their kitchen needs and preferences. Three out of every ten respondents reported wanting a “super-pantry with ultra-storage,” and half expressed interest in a butler’s pantry for storing serve ware and staging meals.
Half of all respondents indicated they would like a kitchen island, and more than four in ten (43%) expressed interest in both an island and a breakfast bar.
Here are a few other kitchen design trends from this and related research.

• Stainless-steel remains the preferred appliance finish, but colorful appliances are gaining a foothold.
• White kitchen cabinets are still homebuyers’ top choice, however walnut remains widely popular.
• There’s a shift to environmentally friendly natural and organic materials, such as wood, which adds warmth and natural beauty to kitchens.
• Waterfall ends on kitchen counters and islands are increasingly desirable. (At the end of the countertop, a “waterfall” made of the same material used in the horizontal counter or island top, provides the illusion of a continuous “flow” down to the floor. Soon, Butcher Block Co. will offer waterfall designs in wood counter and island tops.)
• Trends favor full-wall backsplashes and the use of kitchen art, since the kitchen is no longer just a place for cooking and eating.
• There’s growing consumer interest in farmhouse sinks and prep sinks, as well as sinks with finishes that are anti-microbial and/or dirt-resistant.

TOMORROW’S KITCHENS WILL LOOK LESS AND LESS LIKE YESTERDAY’S
In 2019, the research arm of the architectural surfacing solutions firm, Cosentino Group, fielded a major market research project. Findings were revealed in a report they titled Global Kitchen: The Kitchen, The Heart of the Home. A key, overarching finding was that the modern kitchen is evolving to host activities that used to take place in other rooms. Essentially, today’s kitchen also serves as a work space, a playroom, and a space for communing with guests. The report observed that, “Practicality and versatility have become the kitchen’s two main assets… New uses have a direct impact on the kitchen’s design, which is open to new materials and colors in order to achieve an increasingly comfortable space, making it possible to safely combine cooking with other activities in a practical way.”

SURFACE SPACE IS THE COIN OF THE REALM
As homeowners use their kitchens for more and more varied activities, there is increased need for more surface space in kitchens. Nowadays used for web-surfing, social networking, and gaming, in addition to old-fashioned food prep, dining, and socializing, any kitchen’s countertops and island tops are its most precious commodity. Consumers want as much surface space as their kitchens can fit.
Designers are responding by incorporating into their designs longer counters, bigger islands, second islands, countertops in pantries, and desks, for example. Plus, they’re recommending material and pattern mixing (i.e., different materials or patterns for tops in different zones of the kitchen) to create a finished space that’s both highly functional and visually pleasing. For example, a designer today might specify edge-grain butcher block for the kitchen’s perimeter counters or desk, and end-grain butcher block – more suitable for chopping – for the kitchen’s main island.

Now that you’re aware of these kitchen design trends, what plans do you have for your 2020 kitchen makeover?