Newest Kitchen Trends 2020
Newest kitchen trends 2020 – What are clients doing when they perform a kitchen remodel in Mission Viejo, Irvine, Lake Forest, Rancho Santa Margarita, Laguna Niguel, Newport Beach, and other South Orange County California communities? Glad you asked! Here is what’s been going on over the last few years.
Cabinets: One of the more interesting of the newest kitchen trends for 2020 is cabinet color. All-white kitchens and farmhouse style, two trends that achieved great popularity in the last 10 years are falling out of favor with clients. Craftsman style and to a lesser degree, a more eclectic or mixed style is catching on. Eclectic is a mixing of craftsman, farmhouse, and modern with some industrial hints. For example, in the bottom cabinets, no doors – all drawers. Using bold colors on the walls. Islands that 
have cabinets stained darker than the main cabinets. Full stainless-steel cooktop hoods. In some cases, no upper cabinets. These are replaced with floating natural wood stained shelves. More kitchens are adding open shelving. Glass cabinets with dimmable LED lights inside are becoming ever more popular.
The Bigger Kitchen Trend
But let’s focus on the bigger kitchen trend for a moment. Clients increasingly do not want white cabinets. Clients have noticed that white cabinets look awesome until they start using them. In kitchens where there are lots of activities (cooking, children, parties, pets, etc.), white cabinets get stained and dirty fast with all the activity. White cabinets when chipped are nearly impossible to touchup without being noticed. Perhaps, the bigger issue is that typical white cabinets are made from Medium Density Fiberboard (MDF – sometimes referred to as Thermofoil) and Particle Board. See related DAD’s article at Particle Board vs. Plywood Cabinets. These do not hold up well and those using Melamine as the laminate covering are experiencing separation between the MDF and the Melamine material. Moreover, white Melamine tends to develop an uneven tan or brownish look next to heat sources such as the range and oven.
Clients strongly prefer the warm accents of the craftsman style. This is also true throughout the entire house. Natural wood cabinets with a medium to darker staining are popular. The shaker cabinet style is the favorite by a wide margin.
Cabinets made of fine wood – quality counts!
A final note on cabinets: Wood made fine cabinetry will go a long way in creating a warm, lasting, and functional kitchen. This is especially true if your kitchen is used daily.
Think about how many times each 
day the kitchen drawers and doors are opened and closed . . . using hands that are wet, dirty, and with food on them. Let’s not forget about the kids who like to slam everything and put their dirty hands on every surface. And the dog! All that oily hair brushing up against the cabinets. And then there’s the oil and grease from cooking, the moisture and mineral residue from cooking steam, and of course, food and beverage spills. Think about it. Your kitchen gets used and abused around the clock. Don’t go cheap on the cabinets or the finish. Never use cabinets made from particle board, melamine, or MDF. See related DAD’s article on Particle Board vs. Plywood Cabinets for an excellent discussion on the differences.
Kitchen Islands
Clients desire bigger kitchens with larger, more functional islands. See related DAD’s article Kitchen Island.
Flooring in the Kitchen
Contrasting natural wood floors or tile floors that resemble wood floors are highly desirable. Gone are traditional ceramic tile, laminate or Pergo® type flooring. The most popular color for wood flooring is a cherry-stained wood. This is followed by a medium stain, then a natural stain, and then gray stained wood flooring.
I believe the most beautiful, highest quality, and most durable wood floors are made by Lauzon. See Lauzon Wood Flooring. In similar fashion, Daltile is the right choice for wood look tile floors. See Daltile Wood Look Tile.
Kitchen Countertops
When it comes to countertops, stain resistance, durability, and 
maintenance of materials rather than aesthetics are by far the most important client requirements. The clear winner continues to be engineered stone or Quartz. Granite was popular for many years. However, many clients who have granite experienced its limitations. It’s very weak, stains easily, and requires yearly sealing. Moreover, it is susceptible to mold, mildew, bacteria and E.coli. It’s not the most maintenance friendly product.
Quartz on the other hand is impervious to mold, mildew, bacteria and E.coli. It is a completely non-porous surface, so liquids and stains won’t penetrate the surface and nearly as hard as granite. It has another advantage in that it won’t crack. It’s also very resistant to heat, so a hot pan won’t leave a scorch mark. As for scheduled maintenance, there isn’t any for quartz countertops! Unlike natural stone, quartz does not need sealing or waxing to protect it from stains and mildew, even on a white quartz countertop. Quartz is an extremely durable material. To clean, simply use a mild soap, such as dishwashing liquid, along with a damp sponge or soft dishcloth. Wipe and rinse. To learn more about the differences between granite and quartz, see related DAD’s article What is Better Granite or Quartz.
Backsplashes in the Kitchen
Some clients still prefer a solid backsplash that matches the countertop. Most clients, by a wide margin, prefer glass, porcelain tile, or a stone backsplash. Many include accents in their backsplash. Glass continues popular along with porcelain tile. Stone is harder to maintain and keep clean. From a maintenance perspective, porcelain tile is the best. It’s very hard, virtually impervious to staining, and comes in so many colors and styles, it’s incredibly versatile. Many have the look and feel of stone but have none of the maintenance issues. Installing with a butt-joint (having a grout joint of 1/8″ less) makes the grout virtually unnoticeable.
Kitchen Appliances
Stainless steel continues as the most popular. Unique ventilation hoods are very much in demand as clients have developed a better understanding of the importance of ventilation. Clients want their ventilation hoods to be focal points in their kitchens. Moreover, clients despise range microwaves.
Gas is the preferred cooking method because of its even cooking (heats both the bottom of the pan and the sides for a more even heat dispersal). However, induction and convection cooking are becoming very popular. The reason for its popularity is the clean, smooth, modern look these appliances give kitchens. These appliances are also much easier to clean.
Another of the newest kitchen trends 2020 is clients are moving the microwave to the island. Double ovens remain popular (range and wall varieties). Regarding refrigerators, most prefer a built-in or counter-depth refrigerator that is flush with the cabinetry. It’s evenly split between a stainless-steel front or adding cabinet panels (which make the appliance an inconspicuous part of your kitchen). Modular refrigerators are becoming more desired. With varying widths and heights, they make it possible to separate your freezer from your refrigerator and place them in convenient spots throughout the kitchen. Refrigerator and freezer drawers installed under the counter in place of a cabinet drawer, typically in an island, work great for conveniently storing food and drinks. Wine and beverage coolers/chillers continue in popularity and are almost always located on the end of an island (makes contents viewing and access easy).
Kitchen Space
Clients still enjoy large, open kitchens. However, one of the newest kitchen trends 2020 I’m seeing is the “great room” concept may be too much of a good thing. Increasingly, clients are asking for some separation between the family, living, and dining rooms. Think of it as semi-open. Clients are adding things like archways, pilaster elements, pocket doors (a door that slides into the wall cavity and “hides” out of the way). These give the kitchen a degree of separation and still allow friends and family to be engaged while meals are being prepared.
Always Hire a Reliable and Dependable Contractor to Remodel your Kitchen
Always work with a trustworthy contractor like DAD’s Construction. We are experts in Kitchen Remodeling who can manage projects in an efficient manner. DAD’s Construction will do everything to minimize the possibility of change orders. Our team will make sure we have all the necessary information to prepare a proposal that meets your requirements. Rest assured that we will provide you with a detailed, by line-item contract. We will make sure that the contents of this agreement are properly and clearly communicated to you. If you have questions or need updates regarding your project, we will always answer your inquiries.
How Can I Receive More Information on Kitchen Remodeling?
If you would like more information on enjoying the best bathroom, kitchen, and interior remodeling experience in Orange County, call Dan at (949) 380-0177 or at dan@dadsconstruction.com for a free in home consultation. DAD’s serves all of South Orange County California. This includes Lake Forest, Mission Viejo, Foothill Ranch, Portola Hills, Ladera Ranch, Irvine, San Clemente, Dana Point, San Juan Capistrano, Rancho Santa Margarita, Coto de Caza, Dove Canyon, Laguna Niguel, Laguna Hills, Laguna Beach, Newport Beach, and Aliso Viejo.
