The focus of kitchen renovation trends has evolved almost as much as the trends themselves. In the past, when one has looked into what was trending in home renovation, you’d find a list of the “perfect tile”, the “correct hardware to use” and the colours that would scream “NOW!”. It was generally specific advice… follow this template and you too will have a modern kitchen that everyone will envy! While we will never truly get away from specific modern trend recommendations, we’re seeing a bigger focus on renovating kitchens as a way of expressing yourself… injecting personality that takes the trends and twists them, resulting in a space that is unique and intimate.
Rather than looking for answers at the hardware store, we’re looking more deeply at your kitchen spaces, and understanding them to be part of the larger idea of “home”. Creating a space you truly feel at home in requires more of us than simply choosing samples and colours and moving cabinets around, but when you get it, you get it… and it’s so damn worth it.
In this article we’ll take a look at what our team at Gateway Kitchen + Bath see as the kitchen trends for 2025. Some are simple, some are profound, but we can’t build anything meaningful if we can’t first spark our imagination. The following trends below are less a roadmap than a jumping-off point. We’re seeing these ideas start the conversation and evolve into tailored and personalized spaces. Which kitchen trends will resonate with you?
2025 Kitchen Trends: More Colour
Whites and woods of all varieties are classics in a kitchen, and will never truly leave the space, but this year, fortune favours the bold. After many years of grey, we’re seeing homeowners bring colour back into their kitchens. Bold tile, patterns, and coloured cabinets are being used in thoughtful ways to add life and personality into kitchen spaces. Earthy neutrals, bold jewel tones and even pastels are breathing fresh life into spaces that have typically been considered best when they are “neutral”.
This year Pantone released their Colour of the Year for 2025, showcasing “Mocha Mousse”, a warm, balanced, rich brown that evokes comfort and indulgence, chocolate and coffee. Pantone says of its choice for 2025: “With its sophisticated, earthy elegance, PANTONE 17-1230 Mocha Mousse can stand alone or serve as a versatile foundation, enhancing a wide range of palettes and applications—from minimalist to richly detailed designs—across all color-focused industries.” This colour choice echos what we’re seeing come through in kitchen renovation, regardless of what colour you choose. Ideas of comfort, versatility, and decadence are the beginning of the conversation.
Are we on track to see the trend of “colour drenching” entering the kitchen design chat? Don’t count it out yet!
2025 Kitchen Trends: Detail
It’s all in the details, and whether you prefer a minimalist look, or want to incorporate all the architectural decadence, we’re looking at our kitchens with a broader scope. Archways, panelling, and millwork details are hitting their stride as homeowners embrace the character of their homes, or attempt to add some to spice up the bland builder-styles of the last decades.
We’re seeing more “range alcoves”, a common sight in European kitchens where the range and hood venting are built into an archway or niche, offering a decadent focal point for the room and practical concealed ventilation.
Homeowners are also adding more personal detail by focusing on unique, quality pieces as focal points. We’re seeing an interest in incorporating handmade, artisan pieces, or items that hold a deep sentimental attachment into our kitchen spaces. We’re seeing heirloom furniture, artwork, and even the natural artwork of the world around us becoming the inspiration to build a kitchen around, pointing directly to our next trend:
2025 Kitchen Trends: Personalization
Anyone who has been in the renovation game as long as we have, have watched the kitchen trends cycle a few times. Most kitchen designers can look at a kitchen and have a pretty good idea of when it was built, but that might not be the case forever if this trend toward personalization continues. For a long time staying “on trend” or using the “latest designs” has led to what it being termed “the sea of sameness”, and we’re seeing more and more customers break free and create spaces that really reflect their own style. Functionally, a well-built kitchen will ALWAYS outlast the trends. They’re not inexpensive to change regularly, so if you focus on exactly what is deemed to be “in” right now, you’ll be “out” almost as quickly. Investing in the things you love and making your space a showcase of your personality rather than what happens to be trending this year is one way to ensure you’re going to continue to appreciate your kitchen renovation for years to come.
2025 Kitchen Trends: Comfortable eat-in spaces.
Everyone who disdains eating at the island, this is your time! We’re see a renewed desire for tables, chairs, banquettes and other comfortable spaces to gather and share a meal with the people we love. Homeowners are embracing the idea that the best interactions happen while preparing and hovering over food and drink, and are moving away from more formal dining spaces in favour of bringing the party back to the kitchen. Adding comfortable places to sit and share the space adds another layer of interaction whether you’re home with your family or entertaining.
2025 Kitchen Trends: Nostalgia with a twist
Many kitchens for 2025 will be built with a look toward the future with nods to the past. We’re seeing more retro influences (specifically mid-century). The sleek minimalist cabinetry of this era has found a new popularity, with plenty of warm or natural woods and deep rich colours. This isn’t the stark, empty minimalism you might be picturing, however, but rather a cozier version, mixing those clean lines with curated texture, warmth and personal detail. We’re seeing a renewed focus on hiding the clutter that tends to make the space feel busy, using hidden features, small appliance storage, and design features that make your kitchen feel like a breath of fresh air. We’re seeing more large tile or stone slab backsplashes replacing the fussy mosaics with light, open simplicity. Thin stone countertops are gaining in popularity over their heavier, thicker cousins, and the brassy gold hardware is making a comeback, tying into the mid-century vibes.
2025 Kitchen Trends: Extras
Just because we’re feeling more minimalist, doesn’t mean we can’t maximize in other areas. Appliances and fixtures are big this year, with many kitchens opting for thoughtful multiples. From secondary ovens, to additional sinks, fridges, dishwashers, whatever your lifestyle demands, add it in! Splitting your kitchen into zones with all the appropriate accoutrements (think coffee stations, bar areas, prep stations) has reshaped how we use our kitchens, and how we can function best with multiple people using the space for multiple tasks at the same time.
2025 Kitchen Trends: Big pantries
If you’ve got the space for it, expanding your kitchen by adding a large pantry is the dream trend for 2025. These multi-functional spaces can be called by a few different names, but generally, a “butler’s pantry” is a space for storage (either food, extra kitchen tools, small appliances etc) that help keep you organized and your main kitchen clutter free, while a scullery has more fixtures and features and can be used as a second prep and cook space. How you choose to use the space can depend on a few things, what you need it for, how much space you have to work with, and what your overall goals for your kitchen space are. If you like to keep a stocked pantry, don’t like clutter in your main kitchen space, and have some unused square footage in your home, a large pantry might be just what you’re looking for and you’re definitely not alone. The surge in popularity may be attributed to the more recent desire for a little bit of luxury, even in the everyday. Homeowners have traded extra unused bedrooms or dens that used to add value to a home, and instead are focusing on larger bathrooms, special storage features and unique ways of making their home function best for them. Most of us would rather have extra space to use rather than a guest bedroom that is rarely utilized and just takes up space.
We could probably keep going, but our goal is not to bore you with minutia. Rather, we’d like to start a conversation, inspire you to look at your home in a different way, and reinforce that the “trends” don’t mean anything if they don’t resonate with you and your home.
Starting a major renovation is a big step to take, and at Gateway Kitchen + Bath, we work to make sure that when you choose to renovate, you have the support, experience, creativity and precision you need to make your ideas flourish. We strive to make your home an extension of you—personal, intimate and unique. If you’re ready to move forward on a renovation this year, we’re ready. Contact us through our web form, or book a free one-hour consultation with a member of our talented Design Team, and explore the possibilities.
