The kitchen has always been the heart of the home but lately the trend in kitchen design is shifting to make them appear more like a living space in your home. Many of the more industrial features have begun to fade away and now we are seeing more open shelves with little to no upper cabinets, ‘furniture like’ lower cabinets, large center islands and open concept designs that integrate multiple spaces in one.

Ever been to a party and notice that you are spending most of your time hanging out in the kitchen? Well now, that is by design. There are a lot of tricks that designers are using to change how we perceive kitchens. First, appliances are being hidden into the design much better than they used to be. We use to always put the microwave above the oven but now they are being tucked away under the countertop or in a butlers panty. They have been replaced with beautiful statement hoods that usually sit atop a gorgeous range. Some designers are adding wood or antiquated mirrors overtop of the refrigerator to hide the stainless steel that we are used to seeing.

Kitchen islands are becoming the new command center as they continue to grow and expand. Even countertop manufacturers are taking notice and many of the quartz companies are creating extra large slabs for a seamless look.

Finally, the design of cabinets have made a major shift as well. The upper cabinets are starting to disappear and we are seeing the emergence of open shelves and doorless or wireframe cabinets. Even the lower cabinets are changing. There has been a rise of additional drawers over doors and many people are adding ‘feet’ on the bottom to make parts of the kitchen look like furniture.

While not all of these concepts are brand new, it seems that many of them are here to stay as they continue to get integrated into many new and remodeled kitchens.