Say Goodbye to White Cabinetry, Plus More Kitchen Trends for 2025
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If I were a betting woman, I would bet you’re reading this on your phone, maybe sitting around your kitchen table or at your kitchen island. So, look around. What do you see? Is it a bright, white kitchen with a subway tile backsplash? (Hello, modern farmhouse!) Or perhaps you went a little more classic with butcher block countertops and green cabinetry. (For the love of cottagecore!) Regardless of what your kitchen looks like now, it was almost certainly influenced by the design trends of the time it was built or most recently remodeled.
Whether you’re planning a full kitchen makeover in the new year or are just curious how to easily make your kitchen feel a little less dated, you’ve come to the right place. I spend all year chatting with kitchen designers and writing about kitchens. Below, I’ve compiled the top seven kitchen design ideas they are most excited about for 2025. From cabinetry refreshes to the comeback of a tried-and-true material, 2025 is shaping up to be a return to classic form for kitchen design. Read on to check out what designers and experts forecast as the top kitchen trends for 2025 (don’t miss #7—almost every expert we spoke to said these are going to be everywhere!).
Embrace Wood Cabinetry
That’s right. Put down your paint brushes—wood cabinetry is back! Before you have flashbacks to the orange-toned oak of the 1990s, we definitely don’t mean that. Think of rich, dark-stained woods, such as hickory and walnut, that feel sophisticated and luxurious. “There is a noticeable shift from painted cabinets to warm, natural woods, particularly with sleek lines for a contemporary, yet warm feel,” says Kiara Perdomo, the director of product and development at Nemo Tile + Stone.
We’ve been reporting on the rise of wood interiors all year, starting with this trend report touting the return of wood-paneled walls. Since then, a design-forward embrace of nature has only become more clear. In fact, Pinterest named eco-living aesthetics as a top trend for 2025, meaning woodsy interiors are just the beginning of environmentally minded interiors.
Go All In On Muddy Paint Colors
And, what’s best to pair with your brown wood cabinetry? (Or not quite ready to embrace the no-paint trend.) Color! But not just any color—and especially not white. This year, designers are asking everyone to check out the other side of their paint deck and work with muddier hues. Above, designer Jensen Killen chose a delightfully moody shade of sage green (French Gray by Farrow & Ball) to make a statement in this butler’s pantry (see more on this trend below!).
Caren Rideau, the founder of Kitchen Design Group, echoes the muddy sentiment we’ll be seeing everywhere in 2025. “We have recently left behind a vibrant era dominated by bright colors in home fashion,” says Caren. “Now, the recirculation of muted and muddy colors is emerging as a powerful alternative that creates a more serious palette, perfect for today’s sophisticated aesthetic.” The easiest way to incorporate these colors is to use them in kitchens with streamlined silhouettes, according to Caren. Keeping things simple allows the colors to truly take center stage.
RELATED: 5 Paint Colors You'll See Everywhere in 2025—And None of Them Are Beige!
Choose Unique Cabinet Fronts
Here at Country Living, we love the Shakers and their design legacy. (Shaker-style has been a design standby for over a century for a reason!) But, in 2025, we’re ready to make room for new looks in the kitchen. “I love a Shaker [cabinet door] frame as much as the next designer, but there are so many other options out there,” says Oregon-based designer and author Max Humphrey. “I’ve been doing a lot of tongue-and-groove and nickel gap cabinet fronts recently, which is a way to add some visual interest and country-up a space,” he says.
RELATED: Our 25 Favorite Green Kitchen Cabinet Ideas
Rethink The Kitchen Island
It’s time to say goodbye to big, boxy, built-in kitchen islands. As the look of unfitted kitchens (a thoroughly British design ethos centered around the idea of compiling freestanding furniture pieces instead of built-ins) continues to gain popularity, designers are opting more and more for high-top work tables and oversized farm tables for their kitchen islands. We love the way the worn wood finish of an antique work table adds a perfect touch of rusticity to even the most industrial of spaces. And, if you’re in want of something a little more durable than wood, take a note from designer Stephanie Perez who topped the work table island in her kitchen with a thick slab of marble, making it the perfect prep space.
RELATED: Get More Design Inspiration With These 70+ Stylish Kitchen Island Ideas for Kitchens Large and Small
Make A Dramatic (Back)Splash
Another thing we’re ready to say goodbye to in 2025? Boring backsplashes. There are just too many fun material options to stick to the basics. We’re also seeing experimentation in the scale and shape of backsplashes. For example, try extending your tile (or wood paneling or marble slab) backsplash all the way to the ceiling. “The look is clean and adds a subtle-yet-luxurious element to the design,” say Kiley Jackson and Aileen Warren, the duo behind Jackson Warren Interiors, who predict we’ll see even more of these show-stopping backsplashes in 2025.
Collect—But Don’t Clutter
Yes, you read that right! Bring on all the antiques, because they do, in fact, belong in the kitchen. Don’t believe us? Just ask the National Kitchen & Bath Association. Their 2025 kitchen trend report, compiled from the responses of over 500 industry professionals, including their all-star group of designers on the official NKBA Design Council, outlines how these personality-driven kitchens are on the rise. Designer and member of the NKBA Design Council, Celerie Kemble of the design firm Kemble Interiors, agrees: “Kitchens [should] feel like the other wonderful rooms in your house,” she says. Her own home features a moody kitchen with appliances hidden by paneling, allowing the eye to take in the design and not the bright steel facade of a dishwasher.
One easy way to make your kitchen feel a bit more personal? Channel your favorite space. “We love the trend of kitchens feeling like apothecaries or libraries, or garden potting sheds,” says Celerie. Just be sure to prioritize pretty and practical storage (glass apothecary jars, for example) to keep your space from feeling too cluttered.
RELATED: The 100+ Best Places to Shop for Antiques and Vintage Online
Embrace New Metals
Unlacquered brass has dominated kitchen design for the past four years, but in 2025 designers are beginning to look elsewhere on the finish chart. Top of our list? Copper! We’re no strangers to an artfully arranged collection of copper pots (Martha Stewart does it best!), but, in 2024, we saw more and more designers taking it to kitchen surfaces—think copper vent hoods, countertops, and hardware.
Other metal finishes we expect to see more of in 2025? “Brushed gold, satin brass, and gunmetal are back,” says Sarah Fishburne, the director of trend and design at The Home Depot. She recommends pairing these more daring metals with wood cabinetry and warm stone countertops, which she forecasts will overtake white marble in popularity this year.
Put In The Work(Kitchen)
We have to end with the trend almost every expert we spoke to said would dominate kitchen design in 2025. Drumroll, please...work kitchens! (Also commonly known as butler pantries, “dirty” kitchens, or—in British kitchens—sculleries.) If you’re lucky enough to have the extra room—consider converting an underused closet, hallway, or powder room, these separated spaces are so more than just a walk-in pantry. They’re hardworking and multi-purpose, often featuring additional appliances, a sink, additional built-in storage, and, sometimes, even pet stations. These small specialized rooms, as they were dubbed by the National Kitchen & Bath Association, are key to a well-functioning and well-designed kitchen.
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