#What’s ‘In’ and ‘Out’ in the Kitchen: 10 Trends to Watch

By Melissa Dittmann Tracey, REALTOR® Magazine

Kitchens are going dark, LED lighting is gaining steam, and trash is getting more attention all are trends in kitchen designs this year, according to the National Kitchen Bath Association. which surveyed 100 designers at the end of 2010 to reveal the hottest kitchen trends. (Last week, we highlighted NKBA’s 4 Bathroom Trends to Watch .)

The following is a list of what s cooking in kitchen trends for 2011, based on NKBA survey results of which kitchen designs are increasing in demand and which are losing favor.

Maple kitchen; Photo credit: Courtesy of KraftMaid Cabinetry

Gaining steam: Maple cabinetry

Losing steam: Cherry cabinetry (Cherry dominated kitchens in early 2010 but was overtaken by maple cabinetry this year)

Kitchen cabinets in Sonoma Maple, Midnight with Bristol Maple, Pebble; Photo credit: Wellborn Cabinet Inc.

2. Kitchen finishes

Gaining steam: Dark natural finishes; light natural and colored painted finishes also remained fairly common, inching up slightly in use.

Losing steam: Medium natural, glazed, and white painted finishes are on the decline and the use of distressed finishes has dropped significantly in the last year.