THE HEART OF THE HOME GETS NEW COLOR, CUBBIES, CONNECTIVITY

As French chef and restaurateur Daniel Boulud puts it, “Kitchens should be designed around what’s truly important — fun, food, and life.”

Kitchens now might not play the center-of everything roles that they did during the early days of the pandemic. But even if you’re spending more time away, you’ll likely have become a little more attached and invested in the kitchen than you were in 2019.

Some of what’s new in kitchen design and outfitting:

COOKING WITH COLOR

For a few years now, the monotone, all-white kitchen has been popular, with Instagram feeds full of white-and-cream cabinetry and pale woods. It looked clean, and like it meant business – a culinary clinic, if you will, and a far cry from the mid-2000s combo of cherry cabinets and granite counters.

But there’s a shift. The standard, nickel-plated hardware in a white kitchen might now be replaced with matte black and brass, or knobs and faucets in bright hues.

Whites are getting creamier, less cool. You’ll see woods, vegan leather and rattan as textural elements to warm things up.

“The classic all-white kitchen is as relevant as it ever was, but there’s a new need and demand for color,” says Bob Bakes, co-founder and head of design for Bakes & Kropp, a kitchen design and custom cabinetry firm in New York City.

He’s recently used sky blue, stone gray and a red called geranium on kitchen projects, and a glossy black in a butler’s pantry.

Betty Brandolino, founder and creative director of Fresh Twist Studio in Elmhurst, Illinois, sees a similar move toward color. “White isn’t out, but we are implementing painted or natural wood islands as opposed to an all-white kitchen,” she says.