The Top Kitchen Design Trends We’re Building Into Homes This Year
Walk into one of our selections meetings and the kitchen is where things slow down. Flooring gets picked in a few minutes. Paint, pretty quickly. But the kitchen? Families linger. They open sample doors, lay countertop chips next to cabinet panels, and talk through how they actually cook and gather.
That’s the right instinct. The kitchen is the most-used room in almost every home we build, and it’s where the budget and the daily payoff both concentrate. So here’s an honest look at what our clients are choosing right now — not what a magazine says is trending, but what’s actually going into the brand-new homes we’re building this year.
Two-Tone Cabinets Are Winning
The single most consistent choice we’re seeing is two-tone cabinetry — a different color or finish on the island than on the perimeter cabinets. A warm white or soft greige on the wall cabinets, paired with a deeper tone on the island, like a muted navy, a sage green, or a natural wood.
It works because it does two things at once. It keeps the room feeling bright and open, and it gives the island its own identity as the anchor of the space. It also ages well — a fully white kitchen can start to feel dated, but a two-tone scheme reads as intentional.
Quartz vs. Granite — What Clients Actually Pick
Quartz is engineered, which means it’s non-porous, and shrugs off the spills and red wine and homework that happen on a real family island. The look is consistent, and there are patterns now that read like natural marble without marble’s fragility.
Granite is still a beautiful, durable natural stone, and some families love that every slab is one of a kind. It does need periodic sealing, and the pattern can vary more than people expect from the small sample to the full slab.
We walk every client through the trade-offs and let them put their hands on the real material before they decide — that’s the whole point of doing selections right.
Oversized Islands Built for Family Life
The island has quietly become the most important square footage in the kitchen. We’re building them bigger, with seating for three to five, because that’s where homework happens, where guests stand during a party, and where breakfast actually gets eaten.
A well-planned island isn’t just longer — it’s thought through. Where do the outlets go so the toaster isn’t reaching across the sink? Is there enough overhang for knees to fit comfortably under the counter? Those are the small decisions that separate an island that looks good from one that works every single day.
Pantries That Hide the Mess
Two pantry ideas keep coming up: the walk-in pantry sized like a small room, and the “hidden” or butler’s-style pantry tucked behind a door or cased opening off the main kitchen. The appeal is the same — keep the small appliances, the bulk groceries, and the everyday clutter out of sight so the main kitchen stays clean and calm.
For families who entertain, a prep pantry with its own counter and sometimes a second sink is a genuine game-changer. You can stage a meal, leave the dishes behind a wall, and still enjoy your own party.
Let’s Talk About Building Yours
The best part of a kitchen like this is that it’s never designed on its own. It takes shape as we plan the whole home around your family — the island, the pantry, the lighting, and every room beyond it laid out together from the ground up, so the home works the way you live from the very first day you walk in.
If you’ve been picturing the kitchen — and the home — you’ve always wanted, we’d love to hear about it. Tell us how your family lives and what you have in mind, and we’ll walk you through what it takes to build it. No pressure, no commitment — just a builder glad to answer your questions.
Every Hollingsworth home is backed by our 1-year workmanship, 2-year systems, and 10-year structural warranties — built to last.
Reach out to Hollingsworth Homes when you’re ready to start building the home your family has been picturing.