56+ Kitchen Cabinet Ideas for 2023
A new year has come but your kitchen still looks the same? Since we're all still cooped up, 2023 is the perfect year to invest in your dream kitchen.
Updating or remodeling your kitchen with new cabinets can seem daunting, but revitalizing the heart of your home will create a place where your family loves to hang out, making this difficult time more enjoyable.
In the early stages of planning your kitchen cabinet upgrade, consider your storage needs, kitchen size and shape, and how you can create a space that suits you and your family's style. But before you nail down your necessities, get inspired by over 56 kitchen cabinet ideas and ways to style them.
Traditional Kitchen Cabinet Ideas
There's a reason traditional kitchens will always be in style—the elegant and comforting design evokes a familiar feeling in us. Whether it's the symmetry, the old-school hardware and fixtures, or inlaid wood, these traditional features make us feel at home.
Here are some of our favorite ways to incorporate the traditional design in your kitchen without looking outdated.
Source: Bess Friday Photography
Gray And Bright
Cabinet Ideas
Source: Bess Friday Photography
A light wood floor and white subway tile backsplash will help brighten the room while allowing gray cabinets to become the centerpiece of the design. A gray kitchen with shaker style cabinets gives the traditional style a bit more umph than a dark-stained wood. When you have a bright space with windows that let in plenty of natural light, your kitchen will never feel dark but always inviting.
Source: Slightly Coastal
Wood Accent
Cabinet Ideas
Source: Slightly Coastal
This deep navy color used on the kitchen island is eye-catching, making it the centerpiece of the space. The color of the island gives a beautiful contrast to the white shaker cabinets on the back wall and ties in with the dark wood accents, like the pantry door or wooden backsplash. The dark wood adds warmth to this traditional space and is easy to replicate by simply changing out your pantry door. You can find beautiful doors with lots of character at flea markets or vintage warehouses, which can save you money and is a more sustainable way to upgrade your kitchen.
Source: From The Nato's
Maximize Storage
Space
Source: From The Nato's
Never underestimate the power of extra storage space in your kitchen! As your family grows, so will your needs—the extra space will come in handy soon enough. Before you order your cabinets, think about the configuration of your kitchen. To utilize every inch of the space, consider creating shallow cabinets in otherwise empty spots to store smaller items like spices, cans, or condiments.
4. Leather Latches
Materials like silk, velvet, and leather are staples in traditional design. Installing leather latches instead of knobs or handles on your cabinet doors is a unique feature and thoughtful nod to this interior design style.
5. Wire-Brushed Oak
Oak wood is a great choice for kitchen cabinets. The material is heavy, durable, and exceptionally wear-resistant. A wire-brush finish will roughen the surface up and create an interesting look that is perfect for an oversized kitchen island.
6. Peninsula
If your kitchen space doesn't allow for a stand-alone kitchen island, a peninsula offers additional storage space and countertop seating for a cozy atmosphere. This way you can still enjoy your company while you're playing host and preparing meals. You can utilize every inch of the peninsula by installing smart corner cabinets like a lazy susan or a swinging pullout drawer.
7. Walnut Cabinets
Besides being a durable and dense material, walnut wood looks stunning in your kitchen. This darker wood fits perfectly in a more traditional space and pairs well with white or gray countertops and backsplash tile.
8. Island Storage Space
An oversized island with lots of seating space and beautiful wood details can create a functional focal point in your kitchen. The extra cabinet space will come in handy for storing dinnerware or kitchen gadgets. Traditional style islands often come with beautifully embellished posts that can hold a large overhang and create extra leg room for your family or guests.
9. Add Molding
Detailed woodwork and carved moldings are common features in traditional kitchens. Whether you're adding new crown molding to existing cabinets or make them part of your full renovation, this little detail will go a long way in elevating the style of your kitchen.
10. Extravagant Hardware
Speaking of crown molding, installing extravagant hardware or plumbing fixtures can add that little bit of spice to your home. Unique knobs, pulls, or hooks will create fantastic details that set your kitchen apart from the rest. If you want your sink to be a focal point, splurging on an elegant, lavish faucet will perfectly balance function and form.
Cottage And FarmhouseKitchen Cabinet Ideas
Coziness, warmth, and liveliness—these are the ingredients for a cottage style home. If you're more on the eclectic side of things and love all things natural, you may find inspiration for your new kitchen here.
Bring the simple country life home with lots of natural wood elements, cute vintage accents, and a touch of rustic flair.
Source: Devol Kitchens
Splashes Of
Color
Source: Devol Kitchens
Who said the kitchen has to be all one color? The mix of these pastel colors adds depth to the space. Be experimental with your color palette—before you paint a whole cabinet, you can always try the color out on a small area, step back, and see how much you like it. If you love it, paint the whole thing! And if you don't, you won't have to redo your entire kitchen because you realized early enough in the process that a different color is better for your home. You can break the space up with open corner shelves. In this kitchen, they created a unique eyecatcher and offer easy access to storage space.
Source: Hummingbird High
Light Gray
Framed Cabinets
Source: Hummingbird High
The light-gray framed cabinets in this cottage kitchen are the perfect balance of modern and traditional—making the space feel cozy but spacious. The craze of the modern farmhouse kitchen may have toned down a bit, but an oversized farmhouse sink is still a great feature to incorporate in your cottage kitchen as it's functional and a statement piece!
Source: The Market Beautiful
Farmhouse
Vibes
Source: The Market Beautiful
This kitchen is a beautiful mix of minimalism, eclectic, and rustic elements. The traditional appliances combined with natural wood base cabinets and glass open shelving create a beautifully airy yet cozy kitchen. Hanging an oversized pendant light in the center of the room and placing a dark kitchen island underneath creates extra workspace and contrast. Picking an island that can be moved out of the way allows you to reconfigure the space as you need it or your taste in style changes.
14. Calm Colors
If your kitchen is prone to chaos, paint your cabinets a calming color. A sky blue shade, subtle blush hue, or a muted sage gray make great paint colors for cottage kitchen cabinets. You can elevate this peaceful environment with a simple patterned white tile backsplash running up to the kitchen ceiling.
15. Add Open Shelving
Are you tired of your old kitchen but not yet ready to make a larger investment? Exchanging upper cabinets for open shelves can make a big difference to your space. You can use reclaimed wood shelves to spice up your kitchen with texture and decorate them with your favorite dishware or place a bunch of potted herbs on them to add functionality.
16. Contrast Flooring
To contrast a dark wood floor, use light-colored cabinets and countertops. You can add a few soft touches throughout the design by placing blush fabric stools around your island or hanging pastel-colored curtains in your kitchen. These accents will also avoid having the room feel underlit.
17. Whitewash
Whether you pick ash wood or treat your existing cabinets to get a whitewash effect, this will transform your cottage kitchen into a beautifully unique space. It's fairly easy to DIY this style with a proper stain and the right technique.
18. Matching Backsplash
Keep your kitchen theme consistent by matching the cabinet color with the colors found in the backsplash. If you're looking for a busier patterned tile, pick one that is in the same color family as your kitchen cabinets.
19. Pecky Cypress
If you want to add some texture to your charming cottage kitchen, pecky cypress is your friend. This grainy wood look has a lot of character and ranges in colors from a light honey to a darker caramel color. The long and narrow cavities will make every cabinet door look like a unique feature in your kitchen.
20. Distressed Cabinets
If your cabinets are outdated but still in good shape, distressing the wood can transform your kitchen at a low cost. Add new cabinet hardware to your distressed cabinets and you'll be surprised by the difference it makes!
Rustic And IndustrialKitchen Cabinet Ideas
Rustic doesn't necessarily mean dark and old—this design style has been popular for some time now and we're happy to see that it's still the case. By adding lots of white and natural wood tones, you can create a rustic yet sophisticated space that gives the heart of your home character.
If you want to incorporate more metal tones and textures mixed with exposed brick walls, a rustic industrial interior may speak to you.
Source: Antonio Martins
Reclaimed
Wood
Source: Antonio Martins
You can never go wrong with white kitchen cabinets. In fact, they're a great starting point to design the rest of your space! White inset cabinets already have a rustic feel to them, adding an extended kitchen island out of reclaimed wood adds character to the space and allows for plenty of legroom for the stools as you can see in this photo.
Source: Bethany Menzel
Mixed
Wood
Source: Bethany Menzel
Embrace the natural feel that wooden cabinetry can encompass. Mixing light and dark woods create a natural contrast in your kitchen and is a beautiful feature in a rustic space. The white walls and dark appliances in this kitchen make the wood elements the focal point of the room and lighten up the space. In a bright kitchen with multiple natural light sources, dark wood is a beautiful choice.
23. Metal Grate Cabinet Doors
Inserting a wire mesh grille to your cabinet doors will immediately add a rustic vibe to your space. It's a fairly easy DIY project that will give your cabinet doors new life and your kitchen a new look. While you can see through grate doors, they're not exposing items as much as glass-front or open cabinets. The metal grates will also reflect light into the kitchen, making the space brighter.
24. Mixed Metals
Mixing anything is a risky business when you're not sure what you're doing. Luckily, we're here to help! Brass for example mixes well with chrome, nickel, or dark bronze. However, you should never mix nickel and chrome in the same space. Adding different metals throughout your kitchen cabinet hardware, plumbing fixtures, or even open shelves can elevate your design and make your cabinets stand out more.
25. Tall Cabinets
If your space allows, line an entire wall with dark, tall cabinets. To create a pretty contrast, you can paint the walls behind the natural wood white—this will make the cabinets stand out and make the kitchen appear brighter.
26. Matte Black Hardware
To elevate your industrial kitchen, install matte black hardware to your cabinets. Whether the cabinets are white, navy blue, or gray, this timeless yet edgy feature is a beautiful accent you'll want to incorporate into your design.
Modern Kitchen Cabinet Ideas
Modernism has its roots in German and Scandinavian Bauhaus design and refers to the mid-20th century time period. The style focuses on simple form and function and is defined by earthy color palettes, natural silhouettes, and materials.
If you're all about function but view form as an equal, a modern style kitchen will be perfect for you.
Source: Taylor Kampa
Glossy
Cabinets
Source: Taylor Kampa
By lining one wall with cabinets, enough storage is created in this narrow kitchen that the rest of the room can be open and uncluttered. The tall white cabinets make the room appear bigger than it is and run all the way up to the ceiling—making it a great trick to maximize storage in a small space.
Source: Simply Grove
Stark &
Unique
Source: Simply Grove
To achieve a sleek and modern look, mix shades of black, blue, and gray throughout the kitchen. In this kitchen, the designer used dark blue flat-front cabinets with minimal handles to complement the black appliances. The result is a unique and modern space that makes you feel like your kitchen popped right out of a design magazine.
Source: Decorology
Sophisticated
& Airy
Source: Decorology
In a spacious room with tall ceilings, your design options are seemingly endless. If you want to create a modern kitchen with an airy vibe, simple white shaker cabinets are the way to go. You can add sophisticated accents with brass or gold hardware and plumbing fixtures. A tall and dark-colored island can become the focal point of your kitchen where guests will love to gather around.
30. High Cabinets
In a home with high ceilings, you'll want to utilize as much of the vertical space as possible. Installing high cabinets that reach the ceiling will give you extra cabinet space for items you rarely use and save you from dusting the tops of your cabinets every few months.
31. Colored Appliances
Stainless steel appliances aren't always necessary. Try to find appliances that match the color of your cabinets to create a cohesive vibe and interesting eye-catcher. You can also match the appliances to your hardware. Brass, rose-gold, or matte black appliances will give your kitchen a high-tech modern feel.
32. Illuminate
A kitchen with no or few windows is difficult to style. To illuminate your kitchen, introduce a combination of white cabinets, counters, and kitchenware. These items will reflect off the natural light and brighten up the space. You can install additional lighting under your wall cabinets to make the room feel brighter and provide you with enough light when you're cooking or baking.
33. Moody Tones
A moody space is all the rage. If you use your kitchen more as a hangout space with friends and family to enjoy a cocktail or a lowkey gathering, the functionality may not be your priority. Instead of creating a bright space where you'll have enough light to tell apart cardamom from cinnamon, a moody space with dark cabinets, appliances, and walls could be the perfect design for you. Add a cool neon sign and you'll never have to go out to a bar again!
34. Contrasting Glass
Black cabinets are a beautiful feature in a modern kitchen, but can quickly make the room feel darker and smaller than it actually is. Install glass-front cabinet doors and paint the inside of the cabinets white to let more light travel through the room and incorporate an interesting feature that opens up the space.
Contemporary Kitchen Cabinet Ideas
Not to be confused with modern, contemporary design simply refers to the current design trends. The contemporary style is ever-evolving and ambiguous but can be detected by its neutral color palettes, clean lines, and organic silhouettes.
These are our favorite contemporary kitchen cabinet ideas.
Source: Old Brand New
Slab
Cabinets
Source: Old Brand New
The beauty of contemporary design is that it ages well as it's all about now and the future. This kitchen photographed by Dabito of Old Brand New is the perfect example. The white flat-front (or slab) cabinets are timeless and easy to decorate in different styles. This space gets its character from strategically placed design accents like the plants by the window or the colorful runner on black flooring. The age-old trick of adding a mirror to a space to make it feel larger is also applied in this contemporary kitchen.
Source: Marco Marotto
Futuristic
Ideas
Source: Marco Marotto
The future is now! To create a sleek yet bold statement kitchen, you need to make bold color decisions. Here, photographer Marco Marotto perfectly captures how modern cabinets without handles complement a uniquely patterned backsplash. The frosted glass divider lets the kitchen appear bigger than it is.
Black
Cabinets
So you want a truly unique space that looks nothing like the white farmhouse kitchens all over your Instagram feed? Black is in style and a great color choice for your kitchen cabinets. Whether you want to lean toward a more industrial vibe with a brick backsplash or add eclectic touches with open glass shelving units and colorful rugs, black goes with pretty much anything! Make sure your space gets plenty of natural light or you incorporate large and bright pendant lights so your kitchen doesn't feel too dark.
Source: Sweeten Blog
Two-Tone
Cabinets
Source: Sweeten Blog
Strategically incorporate a mix of cabinets with glass doors and open shelving to create a contemporary kitchen alcove. The combination of glass-front cabinets and open shelves make this small kitchen space feel a lot bigger than it actually is. Going for a two-toned look with the white cabinets above the gray base cabinets also makes the ceilings appear larger.
39. Opaque Glass-Front Cabinets
Glass-front wall cabinets are a beautiful touch but they expose everything you're trying to hide behind closed doors. If you like the glass style but don't want to display all your stuff, using opaque glass is the perfect compromise. It also adds a contemporary touch to your kitchen.
40. Gold Hardware
Don't be shy about picking distinct hardware to up your kitchen design. Gold hardware on white cabinets with marble counters for example creates a stunningly tasteful look. You can also alternate knobs and handles (or pulls) to spice things up.
41. Craftsmanship
Clean lines, shaker cabinets, subway tile backsplash—all of these features make a beautiful Craftsman style kitchen. This design first emerged at the end of the 19th century but you can easily put a modern spin on it and transfer this style into the 21st century. The homey, welcoming feeling this modern and effortless style creates in your home will give your kitchen new life.
42. No Hardware
There are plenty of cabinet door styles that allow you to open and close doors and drawers without hardware. Whether you install a magnetic (or mechanical) push system, pick cabinet doors with integrated handles, or hide pulls at the edge of the countertop, this is a great minimal design feature.
43. Open Cabinets
If you don't mind exposing the insides of your upper cabinets, this design trend may be perfect for you! If you already have upper cabinets, you can simply detach the cabinet doors to create this contemporary look. Treating the inside of the cabinets a new coat of paint or adding wallpaper to the back will create a new focal point in your kitchen for low renovation costs and little effort.
44. Rose Gold Accents
This color first became a mainstream phenomenon in 2015 but it's still a popular color choice today. Rose gold hardware creates a stunning accent and looks great on navy blue, black, or dark green cabinets but also works on white cabinets if you're looking for a more feminine style.
45. Create Depth
Create depth in a room by using a variety of cabinet sizes and doors. Alternating drawers and doors and installing tall cabinets where the ceiling space allows will also give you a variety of storage options for all your kitchen gadgets and items. Maintain uniformity by making the cabinets all the same color.
The Hottest Kitchen Cabinet Trends
We've already covered the most popular design choices for kitchen cabinets but there are a few more trends on the horizon for 2021 that we have to share with you!
After a year of being cooped up inside, we're craving more than just a freshly renovated kitchen. We've gone back to our roots, appreciating time spent with loved ones, and trying old family recipes (raise your hands if you've tried to bake sourdough in the past year). Our collective emotional state is reflected in some of the hottest kitchen trends for 2021.
Source: InnuSKY Home
Nostalgic
Kitchen Cabinets
Source: InnuSKY Home
Whether it's adding vintage farmhouse charm with reclaimed wood features or going full-on retro by incorporating skirts instead of doors to cover your lower cabinets, we love a bit of nostalgia in our kitchens. This designer shows how it's done with this beautiful two-tone kitchen that gives us nostalgia vibes all the way. The light-gray glass-front wall cabinets open up the small space and look stunning next to the light blue vintage fridge.
47. Beachy Vibes
If you had to cancel your beach vacation last year, you were not alone. Instead of traveling to the beach, why don't you bring vacation vibes to the heart of your home? White beadboard cabinets and light blue hues that you can incorporate in the backsplash, kitchen furniture, or island cabinets create a wonderfully serene atmosphere in your kitchen.
48. Eclectic Style
If nothing lightens your mood more than a collection of quirky and colorful accessories, the eclectic style is for you. Pick a funky color for your cabinets like a mint green or your favorite pastel color and brighten the space up with all kinds of plants, trinkets, and unique design elements.
49. Eco-Friendly Cabinets
Environmentally friendly materials are very popular this year. Besides creating a more sustainable home, bamboo or recycled wood cabinets look fabulous! If you're opting for bamboo cabinets, the material will not disappoint. It's extremely sturdy and because the tree-like grass is laminated in the manufacturing process, the surfaces can easily resist dents and chips.
50. Hidden Appliances
A trend you should not be missing out on when remodeling your kitchen in 2021 is to hide your appliances behind cabinet fronts. Whether it's your fridge, dishwasher, or microwave—anything can be hidden behind a cabinet door or drawer to make your kitchen look more cohesive. Covering a range hood with a pretty tile, shiplap, or a custom-built metal piece adds a unique touch to your kitchen that guests will marvel at.
51. Bohemian Kitchen
To create a bohemian style kitchen, you'll want to find the perfect balance between airy and playful. You can give your cabinets a mint green makeover or install a quirky backsplash above white cabinets for a more subtle nod to the boho life. Decorate your kitchen with plenty of wicker baskets, potted plants, and beautiful rugs, and let the lightness of the space inspire your cooking.
The Colors Of The Year 2021
Last but not least, if your cabinets are still in great condition but you feel like updating your kitchen, a fresh coat of paint might do the trick! Every year, companies like Pantone or Bear release their color or color palettes of the year. While you want to ensure that you'll still enjoy your painted cabinets the following year (to avoid another paint job in 365 days), these colors can be a great source of inspiration! Here are the most popular colors for 2021.
Source: Christian Blake Kitchens + Stacey Dyer
Popular Color
Choices For 2021
Source: Christian Blake Kitchens + Stacey Dyer
Some of the most popular colors in 2021 include dark green or blue, rust, and yellows. You don't have to paint your entire kitchen in these hues, incorporating a new color with a trendy backsplash, a single row of painted cabinets or a bold kitchen island can already transform your entire space.
53. 2021 Pantone Colors Of The Year: Ultimate Gray & Illuminating
The last time Pantone picked more than one color of the year was in 2016. To ring in 2021, the world-renowned color institute introduced Ultimate Gray and Illuminating (Yellow) as the colors of the year. The two independent colors “highlight how different elements come together to support one another.” A great thought that you can translate directly into what kind of place you want your kitchen to be.
54. Benjamin Moore Color Of The Year: Aegean Teal
A beautiful teal color is Benjamin Moore's choice for the year 2021. The whole palette includes harmonizing colors like Gray Cashmere, Foggy Morning, or Potters Clay which are warm and welcoming hues—perfect for your new kitchen.
55. Sherwin Williams Color Of The Year: Urbane Bronze
Inspired by nature, Sherwin Williams announced Urban Bronze, a grounded, meditative, and serene color as their official pick for the new year. Coordinating colors are Modern Gray and Messenger Bag, to introduce a hint of boldness. If you want to bring the outsides in, this color palette will match well with natural stone elements, wood finishes, and mixed metals.
56. 2021 Behr Color Palettes: Elevated Comfort
Fittingly, Behr curated 21 colors to create a variety of color palettes for 2021. Get inspired by the Quiet Haven palette with rich, dark green tones, the Calm Zone that includes restorative greens and blues, or the Mindful Escape palette that is all about neutral tones and modern lines.
More Kitchen Cabinet Inspiration
Trends will come and go but the kitchen will always be the heart of your home. Whatever interior design style or 2021 trend you'd like to incorporate in your new kitchen design, pick a style that you'll love for more than 365 days.