Are Two Tone Kitchens Timeless?

2020 may just be the year of change, especially to the inside of our homes! As we spend more time indoors than planned, changes to our interiors are giving use the little added freshness we need. As we slowly start cleaning out those junk drawers, hall closets, and making updates to our homes as we go, we turn to the professionals for inspiration and direction. Interior designers, or interior artists rather, are paving the way and creating new trends in the world of interior design. Some of these trends remain staples in our homes (thank you modern mid-century for sticking around!) while others slowly run their course – click here for a guide to 2020 interior design trends. 2020, however, is throwing everyone for a loop by introducing wild patterns, bold colors, and tons of greenery. While we may be able to visualize this for our living rooms or bedrooms, it can be hard to know how to take these new trends into our kitchens.

The kitchen tends to be one of the most utilize and centralized room in a home. Majority of party hosting, cooking, and community gatherings revolve around the kitchen. The kitchen is full of good food and liveliness and our kitchens should match this as well. For a long time, two tone kitchens were extremely popular – and still are depending on your taste! Typically, what this looks like is walls, upper cabinets, and backsplash tiles are all white while lower cabinets and kitchen islands are painted a neutral color such as grey or navy blue. These two-tone kitchen designs help break up the all-white kitchen trend that was popular for so long with some richer colors and warmer tones. So are two tone kitchens timeless? The answer is yes and no. While it all comes down to your personal preferences, we are seeing that this particular kitchen style is coming to the end of its days as brilliant patterns and bold patterns slowly seep their way into kitchen designs.

 

Yes and No 

Two tone kitchens have been popular for some time now. They took over the all-white kitchen trend and brought a little pop of color or warmth to the kitchen. Two-tone kitchens may always be timeless. They are minimal, simple, and offer what is needed to liven up your space. However, 2020 is coming in strong with patterns and colors and the kitchen is no exception to this. While two tone kitchens are sticking around for now, it is starting to change form as well. What we are seeing now is colors and patterns slowly start to sneak its way into this existing kitchen aesthetic and giving it the breath of life it needs. Instead of muted or neutral colors, interior designers are creating new trends where two tone kitchens take on bright oranges, teals, limes greens, as well as eclectic island chairs, wall art, and rugs.

 

The Future is Bright

So what exactly is the future of kitchen design, and where do we go from here? With a new trend on the rise for interior design this year, go ahead and throw that rulebook out the window. 2020 is all about bringing in fresh colors, wild designs, and overall liveliness to your home. These are the top things to look for in kitchen trends this year and how to execute them like a pro:

 

Choose a Bright Color for the Long Haul

Kitchens are full of color opportunities from cabinets to countertops, appliances to windows, everything has the opportunity to adopt a little added muse. One of the easiest and least expensive ways to update your kitchen is by adding a fresh coat of paint. Mark Wilkinson, interior designer and founder of Mark Wilkinson Furniture, believes these new bright color waves will be the way of the future. Wilkinson suggests going for a color that will keep you feeling happy and good long term. He advised that any coloring in the kitchen, whether it be the walls, cabinets, or other fittings, should last for a minimum of at least five years. He suggests trying to look beyond the latest trends and choose something bright that you will enjoy for the next five or so years to come.

 

Play It Safe If You Need To

Another popular trend making its way into the two-tone kitchen design is painted window frames that match the kitchen décor. For example, if you prefer to decorate your kitchen with lots of teal blues, you will want to paint your kitchen window frames the same color blue that you decorate with. Not only does this add a safe pop of color – in case you aren’t ready to fully give up the neutral look – but it also helps to tie in your decorum by making it pop with color. This is a great way to give a small, simple upgrade to your two-tone kitchen and give it a little makeover instead. Even something simple like painting the window frames of your kitchen can make a big difference in the long run.

 

Go BOLD With Patterns

Last on the list is to go bold with your pattern choices. The goal is to keep your kitchen minimal, bright, and fresh while also adding in new patterns and designs to liven it up. Start by swapping out your rug, bar stools, or wall art for something funky and eclectic. Choose something that bright and full of color, but something that also fits your personal preference and design aesthetic. While we do want to go for crazy patterns, it’s important that you choose something that you like.  If you want to keep leaking in some pattern, try an accent wall using wallpaper, patterned table runners, or even wild dish sets. As you start getting creative with your design, you will start to find areas in your kitchen to keep adding patterns and colors as you so choose, or maybe even some funky décor or wall art to match instead.