There’s nothing quite as exciting as pulling together ideas for your dream kitchen. That’s because you don’t need to wield the meal prep skills of Jamie Oliver or the interior design eye of Bobby Berk to appreciate the beauty of a nice kitchen. However, with so many styles, colour schemes, worktops, appliances and finishes to choose from, deciding exactly how you’re going to elevate the look and feel of the most popular room in your home can be a tad tricky.
The question is: where do you go to find, save and share your kitchen inspiration? Well, for more and more people, the answer is Instagram.
From close-up shots of delightful details to wide-angle views of elegantly designed spaces, Instagram has become that scrollable bible for those wanting to breathe fresh life into their kitchen. Welcome to the beautiful world of home inspiration. And to help you use these squares to bring your own dream kitchen to life, we researched the most popular hashtags to find the trends and styles taking over Instagram right now.
From colour palettes to cabinetry, layouts to flooring, here are the Instagram trends to follow:
Top Trending Colour: Navy Blue
Every detail in your kitchen will make a difference to the aesthetic in one way or another, but nothing will have a bigger impact on the overall appearance than the colour of your cabinets. The aim is to choose a colour scheme that is able to reflect your home, your vibe, your outlook, your family’s personality and, amongst it all, a sense of timeless charm. That’s what colour does — and so it depends entirely on your personal preference. That said, there is one clear winner when it comes to colour trends and that is blue.
Of course, part of us expected this. Deep, rich and inviting, navy kitchens ooze this sense of class and sophistication, adding a deeply stylish vibe to any home. Yet it also feels bold and creative, giving your space an added depth, balance and dramatic edge. That said, while dark blues are enjoying a real surge of popularity, there also seems to be a real surge for bolder hues, especially greens, especially amongst celebrities and influencers.
Top Trending Cabinets: Shaker-Style
Every room has its own understated centrepiece, and when it comes to the kitchen, that centrepiece is your cabinetry. Regardless of your kitchen layout, whether it is open-plan with an island or a simple galley-style space, the cabinetry is where your sense of character and charm will radiate from — and the most popular choice of them all is the Shaker-style cabinet.
In fact, a quick search on Instagram shows over 85,000 posts under #shakerkitchen and 82,000 under #shakercabinets, making this classic, simple, versatile and timeless kitchen-cabinet a very clear favourite — and a lot of that has to do with its functionality.
That has always been the leading philosophy behind the design of every Shaker kitchen. They are handcrafted to your kitchen personality, giving everything a place to be stored and accessed easily and efficiently. No unnecessary details or motifs, and instead they focus on three main pillars: functionality, durability and simplicity, making them a great fit for every kind of kitchen, from farmhouse-cottages to modern townhouses.
Top Trending Flooring: Wooden Herringbone
The unsung hero of every kitchen, the kind of flooring you choose will have a huge influence on the overall look and feel of your kitchen. That’s why we asked our good friends at The Natural Wood Floor Company about the biggest trends right now. The answer: Herringbone floors. In fact, they’ve seen an increase of almost 180% in the past year, a theme that is supported by the 83,000+ Instagram posts under #herringbonefloor.
In terms of the most popular wood, oak is the clear winner thanks to its warm, rustic beauty adding a real sense of dramatic flair to any kitchen. That said, it’s the layout of herringbone flooring that makes it so popular, the subtle yet striking pattern creating a new layer of interest and appeal no matter what kind of home you are creating.
Top Trending Layout: Island Kitchen
Arguably the most important factor to consider when designing your new kitchen is the layout. From the simple, effective and space-saving layout of a one-wall kitchen to the practicality and versatility of an L-shaped space, there are so many options to choose from. However, in the race for top trending layout, the pretty and practical galley-style kitchen was just pipped to the posts by the island kitchen.
More than just the centrepiece to your open-plan kitchen, islands allow you to utilise your kitchen in every way imaginable: as a place to cook, somewhere to work from home and, at the top of the list, as a social area where your friends and family will gravitate throughout the day. And because they’re almost-always placed in the heart of your kitchen, people are using them to get creative with everything from their colour schemes to their lighting.
Top Trending Worktop: Granite
While wooden worktops are enjoying a real surge in popularity, granite worktops are still the most popular choice among homeowners, and we can completely understand why. Not only do granite worktops add a serious sense of charm and sophistication, but they also make kitchens feel more light and bright, which is something to consider, especially if you still want your kitchen to be your go-to space in the colder months.
Of course, that’s not the only reason these worktops are trending. From being consistently trendy to exceptionally durable and surprisingly affordable, these worktops are incredibly easy to maintain for a long, long time.
As for the top trending colours, those belong to the lighter options: the whites and greys reigning supreme as you scroll down Instagram. Of course, you’ll probably want to explore this worktop with your own eyes and hands before you decide on which colour. So why not pop into one of our dreamy showrooms and explore our range of worktops — and other details — for yourself.
For more information on the best kitchen layouts for your space, we have a virtual kitchen design service to help you plan your dream home. And for more kitchen designs and cooking inspiration, follow us on Instagram and Facebook — or come and visit us at one of our kitchen showrooms.