Chiefy76 posted the following link that shows percentages of what is being used so Cherry may be now used less but it is still being used a lot.

Sorry about the above name of the link looking funny but it seems that apostrophes and quotes end up looking funny when the post is submitted so I will try to take these symbols out of my posts.

Here is a link that might be useful: NKBA Releases Kitchen Design Trends with percentages

Like everything else that has to do with style and trends, unless you live in LA or New York, you probably won't notice any changes, right away. Most of the white kitchens with marble countertops aren't even seen in our area...only in magazines and the GW.

In my opinion, if you love something, do it! Good cabinetry can always be repainted or refinished, as fads change, and if you ever sell, the new owners will probably want to replace your countertops...no matter what you choose.

That being said, do what makes you happy and use these articles for ideas and inspiration. That's what they're for (IMHO) to help you create the kitchen that will be right, for you and your family :)

I agree with SOME of what the article points out EXCEPT that I think creamy white cabinetry is classic and isn't OUT! Agree with you lavender...where I live, no one has marble countertops or soapstone. Most people haven't even heard of soapstone....I am going to enjoy my kitchen now because in 10 years, it will be out! I will probably still like it though,..:o)
capegirl

When we bought our home 20 years ago, it had a beautiful custom cherry kitchen. But in a few short years, white kitchens became popular, making it difficult for me to choose new countertops and flooring because I couldn't find any cherry kitchen models to emulate. Then they became stylish again. If you just wait long enough, everything will come back in style again. Hmmmm. But now they are going out??? Before I have time to get new granite countertops?? What to do? What to do?

diggininthedirt, don't worry since the 2nd link I posted said that Cherry is now only 71% of the market while Maple is 76% so maybe they think since it lessened in popularity it is on its way out but to me that percentage means it is still very popular.

Capegirl05, I agree that creamy white cabinetry is classic and isn't OUT or so many people on this forum would not be updating their kitchens with creamy white cabinetry!

I guess it is like very fad pants when they say it is IN and the skinny pants is out but many of us still like the skinny pants since they do not have to be hemmed for short people so it came immediately back in the next year since it was truly never out of style.

I don't think this indicates much in or out, really. They are talking about trends of a few percentage points.

Off white is out, but bone is in? What's the difference?

And why are these trends completely different, and often opposite, from the NKBA kitchen trends published in May?

Final question, how dumb do they think the readers of these things are?

Marcolo, I agree that is ridiculous! I am starting to think it is OK to read what they want the trends to be but look around you and see what people are really doing and how you feel about the decorating since styles come and go so quickly but I really feel Cherry and Classic white kitchens are here to stay and they are so wrong!

I fell in love with natural cherry shaker cabinets shortly after I started seriously planning for a new kitchen, about 10 years ago. I knew then that if I could afford them, that's what we would have, and I didn't know nor did I care if they were 'in' or not. Now that they're finally in, I still love them. I love watching them change over time, becoming darker and richer in color. If they're on the way 'out' that's fine. They'll be back, and in the meantime, I can smile every time I walk into my kitchen and see that they've changed color yet again.
:-)

Cj

I have had to answer these surveys.

It asks thinks like "Did you specify cherry cabinets this year?" and you answer yes or no. "Did you specify brushed nickel faucets this year" etc.

The questions as I read them asked about specific things in isolation. The cherry kitchen I did was off white and green painted but the wood was cherry. The maple kitchen I did had a cherry finish.

Maple may be taking over because it is cheaper than cherry.The shade of white may be shifting.

Doorstyles may be shifting because certain doorstyles are less expensive to produce.

If you look at the data, it appears that ALL forms of bathroom sinks increased...undermount, vessel, integral and drop in

They compile the data based on whether "yes" you specified something or "no" you didn't, but this while reflecting an overall trend of what may be selling a bit more this season, hardly tells the story of a whole kitchen.

Exactly. I'm not doubting that trends change. I'm ridiculing this particular attempt at measuring them.

"More solid surface" can mean tastes are swinging from granite to Corian. Or maybe there's popular new solid surface product this year. Or maybe fewer people are doing high end kitchens, so more of the renos involve solid surface. Oops, I guess this list actually tells you nothing.

The May article talked about espresso finishes being new and trendy. Sorry but there's nothing more dot.com-dated than espresso unless it's an Aero chair. In fact, I've recently seen several case good items that have actually discontinued espresso finishes, and even West Elm--high temple of espresso--no longer shows much in that look. Not to say you can't still do a very nice espresso kitchen today, but obviously whoever reported that trend was just reading entrails and making a bad guess.

Bone is a darker, yellower cream color than "off white". Think of a banana's barely ripe flesh vs. the slightly off white of coffee cream.

The current design trends don't have so much to do with materials as style. Simple and less ornate is now the hottest trend. "Coastal modern" or "Zen transitional" or any other dozen created buzzword styles. Of course, flat out industrial modern has never been out of style, but it has hardly been the "in" thing either. The common denominator is less ornamentation and more emphasis on function as style not as an element to be disguised. One only has to look at the thread on the "Tuscan" kitchen to see how the ornamentation of a more flush economic era suddenly just looks out of style. With a down economy, you've got budget chic and sleek being celebrated, even if the kitchen has the 8K range and 12K refrigerator!

You've also got "traditional" styling ready and on the brink to make a strong comeback. You're already seeing brass fixtures instead of ORB, and burgundy woods like mahogany or cherry instead of java and espresso. Greens have been big for a while, and we've gone from apple, to olive, and now the old favorite classic dark green is next, but with a bit more yellow hint than the old slightly blue hunter green.

Everything old is new again! Or else the economy would collapse from a lack of consumerism. LOL!

I know I would love either cherry cabinets in my kitchen that I feel would look great with my big light tile floors next to my Brazilian Cherry floor to tile the open kitchen in with my family room. Or I would like an off-white kitchen to brighten up my kitchen since I have only the sliding door in my kitchen with no other windows. Then again, I also like Maple kitchen cabinets and quarter saw oak and many other woods. I am just tired of my oak cabinets that are veneered and builder grade. I have a cabinet guy coming tomorrow to see what new doors on my cabinets would cost or to paint them and to see what his company would charge to install my tiles that I have fallen in love with. I will stop worrying what is in and out as long as it is not really out and outdated. But then again even wall paper has come back!

where these kinds of articles leave off is in "all-over" design principles. Glance thru some issues of Dwell magazine , for instance and see what real people are doing with energing properties, neighborhoods and improving and changing their lives in terms of design. I really think,modesty and restraint but efficiency and integration will HAVE to be the forward trend-the kitchen design industry may not find this something to discuss because it means, many people can research and do quite a bit on a lower budget in such a way that the space is enduring and no longer needs to be changed "with trends".

GW isn't the real world. Only about 5% of real world people really think about their kitchens, and I think they all wind up here. The average GW poster has a demographic much different than most average real world kitchen renovators. They may not be in the 95% percentile, but you can bet they are in the 80% and above. There are participants who don't fit that mold certainly, like us poor working class KD's, but for the most part, the average GW poster represents very little of the "average joe" renovators. GW tastes aren't McDonald's Value Meals. Or fast food at all. Even the budget folks who come here want farm sinks and stainless steel appliances.

The vast majority of kitchen renos are exactly like a Value Meal. You've got your choice of 10 combinations, all with a certain similarity, all given to you with the lack of creativity and quality that fast food demands, and very little of the food having any resemblence to your grandmother's hamburger that you used to eat when you were a kid.

GW people are sit down dining people, even if it's a Mom and Pop diner rather than a 3 star white tablecloth place. They want better quality and better results, even if it's on a budget. They wouldn't be here otherwise. Trends among this group are skewed, and not representative of diners as a whole.

Hollysprings, I feel you are so right that GW members are not typical. When I saw my neighbor's kitchen, he did not even know the name of the tile he used in his kitchen or the grout color or the size. He just picked it out in the store and did not even bring a sample home. I printed information for him about the ILVA tile he had that was Rectified and had a PEI rating of 5 since I bought the tile myself liking it so much. My friends do not understand why I spend so much time trying to change my kitchen but I am part of GW and we all care about the kitchen we cook in and see each day. It matters to us and we take pride in our kitchens and like them to represent our taste. But I am so used to looking at the beautiful kitchens on the Kitchen Forum and feeling this is the real world. I value the opinion of those on this list more than my friends that do not care that much about kitchens. I feel blessed I found this site.

When I found this kitchen site I was looking for a refrigerator and I wish I found this site a year earlier and had been looking at pictures and learning since I would have paid more for a counter depth French Door that did not stick out so much and that I could reach the back of. My refrigerator has wasted space since my arms are too short to reach the back. I learned a lot and my next two appliances are what I wanted learning from this list. But I do love the Stainless Steel look and I love how slowly my kitchen is coming out so when I look at it I am happier and when I cook in it I feel blessed to have appliances that work so well.

Not surprised at some of the trends, especially when they can be tied to the economy. Maple is definitely cheaper than cherry. I would have gone maple too, but my cabinet maker offered cherry for the same price, so it was a no-brainer.

The wine storage is in the same boat. When I was designing my kitchen, the wine refrigerator was the lowest appliance on the totem pole and would have been the first thing cut if the budget didn't allow it. But, I still designed for it with the thought that if I had to cut it, I could add it later. The spot would still be used used for wine storage, even if only a rack.

With the price of LED coming down quite a bit, it's no surprise that CFL is falling fast. I remembered when those Cree retrofits were first offered at HD for $50 and it was touted as a bargain. I recently saw them for $25 at HD.

Generally speaking, I think if you weight things for the economy, you might actually be getting more of the same in some cases.

Yes, we all make a wonderful together. :)

Including offering properly raised eyebrows instead of swallowing whole. Mine shot up with Shaker cabinets "gaining steam." From what? 97% (yes, I'm exaggerating a smidge).

Speaking of white kitchens, I was watching some old Mad About You episodes from 1992 and rediscovered the wonderful "old" white kitchen in their NY apartment building. Butcher block counters and gray-and-white linoleum floors. White may swing up and down a few percents, but I bet it hasn't dropped from the top 5 since paint became affordable.

As far as I'm concerned, things can be changed, so I'm going with what I like. Slate floors, grey cabs (wrestling with hubby on this one - thinks we agreed on white), and carrara countertops. I agree all this is trendy (especially in here) but to be honest, its not as far as my town goes. I can't even GET a company locally that is willing to install marble (I'm in Canada, its crazy up here). I have to go to the closest american city to get it. I'll probably tire of some of the details before it truly goes out of style (by "truly" I am picturing what an an untouched '70s kitchen looks like today) so I'll be ready for a change anyway.

Hubby doesnt agree that we might have to change the floors 15 or 20 years down the road... but we'll cross that bridge when we come to it.

I always wonder who these people are that write these articles? I imagine them living in a tiny NY loft, and rarely eating at home. I wonder??

A couple months ago I went to our local Parade of Homes and I did notice differences from what I see here on GW. The homes and the kitchens were much more modest than in years past. I'm sure the economy dictates that as these builders want to SELL these homes. No white kitchens...they were either very dark (espresso), or very light wood. More black appliances than I expected, but SS was still predominant. Quartz seemed the counter choice, but also saw granite and soapstone. No marble. Lots of laminate, too. However, not sure we are trendsetters up here in the midwest.

Some of the white kitchens posted here are so incredibly beautiful, it's hard not to love them. But most of them are starting to look the same, with no individual personality. Personally, I prefer a stained wood kitchen, but I've never been a trendsetter, probably never will be. Just my opinion, but most of the kitchens posted here are not "budget" kitchens, and in that regard maybe not the "real" world.

The percent changes for white, medium, and dark were all so small that they might well have been just noise, statistically.

OTOH there was a significant increase in the use of induction, as well as marble for cooktops. Likely to be real, not noise.

Joyce, you are spot on. I know their editorial offices used to be in NYC, on Broadway. I believe they still are.

In addition to the aforementioned bone vs. off-white, I found the following humorous: French door refrigerators are gaining steam all the while bottom freezer refrigerators are losing steam. How many FD fridges don't have a freezer on the bottom?

As a former statistics teacher, I see both reports as unrelated to remodeling trends. The numbers are all percentages of designers: how many of the designers surveyed used product A, product B, etc. during the year, not how often. None of those numbers mean product A was used x percent of the time.

Huge leap from that study to trends in actual use of materials.

I am going to leap in here and I don't want to offend...but here's the challenge for me...let me give you an analogy...I can afford a $40 bottle of wine, but I want a $15 bottle that tastes like a $40 bottle, ya know? I want to create a beautiful, functional kitchen that is moderately priced. The problem with where I am (in the Midwest) and where GW is are two different places and the ultimate challenge for me is to try to create a kitchen that is different AND within budget...with all of the builders and their suppliers, if you try to get off dead-center (ie tumbled stone, granite, frise carpet, stucco exterior...) then the price goes up. They get into doing what is comfortable and that is what you get for yout budget dollars...Suppy vs Demmand...In this build, I have not gotten everything that I want (soapstone, for example), but I feel like I have met the challenge as best as I can. And I love seeing everyone's kitchens and getting ideas, etc. My kitchen would not look like it does without GW...

As far as "trend" go, in the end, you have to choose what you like and forget about the trends...even if it costs a little bit more...

I have seen the "white cabinets are going out" predictions since 2000 when I decided on antiqued cabs for a prior home. White and off white cabinets will go out of style when 2 story farmhouse type homes go out of style, when porches go out of style, and European styled homes go out of style. But people building custom still chose those styles in a home, are they saying inside these homes are contemporary kitchens? Many newly built european stylized homes have marble or stone and white cabs and chandies, and many people are still liking these styles. These older classic styles are always supposed to be going out giving into new contemporary styled homes. The thing is they seem to outnumber the amounts of new contemporary stylized homes. At least from the outside, it would seem if youre style leaned towards contemporary you would build somthing that had a contemporary edge from the exterior looks. Maybe they have numbers to say theres a trend away from whites, but theyre classics nevertheless. Classics dont go out of style. Even the antiqued paint look in cabinet finish is still around, and I consider that a classic. Antiqued painted furniture is still popular. A centuries old tuscan villa in France just wouldnt look the same with contemporary cabs, theres room for all tastes and some homes are better suited to a touch of classic style in the kitchen. I would never let those articles sway me to go with dark cabs if I really wanted off white. Sometimes I think its just a marketing tool to get everyone to rip out their perfectly lovely kitchens to go with something new so the industry keeps business rocking.

Well I just wanted to add

If the "green" bathroom is NKBA best attempt to represent trends I'm thankful I don't follow them or their supposed trends - Ever more grateful for the friends on GW whom have greater insight into form & function.

Too many greens, fighting, competing,jarring ouch it all just hurts

jejvtr, I totally agree with you that if that "green" bathroom is what is the trend I am supposed to follow, then I will follow what I like and it seems to be the beautiful Cherry, Maple, Alder and White kitchens on this site! I am finding out that many styles are beautiful and to go with what we like. I seem to like the kitchens without the soffits like I have but there were a few that were pretty with the soffits also. My neighbor kept the soffit and amazingly it was very pretty. My other neighbor removed the soffit and it too was very pretty. So I guess it is how everything else flows in the kitchen.

jejvtr, I totally agree with you that if that "green" bathroom is what is the trend I am supposed to follow, then I will follow what I like and it seems to be the beautiful Cherry, Maple, Alder and White kitchens on this site! I am finding out that many styles are beautiful and to go with what we like. I seem to like the kitchens without the soffits like I have but there were a few that were pretty with the soffits also. My neighbor kept the soffit and amazingly it was very pretty. My other neighbor removed the soffit and it too was very pretty. So I guess it is how everything else flows in the kitchen.