A timeless kitchen is one that will meet your standards and last for years to come while maintaining function and design. The main timeless features in a kitchen to look at are flooring, countertops, cabinets, hardware, backsplash, and layout.
What is Timeless Kitchen Design? Timeless refers to classic design choices that are simple, subtle, understated, and can adapt and withstand the ever-changing styles of interior design. “Light, white, and simple. Nothing over the top – something that will appeal to most people.” – Darien Wilson, Deslaurier Designer.
Arguably, the most timeless kitchen cabinet color is white. Bright white cabinets suit a variety of beautiful kitchens, including modern, contemporary, and farmhouse styles. Brilliant whites work to give kitchens a light and airy feel, and off-white options, like the White Dove shade, provides warmth.
"A white kitchen is a forever trend that has stood the test of time," says Heather Fujikawa, owner and principal designer at House Sprucing. "It's fresh, clean, and updated, and it gives you flexibility to change out your décor or furnishings to create a new look without having to renovate the bones of your kitchen."
One of the easiest ways to create a timeless aesthetic in your kitchen is by incorporating décor that is emblematic of kitchens throughout the decades. This includes everyday accessories like wooden cutting boards, copper pots and pans, and classic dishware, glassware, and silverware.
Pick Classic, Neutral Colors
Quartz can be a single consistent color or feature the looks of beloved white marble and other soft natural stone patterns. When choosing a quartz countertop that's designed to last through the decades, stick with neutrals like beiges, grays, off-whites, and bright whites.
All-White Kitchens
For the past decade, we've been seeing white walls, white tile, and Carrera marble. People are tired of these muted palettes, and designers are bringing in color— which we love.” Most designers also agree that white-on-white kitchens will look dated in 2023. So what color will be the new white?
Tiny Backsplashes
Skinny backsplashes are out of style, we are happy to report. A ceramic tile or glass backsplash that stretches from counter to cabinets is much easier to keep clean, and is more likely to catch spills and splatters. What's even better than a sizable tiled backsplash?
It is a simple, clean, and elegant way to update your kitchen without having to do a complete remodel. A timeless backsplash can be made from a variety of materials, including natural stone like marble or slate, glass, or even metal.
White. Few paint colors stand the test of time quite like white. "Honestly, the only color in my opinion that will never go out of style—in the sense that you can never really pinpoint when it was done—is white cabinets," says Shaolin Low, principal and founder of Studio Shaolin.
The Kitchen Color That Increases Value
Instead of a red kitchen, try white. White brings a fresh, bright palette to the kitchen and is the most attractive for potential homeowners.
"Generally, going with neutral colors like shades of white, beige, taupe, and grays lead to a faster sale," she shares. "Neutral colors are also more appealing to potential buyers because many want the creative freedom of a blank canvas to add their personal touches to when looking for a new place to call home.
Colours such as creams and beiges can make a kitchen look elegant and expensive. If your kitchen is modern, you can use dark colours, such as blacks and greys, which can make it look lavish and extravagant. White reflects light and makes the space look bigger, so complement white with some wood and metallic highlights.
Using natural elements in your design choices will lead to a longer staying power, so think wood floors and beams, stone, brick, marble countertops, etc. For fabrics, look for cotton and linen. Elements that pull from nature tend to have a more timeless look.
Slate, soapstone, and honed granite are timeless materials for countertop and backsplash, for houses of almost any period. This marble look-alike surface material from Okite is a compound of natural quartz and resin, which complements this period-style kitchen.
However, the 2023 trend is using stone tiles to add texture and style to your kitchen. Whether you decide to use tiles with a weathered finish or ones that have an acid-wash look, your kitchen backsplash will be spectacular with stone tiles.
Install a backsplash with strong horizontal lines, like shiplap or subway tile laid in a bond pattern. Those horizontal lines make the kitchen feel wider than it really is.
The most popular kitchen backsplash trends for 2023 are going to be bold, bright and colorful. You can choose from a variety of colors such as green, brown, blue, red and yellow but make sure you pick a color that complements the rest of your kitchen's decor.
The design should be used to balance out the light and dark shades of the other elements, so if you have light cabinets and countertops, you may want to choose a dark backsplash to bring more depth to the kitchen. If you have very dark cabinets or countertops, a light backsplash will help the kitchen feel fresh.
'2023 is a year when we'll see a lot more blending of different finishes in the kitchen, from brass to bronze, to stainless steel and nickel to many other options,' Richard says. 'Our recommendation is to stick with two or three metal finishes to keep a cohesive look throughout, while also working to a 70/30 ratio.
Interior designer Rudolph Diesel expects granite to fall out of favor when designing kitchens in 2023. "The standard for the last 30 years, granite is finally falling out of favor for more unconventional finishes such as quartzite and porcelain that are set to take kitchen design by storm in 2023," Diesel said.
WHITE KITCHEN CABINET COLORS
White kitchens aren't going anywhere in 2023! A white kitchen continues to be a timeless classic design that never truly goes 'out of style'.