Whether you’re redecorating, renovating, or completely remodeling your kitchen, you want it to look great, be on trend, and have the functionality that you need. And one of the best ways to restyle your kitchen is with your cabinetry. 

To achieve the kitchen of your dreams, check out these 13 kitchen cabinet design ideas for 2021. 

Kitchen Cabinet Colors

Since your kitchen cabinets are the face of your kitchen, the colors you choose have a big impact on the look and feel of the space. Luckily, 2021 is the year of color. It all depends on what you’re trying to achieve. 

For a light and open feel or to make a small kitchen feel bigger, go with lighter colors. The classics - white and cream - are still a great option that can be dressed up with hardware. Otherwise, try a pastel, like light blue, pink, yellow, or mint. 

For a bold look, opt for a more vibrant or darker color. If you want to show personality, this is the way to do it. Orange or sage is a good middle ground, or you can opt for a deep royal blue, dark navy blue, or bold black. 

Ranking in importance with the color of your cabinetry is the hardware you choose. There are a few different ways to play with hardware in 2021. The tried-and-true metal options are still in season, with brass, brushed gold, copper, and rose gold among the most popular choices. 

Another option is to go hardware-free. Using cabinetry with built-in handles can be a great way to save precious inches in your kitchen and keep your kitchen profile unique. You could also mix hardware with hardware-free cabinetry for a modern approach. 

13 Design Ideas to Inspire Your Kitchen

1. The Minimalist 

A popular trend in 2021 kitchens is to choose your cabinetry based on certain inspirations. To achieve a minimalist kitchen, go with cabinets that are light in color and that have clean lines. Minimalism is all about simplicity, so hardware-free cabinetry or simple hardware is a good pairing. 

2. Modern Art Inspired

Have a piece of art that you just love? Design your kitchen around it. Choose cabinet colors that complement the piece. You could even choose hardware with lines that echo the design of the piece. 

3. Belgian Inspired

For a twist on rustic, traditional farmhouse-style kitchens, many homeowners are taking inspiration from Belgium. With a cooler color palette creating a calming atmosphere, it could be exactly what your hectic household needs. 

4. French Country 

Shades of gray, white and blue that have been slightly distressed will be exactly what your kitchen needs to achieve a French countryside look. For example, if you have a rustically distressed gray island, choose a shade that falls in the blue family. 

5. Beachy Vibes 

If you can’t help but feel the call of the ocean, opt for the vintage charm of a beachy kitchen. Using plank cabinets with painted hinges and black hardware is a sure-fire way to achieve the aesthetic. Top it off with scrubbed oak floors to complete the look. 

6. Unique Wood Elements

Adding natural wood elements to your kitchen is a great way to add warmth and life while still adding some personality. Choosing a white-washed, weather, or distressed wood can give you rustic charm. A solid wood, stained pine, or wire-brushed oak adds a touch of class. For a wood element that doubles as a statement piece, try a wooden fencing or reclaimed wood cabinet face. 

7. Open Shelving

Open any home decor magazine and you’ll see some amount of open shelving. It’s an excellent way to show off your kitchenware and an easy way to add some character to your otherwise boring cabinetry. You can achieve an open shelving look with floating shelves, shelves built into the island, or floating cubbies. However, if you want a little more containment for your goods, dry a display cabinet or a skirted cabinet, which allows you to cover the occasional mess without sacrificing the functionality of open shelving. 

8. Fun Cabinet Faces

Aside from the color you choose for your cabinet faces, there are unique finishes that can accentuate the look and feel of your kitchen. For a traditional or neutral look, go for a shaker cabinet. For an ultra-modern vibe, try a glossy or lacquered finish. For something a little extra, check out the grooved or textured cabinet faces available. If you want something really interesting, try a porthole cabinet. It’s exactly what it sounds like - a cabinet with a porthole in it!

9. Metal Elements

Metallics are back in style, especially in the kitchen. If you want to look really on-trend, add some metal elements in your kitchen upgrade. You could go all-in with metal cabinet faces or you could be a little more subtle and use a metal-grate cabinet, which allows you to have the touch of metal in a way that isn’t overwhelming or difficult to clean. Another popular trend is to mix up the metals you choose throughout your kitchen, from your cabinet faces to your appliances to your hardware. 

10. Varying Heights

Cabinetry is soaring to new heights in 2021 with height being one of the big trends. Cabinets are reaching all the way to the ceiling in a variety of ways. Floating cabinets and raised cabinets are a good way to get some height on your cabinets. You could also try extending your top cabinets to the ceiling or using a triple-tier set. It’ll make your ceilings appear taller and your kitchen bigger. 

11. Corner Cabinets

So often we forget the corners of our kitchen, but your corner cabinetry is breaking out as another 2021 trend. Design experts recommend dedicating one corner of your kitchen exclusively to cabinetry. And while you might remember the bottom corner cabinetry, don’t forget the top corner cabinetry, too! 

12. Cabinet Free

Surprisingly, one of the biggest 2021 trends in cabinetry is non-cabinets. We are seeing more ways to use non-traditional structures and placements of cabinets that go against what we traditionally think of cabinetry. For a small kitchen, try using furniture that you can move instead of adding built-in cabinetry. It’ll allow for more flexibility in kitchen layout. You can also take advantage of wasted wall space by adding stand-alone cabinetry. 

13. Glass Elements

Continuing the theme of natural elements in the kitchen is the 2021 trend of glass elements. You can accomplish this easily by opting for glass doors on your cabinetry. You can combine this trend with the open shelving trend by choosing display shelves or you can give your dishes a little more privacy with opaque glass doors. 

3 Cabinet Styles To Choose 

#1 Double-Duty Cabinetry

In 2021, we are expecting even more from our cabinetry. We want it to also pull double-duty. One way we are seeing cabinetry pull double-duty is using a cabinet face to hide appliances, like refrigerators or dishwashers. We’re also seeing sets of drawers masquerading as cabinets by using a cabinet face to hide the drawers. It’s an excellent way to preserve continuity in your kitchen design without losing functionality. 

#2 Flowing Cabinetry

A big concern in 2021 is the flow of your kitchen. Do you want it to feel cohesive and connected? Then use matching cabinet faces, as opposed to the two-tone trend we’re seeing in colors. You can also use decorative trim along the top of your cabinets to help them feel more integrated with each other. You might also consider having the interior of your cabinets painted to match the outside. That way if someone leaves a door open, it doesn’t break the flow of color throughout your kitchen. 

#3 Integrated Cabinetry

While open shelving and non-cabinetry are gaining popularity, integrated cabinetry is still a big contender in the 2021 kitchen trends. Building cabinets into your island is an efficient use of space. It’s also another argument for using cabinets to hide your appliances. You might also consider sliding cabinetry, an integration that requires detailed planning but can improve the functionality of your kitchen tremendously. 

Are you inspired to redesign your kitchen cabinets? Try our Kitchen Design Tool for free!