Kitchen is one of the most used spaces of the house. It’s a place that kick-starts your mornings with a cup of tea/coffee and ends your days with sweet dessert trips. However, the kitchen can often turn out to be the most ignored space when it comes to design.
Many interior design firms focus a great deal on living room and bedroom designs and decor. But they do not give kitchen the same kind of attention. However, we feel that kitchen is the workhorse of your house. Hence it deserves special attention in your home decor plans.

With the ongoing COVID pandemic, the home decor industry has also taken a hit. But that doesn’t mean that 2020 hasn’t seen any new trends emerge. Contrary to that, there have been some very interesting kitchen design trends that have dominated 2020 so far. Let’s take a look at them.
- Smart Kitchens
With everything going digital, how could kitchen decors be left behind? Yes, digital has permeated kitchen decors and has dominated 2020. We have witnessed a lot of smart kitchens being planned and designed during the year. The kind of technologies that these kitchens boast of is just amazing. The motion sensing lights are a thing of the past! These days, smart kitchens are laced with smart refrigerators that can alert the owners when they are running low on certain grocery items. There are gadgets that can alert you to the possibility of certain perishable goods going bad.

Kitchens that integrate technology to make life of the home owners simple are definitely one trend that will just grow beyond 2020.
- Contrasting Cabinet Colors
There was a time when most of the homeowners preferred white in their kitchen decor design. But finally, the dark colors seem to have taken over.
In 2020, we have started witnessing a lot more experimentation with kitchen cabinet colors. People’s preferences have been slowly shifting to cabinets that have a contrast of light and dark color shades. Such combinations are making the kitchens look sophisticated and differentiate themselves in the overall floor plan.
- Symmetrical Designs
2020 also gave rise to kitchen designs that were symmetrical and more streamlined. We all know that 2020 has been quite a chaotic year. People have struggled with a lot of uncertainties. Symmetrical designs create a sense of stability. They look clutter free and keep the entire space stress free. This is probably why the preference for symmetrical kitchen layouts has increased.
Another reason for this trend picking up steam is its simplicity. People want to have a kitchen that does not overwhelm them. Symmetrical designs are great at this. The simplicity of such kitchens makes them a warm and comforting space.
- Change in Countertops
People have slowly started shifting towards countertops that are highly sustainable yet beautiful. The marble countertops that were commonly used always carried the risk of staining, especially in case of Indian food. This would add to the cleaning task of the owners. It would also require them to buy special products for stain removal.
Now people want a beautiful looking countertop without all the stain removal effort. Hence, we see them choosing kitchen counters made of nano glass or other stain free material.

- Compact Storage
A kitchen always needs a good storage space. In some houses, there is a separate walk-in pantry created just for storage. But what if you don’t have that kind of space available? The solution is creating a compact cabinetry that can take care of storage requirements.
In 2020, we have seen a lot of designs where the space in the kitchen is not wasted and some or the other kind of compact storage is created. Designers are getting more creative with how to open up space in the kitchen without compromising on the storage capacity.
- Experimentation with Lights
We have already seen how technology is getting more closely integrated with kitchen designs. Similarly, the art of lights is also making its place known in kitchens.
2020 saw a lot more customers wanting to try out different types of lights in their kitchen, especially over the dining space or breakfast counter. There are have been installations of antique chandeliers, silver tipped bulbs, and even colorful LED lights to jazz up the whole place.

People and designers have really started dipping into the potential of lighting to change the overall feel of kitchen space in 2020.
- Hot Water Plumbing
Now this may seem quite odd here, but yes people have started making more and more demands for hot water facilities in the kitchen.
During 2020, a record number of people are working from home. They have struggled with keeping the boundaries of work and personal life. The video call fatigue has crept in. In all of this, a quick cup of tea or coffee seems like a much-needed luxury that they want between video calls.
Having a quick hot water faucet in the kitchen is only making their life easy and removing the stress from making quick refreshments.
- Ergonomic Kitchen Tables
There was a time when people were highly focused on aesthetics of a kitchen table. It could be a high table with high chairs or a very narrow one with very limited space available. All of it was acceptable as long as it looked beautiful.
But now that homes have been transformed to offices and kitchen tables have been transformed to makeshift work desks, comfort and ergonomics have taken over.

People have realized that they need to prioritize ergonomics over beauty when it comes to kitchen tables because they would end up spending long hours over there.
- Curved Designs
Flat and sharp designs have made way for more curved designs in the kitchen. Layouts that have soft curves are known to take off the edge from the kitchen. During 2020, people started staying indoors and even started cooking more. They unknowingly were creating a stressful place for themselves.
Curved kitchen designs take away this stress by making the place look more subtle to the eye. The sharp angles and geometrically perfect corners may not be able to do this. Hence, a lot of people are opting for curved kitchen designs.
- Industrial Design Vibes
If there is one kitchen design trend from 2020 that has really seemed like a curveball to home decor teams, then it is this one. It can be hard to explain why this trend emerged in 2020. But yes, it has been growing steadily.
Throughout the year, we have seen more and more people opting for kitchen accessories and fittings that have an industrial vibe to them. They may opt for brass faucets or brass cabinet handles or even a run-down looking storage space. There have been instances when these rustic looks can have been blended with chic modern designs to create awe inspiring looks.
The industrial accessories have also given home decor specialists to really push the envelope of kitchen designs and challenge the traditional design norms.
Customize Your Kitchen for Your Needs
While these design trends can guide your kitchen renovation plans, they should not be copied blindly. Each kitchen has its own space and feel. What is also important in a kitchen is functionality and flexibility.
To know how you can renovate your kitchen to as per the latest trends, you can have a free consultation with our kitchen decor experts by clicking here. They can analyze your current kitchen space and then recommend what would work best for you.