1. CUSTOMIZED DETAILS
Although Shaker kitchens can absolutely be customized according to individual design preferences, the updates can only go so far without straying from the standby style. Annie Downing, interior designer and founder of Austin, Texas-based Annie Downing Interiors, says these limitations have discouraged her clients from opting for Shaker-style kitchens.
2. MORE CONTEMPORARY CABINETRY
Kyle O'Donnell and Christopher Sale, principal designer and senior project manager at New York City-based Gramercy Design, agree that more contemporary styles are on the rise – either replacing Shaker altogether or building upon the traditional style.
3. ADDED ON MOLDING
'Shaker kitchens will be forever timeless kitchen designs and will outlive me in terms of style and classical design, but we are starting to see a shift in the market. From our perspective, this is being driven purely by cost as shaker cabinets are expensive,' says Richard Davonport, managing director at Davonport, a bespoke luxury kitchen company based in the UK.
4. PAINT AND STAIN
While Shaker tends to keep it simple, designers are seeing more dynamics on the color front, too. Shaker kitchens can absolutely incorporate color, but tend to stray away from detailed finishes. Now, wooden cabinets and depth-forward combinations seem to be on the rise, says Elizabeth Krueger, principal designer of Elizabeth Krueger Design.
5. NATURAL WOOD DETAILS
Kitchen styles featuring exposed wood finishes are also on the rise, says Alexandra Denburg, principal designer at M&P Design Group. Though Alexandra says 'nothing will ever fully replace a Shaker-style cabinet door,' she's seeing flat-front doors in kitchens with natural wood detailing.
6. UPDATED HARDWARE
Audrey Scheck, interior designer and founder of Audrey Scheck Design, agrees with the group, saying she expects 'flat panel, beadboard and inset cabinet fronts' to crop up more in 2024. But beyond the cabinets themselves, Audrey says major updates will come in the form of hardware.