3 Trendy Kitchen Cabinet Updates For 2025

You’ve heard it time and again — kitchens are the heart of the home, a place for loved ones to gather and share a meal. They also have a major impact on resale value. For these reasons (and countless others), it’s no surprise that homeowners put a lot of thought into their kitchen renovations.

At some point, however, it’s time to stop pulling inspiration from all over the internet  and make your renovation decisions. There are a lot of blogs out there that claim to know what’s trendy, but trends aside, what are people actually doing to their kitchens?

Thanks to a recent study from leading home improvement and design website Houzz, there are now data-driven insights into what over 1,600 homeowners are actually choosing for their kitchen renovations right now. When it comes to kitchen cabinets, three trends topped the rest: brushed nickel hardware, shaker-style cabinets, and bar pulls. What do these three trends have in common? They’re classic, functional, and effortlessly stylish.0:00

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“Homeowners and designers are gravitating toward these elements because they’re the perfect balance between timeless and modern, which makes them easy to incorporate into a variety of design styles,” explains Ali Bryde, founder of MSB Interior Design. “Each of these choices also reflect a movement toward design longevity, where homeowners and designers prioritize styles that won’t feel dated in a few years.” Layering in color, lighting, and decor also help keep them feeling fresh over time.

Brushed Nickel Hardware

Leading the charge by 12 percentage points over black hardware, 31% of homeowners are choosing brushed nickel more than any other type of hardware in 2025. According to Cass Thurston, founder of her namesake interior design firm, this is because “it’s a softer, more subtle finish that works beautifully with a variety of colors and wood tones.” Stephanie Brown, cofounder of Saint Louise Design, agrees, recommending pairing it with black, brass, and even its shinier sister, polished nickel.“It’s our go-to hardware finish [with clients], especially for families, because it disguises fingerprints and water spots like a pro,” Brown adds. “It’s the ultimate workhorse while still feeling timeless.”

Shaker-Style Cabinets

While designers have said classic shaker cabinets are an outgoing trend in recent years, a surprising number of those surveyed are fans. A whopping majority, 61%, of homeowners expressed that they had chosen shaker-style cabinets for their kitchen renovation. (The runner-up, flat-panel cabinets, secured only 22% of the vote.) “It adds subtle dimension while maintaining simplicity, allowing us to incorporate other interesting design elements without overwhelming the space,” says Charlotte Sardet, lead designer and founder of CSH Greenwich Advisory.In addition to the versatility, Thurston loves that you can “customize the look by adjusting the panel’s thickness or playing with the panel depth.” In one home, she used a slimmer panel depth paired with a classic-size frame to keep things fresh while staying true to that timeless appeal. (On Sardet’s “bucket list” is doing a minimalist cabinet design with crown molding as the frame.

Bar Pulls

Bar pulls are being used in 75% of homeowners’ kitchen renovations. Part of the reason, Sardet explains, is because they offer a minimalist aesthetic while adding character, depending on the size and finish you choose.Sardet adds that they’re especially effective for wide drawers, as they evenly distribute the pulling force across the entire length. “This prevents strain on the drawer, unlike using two smaller pulls, where users often grab only one handle, potentially causing damage over time,” she says.“They can also be used on cabinet doors to make the hardware more of a design statement,” Thurston adds. “I personally like to mix it up by using a combination of pulls and knobs — it adds more visual interest and keeps the kitchen from feeling too uniform.”

We hope you find this article helpful. It can get really overwhelming to make a final decision when it comes to kitchen renovations. So often, we get caught up in what designers are saying is trendy, but do these statements really reflect what’s popular? If you’re selling your home, this point is especially important. When people walk into your home’s hub, the kitchen, you want them to feel comfortable. An unpopular design can be a real turn off to prospective buyers.

But let’s say you aren’t selling your home. In this case, we always recommend you choose what you love. After all, you and you and your family need to love it to enjoy living with it.

If you need help discovering whether you’re a candidate for refinishing, a money saving alternative to a total cabinet replacement that will have your kitchen looking brand new, give us a call at Greenville Refinishing.

We service upstate South Carolina. We will come to your home and provide you with a direct quote for the job, unlike our competitors who provide estimates that can fluctuate. Give us a call today!

864-252-5106

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