Kitchen Design Trends for 2026

Short answer: clients are asking for more dedicated storage (larders and utility spaces taking pressure off the main kitchen), induction over gas, warmer and more textured materials than the all-white, all-gloss look of a few years ago, and layouts that work harder for everyday life rather than just looking good in a photo.

Dedicated storage over bigger kitchens

Rather than simply making the kitchen itself larger, a lot of current requests are for a separate larder or utility space that takes small appliances, bulk food storage and laundry out of the main room. It keeps the kitchen itself calmer and more usable day to day, and it's a natural fit for a lot of the rear and side extension layouts we build.

Induction is now the default question, not gas

Where a few years ago the question was whether to switch from gas to induction, most current kitchen briefs start from induction as the assumption, with gas only coming up for clients who specifically want to keep it. It's a straightforward specification change, but it does need the right electrical supply factored in early — something our kitchen installation team checks at the design stage, alongside your electrical requirements.

Warmer materials, less uniform gloss

Textured and matte finishes, warmer wood tones, and mixing two or three materials rather than one uniform colour scheme are showing up far more than the flat, high-gloss white kitchens that dominated for years. It's a durability question as much as a style one — textured and matte surfaces show fingerprints and everyday wear less than gloss.

Layouts built around how the kitchen is actually used

More requests are for a layout shaped around genuine daily use — a proper landing spot for shopping bags and post near the door, sockets placed for where appliances actually sit rather than where a plan looks tidiest, and enough clear worktop near the hob and sink that two people can cook at once. It's a shift towards kitchens designed from how a household actually moves through the space, rather than from a showroom layout.

Planning a kitchen project

Whether you're refitting an existing kitchen or designing one as part of a wider extension, our kitchen renovation cost guide sets out what affects the price, and our team can talk through layout options at survey stage.

Costs vary by property, specification, access and location, and change over time. The figures here are general guidance for typical UK projects at the time of publication, not a quotation. For an accurate cost for your own project, request a written, itemised quote.