by Christy Heitger-Ewing and Courtney Pope | photos by Dave Plumier and courtesy of ACo
There’s an adage that pertains to hair styles and fashion trends that says what’s old eventually cycles around and becomes new again. Judging by my teenage son’s long locks and the neighbor girl’s bellbottom jeans, I think they’re right. Trends in home décor also come and go though it really comes down to one’s taste and space. Still, if you’re interested in learning what’s hot in 2022, read on!
Carlie Suski, ACo interior designer, has had clients ask her to design rangehoods that disappear into the neighboring cabinetry. It’s a stark contrast to the days of the hood being the focal point of the room. In fact, Suski had a client who requested that she design her kitchen not to even look like a kitchen.
“She wanted all of the appliances to disappear and be paneled with no traditional cabinets,” says Suski.
For those who do love cabinets, the hot new trend is metal work – specifically mesh inserts from Kent Designs.
“We’re seeing metal stripping on hoods and shelves,” says Suski. “We can make doors out of metals, and designers are introducing mesh into cabinet doors.”
McNichols metal mesh, which is extremely high-end, and is aesthetically pleasing given the various architectural designs.
“It’s the most expensive metal I’ve seen yet, but people love it,” says Suski.
Another popular but pricey item are three-dimensional reeded cabinet doors. Essentially, you take dowel rods, cut them in half, and lay them across a flat door to create a bumpy perfectly geometric pattern.
“They’re cool because you create interesting patterns and textures with square or rounded textures,” says Suski.
Many homeowners are requesting a super high gloss lacquered finish on their cabinets.
“Our manufacturer calls it an automotive finish,” says Suski.
Natalie Gertiser, Ferguson showroom manager, says that organizing dividers within cabinets will continue to be popular accessories. Rev-A-Shelf designs all sorts of cool bells and whistles when it comes to cabinet storage.
As for countertops, Suski believes that the controlled pattern of quartz, which was once all the rage, is waning in popularity – in part because some people are simply burnt out on it.
“There’s not a lot of life to it because they all look the same,” says Suski, who believes that natural materials are always the way to go when investing in a countertop material. “A piece of natural stone is like an individual piece of art. No two will be the same. You’re literally searching for that unique one-of-a-kind piece.”
She also predicts that polished countertops are on their way out as homeowners are opting for different textures and matte, sueded, or leather finishes.
Gertiser maintains that Quartzite (the natural form of quartz) has the natural beauty of granite but offers more intricate designs and is comparable to the durability of granite.
If a homeowner wanted to create a light source that can’t be seen, he or she could install recessed strip (or tape) lights into drywall recesses. According to Gertiser, accent lighting in the kitchen is really gaining steam in 2022 as it highlights glass cabinets or anything a homeowner wants to showcase.
“Often homeowners will install glass doors in one section of their kitchen – usually the top part of an upper cabinet – and that’s where they put nice things to showcase,” says Gertiser. “Open shelves in your kitchen can also include lighting underneath to shine down on something else.”
In other rooms of the house, rather than the metal and glass that we’re used to seeing in lighting, right now earthy materials like wooden beads and woven textiles are trending. This pairs nicely with natural wood tones, earthy greens, and polished nickel tones.
“People like the walnuts and warm olive greens,” says Gertiser, who notes that a section at the front of their showroom is dedicated to showcasing all of the new trending earthy lighting.
Suski, for one, is thrilled to see clients pulling back from all-white kitchens and cool gray living rooms and transition instead to warmer beige colors.
“My personal favorite right now is Benjamin Moore’s Pale Oak [a taupe shade],” she says. “I’m a designer who pushes color when the client is receptive to the idea!”
Homeowners usually feel safe playing around with color in smaller spaces like powder rooms.
“It’s where you get to be a little bit bolder because it’s not a large room so you can have fun with the space,” says Gertiser. And should the homeowner want to redo it in a few years, he or she can easily do so with a fresh coat of paint or some textured wallpaper.
When it comes to plumbing, Gertiser predicts that wood accents like the new Brizo Frank Lloyd Wright collection will take off.
“Everyone really seems to like the minimal look,” she says. “Less is more!”
Ferguson recently hosted their first event in two years and featured the Frank Lloyd Wright collection because it’s so completely unique. For instance, on the faucets, the channel doesn’t come exactly down but rather goes out the side of the spout. In addition, a homeowner can choose to finish all the straight lines in teak with either the polished nickel or the lux nickel, including the rain can shower head.
“That shower head even has a fancy hydro-powered light inside of it, which is pretty cool and very heavy, I might add!” says Gertiser.
As for the most popular plumbing finish in 2022, Suski suspects that matte black and brush brass will continue to dominate with polished brass making a comeback.
Not surprisingly, the pandemic saw spiked interest in touch-free items, in general.
“Honestly, millennials like anything that has technology. That includes appliances, light bulbs, faucets, you name it,” says Gertiser. “The world we live in is very different from five years ago!”
