After spending a year at home, we all know by now what works and what doesn’t work in our homes. And we are ready to fix it, starting with the room we’ve spent the most time in this past year: the Kitchen.
The kitchen has become the room for everything, work, homework, zoom happy hours, cooking, eating, and more. We talked with Chicago interior designers and Chicago design showrooms to see what they expect to be some of the biggest kitchen design trends of 2021. And there is definitely a common thread: making our kitchens more functional and more beautiful.
Retractable Doors
Kitchens need to be dynamic, well planned, versatile, functional and of course have lots of storage. With this in mind, ARMAZEM.design expects to see retractable doors become more of a kitchen design trend in 2021. Retractable doors offer a multi-purpose area; in some cases, they are used to create an extra working surface, in other cases to seamlessly incorporate a coffee/breakfast station or even to add a discreet small appliance hub. Retractable doors facilitate a successful balance of function and a visual pleasing blueprint, hidden in plain sight.


Kitchen Island & Dining Table Integration
With so many people working from home, the kitchen is the new destination for “water cooler talk”, where family members and roommates are catching up during their work day. It is truly the heart of the home. Additionally, with the lacking options to safely dine out, meals are being picked up and brought home, if not increasingly cooked from scratch. Centaur Interiors and their clients are loving the design of a kitchen island and dining table integration, which gives many opportunities for a unique design of materials, volumes, lighting and furniture to complete the hub of the home.



Statement Range Hoods
Hidden range ventilation is a thing of the past! Sarah Jacquelyn Interiors and other designers are taking advantage of this feature to make a statement in the kitchen. By adding a beautiful range hood as a decorative focal point in the kitchen, you create a little piece of eye candy for the viewers to indulge in. Below are a few of Sarah’s favorite examples of this kitchen trend from fellow RNDD Members O’Brien Harris, eggersmann and 210 Design House.



Colorful Wall Art in the Kitchen
Perhaps the easiest 2021 kitchen design trend to implement into your own home today is that of adding splashes of color to your kitchen with artwork. Casa Bella suggests beautiful and bold original wall decor from Celadon Art, available through Casa Bella.

