Are looking to renovate your Ottawa kitchen? In need of a bathroom renovation in Ottawa? Follow our 2023 kitchen and bathroom design trends to make trendy renovation decisions.
Our designers, Wael Bakr, CKBD, and Aviva Ben-Choreen, CMKBD, have noticed many design trends emerging this year. Together, they have summarized popular kitchen and bathroom design trends for 2023. Now it is time to add some new colours and innovative design ideas to your renovation wish list!
1. Fresh New Colours
In 2023, people are introducing colour into their kitchens. Blues and greens are edging out greys; even some hues never experienced in a kitchen before — like sage green or dark navy.
Some homeowners aren’t choosing only one colour or finish. They might do a blue kitchen with walnut accents or pale green bottom cabinets and a woodgrain for their uppers. That’s the more adventurous side of the market!
Generally, though, Ottawa is a conservative city, where traditional and transitional kitchen design styles predominate, and change happens slowly. So we still see lots of white classic kitchens. However, two new types of hardware can update white cabinetry — matte black or brushed brass.
2. Pull-Outs and Inserts
Pull-outs and inserts are a hot 2023 trend. Features like pull-out spice racks or cutlery tray inserts are extremely popular. Clients notice these on Houzz or other kitchen renovation sites, and when they spot them again at our Laurysen showroom, they go for it.
This trend is all about features to simplify your life — for example, storing kitchen equipment in a drawer instead of behind a door.
3. Quartz vs Granite
Quartz countertops are still on-trend. They’re practical and available at a huge range of prices.
When clients want a wow factor, they’ll choose luxury patterns with bold, dramatic veining. That increases prices considerably but adds a ton of visual impact. If someone’s budget can’t stretch to an entire kitchen done in premium quartz, they might just install it on the island where it’s most eye-catching.
Recently, we’ve received fewer requests for granite, primarily because clients love the patterns and solid colours quartz offers. Granite, on the other hand, is a natural substance with an uncontrolled, granular pattern that doesn’t fit the current demand for minimalistic countertops. Also, most buyers prefer maintenance-free materials over granite, which needs to be sealed.
Quartz is trendy for bathrooms, too. Trending now: quartz with a small amount of veining in a muted colour, as opposed to the busy patterns of the past.
4. Countertop Design
Waterfall countertops, with countertop material extending all the way to the floor at one end or on either side of the kitchen island, are a popular kitchen design right now. Waterfall edges are also in vogue for bathroom vanities. To complete the waterfall effect, carefully choosing matched veining is a must.
5. Light Wood
Woodgrain cabinets in 2023 are very different from the dark heavy browns of 10 years ago. Nowadays, they’re a light tone, perhaps white oak with a very gentle stain that highlights the grain in a much softer colour. The result is a bleached wood or driftwood look, which is beachy and cottagey.
6. A European Trend
Hidden hardware is a European trend that’s reaching us now. Here in North America, we call cabinet hardware “the jewel of the kitchen.” But in Europe, they’ve ditched the jewels for handleless cabinetry that opens and closes with a gentle push.
7. Appliances
Another 2023 trend: Appliances are getting bigger day by day — 60” fridges, 6-burner stoves, even oversized sinks. Homeowners are also going for a wider range of kitchen appliances — drawer microwaves, steam ovens, garbage compactors, built-in coffee machines. Some kitchens have more appliances than cabinets!
8. Accessibility
Accessibility is a major design consideration. Those who can afford kitchens are mainly baby boomers or Gen X. These age groups look ahead when doing a renovation, with the mindset: “I’m going to age in place and want everything to be universally accessible. I’d like to use the space comfortably, without bending.” Planning a universal-access kitchen means it can be used and enjoyed by multiple generations.
In the bathroom, accessible curbless showers are catching on in the newer renovations. The bathroom floor is tiled, with a slight slope to the shower area. You can often see a pretty tile transition through glass doors to mark the shower location, but no curb. As a result, people can just wheel right in without any tripping hazards. Enclosed showers with a ledge and inset base are passé.
9. Supersize Showers and More
Speaking of showers, they’re getting bigger, wider, and longer every day. There’s no shower less than three feet now, whereas the original size was 30”. A recent trend is a demand for two-person showers.
Four-piece bathrooms are very common in bathroom renovations, with a separate soaker tub and shower, especially in en suite bathrooms.
Same with sinks: 15” used to be the norm. Now they’re rectangular and 20” wide. Some stylish bathrooms have a single long trough sink with two faucets and accessories galore. So, you’ll need to choose a wider vanity. Vessel sinks are trending out.
At times people actually “borrow” space from an adjoining room to make the bathroom bigger.
10. Tie It All Together
In kitchen and bathroom renovation, no matter which trends you incorporate, creating a flow is key. A skilled designer knows how to make the kitchen or bath work with the rest of your rooms, so you don’t feel like it just fell down from an alien galaxy! If you’d like an ultra-contemporary kitchen in a very traditional house, we’ll work with you to create an aesthetically pleasing transition. That’s the kind of guidance we provide that clients might not be able to achieve on their own.
11. Find the Trends That Work for You
While trends are fun, it’s important to choose something that will suit you long term. We help that happen when you come for your initial consultation. You’ll walk through the showroom with us and tell us what appeals to you.
And you’ll show us photos that you liked online. Sometimes a picture will appeal not due to the overall kitchen design but because you liked the size of the island or the refrigerator treatment. The rest of the photo might have no relevance whatsoever, so we will analyze any photos together with what struck your fancy in the showroom. Based on your likes, we’ll prepare an initial design, then ask you to go home and think about it.
When you come back for a second visit and choose the same things, we’ll know you haven’t been oversaturated. The repeated selection of the same features allows us to say confidently, “Yes, you’re going to be happy with this because you’ve chosen it more than once. Every time you come to the showroom, you gravitate toward the same door style or handles. That’s how we know this is what you’ll like.” It’s really you, the client, who guides us.
How Laurysen Helps
A lot goes into the planning and functionality of the room. The space will determine the limitations of what you can do; for example, if your kitchen has several doorways, you won’t be able to install a long line of cabinetry.
As experienced, award-winning designers, our team has an excellent grasp of the industry and works with you to get the best out of your space. As a result, you’ll end up with a much more functional, workable kitchen than if you bought your cabinets at a big box store.
Laurysen is a local, family-owned company, proudly in business for over 50 years. We offer free design consultations and quality products at a reasonable price.
Here’s how our client Greg H describes his 5-star experience:
Right from the first step into the Laurysen Kitchens facility, my wife and I were greeted with huge smiles and a welcoming atmosphere. Wael, our Kitchen Designer Guru, listened to our design points and ensured the entire way through the design, construction and installation process that we, the customers, were fully satisfied. One thing that I had always heard about the brand of Laurysen Kitchens was their dedication to full customer satisfaction, and I can confirm that was exactly the experience. Ensure you go in with an open mind because these people are experts and know-how to ensure your space is beautiful and functional! Any future cabinetry design projects I have will definitely include the Laurysen Team. Thank you all for everything!!
