2021 Kitchen Remodel Trends on a Budget

Most homeowners looking to refresh their kitchen in the new year will be loaded with questions like, how much to remodel a kitchen, what are the newest trends in home kitchen design, and how can I cut corners and increase value at the same time? After all, a full kitchen remodel can sound vexing for your pockets.

A kitchen makeover can cost anywhere between $10,000 and $50,000 — less if the changes you intend to make are minimal and more because, well, the sky's the limit if you can afford it. This leaves a lot of room in between to personalize your budget as well as the changes you want to make. Whether it’s a fresh coat of paint, new cabinets, countertops, or floors, you can allow yourself to be inspired by the latest trends and update your kitchen without breaking the bank. 

2020 Kitchen Remodel Trends

2021 has been the year where our lifestyles dictate interior design trends and not the other way around. Extended hours at home have changed the way we regard and interact with our home and this has affected design trends as well.

Expanding

The space our kitchens take in our lives (or in our homes) is not small, which is why it’s not surprising that one of the most popular kitchen remodel ideas homeowners have been considering in 2021 is to enlarge. This can be done by breaking down a wall that separates the kitchen from a fairly flexible and communal space like a dining room, living room, or hallway. A more cost-effective approach is to create the impression of more space by bringing in more light and choosing surfaces to reflect that light.

2021 Kitchen Remodel Trends to Consider

The Multi-Zone Kitchen

The future of our kitchens is multi-functionality. The kitchen is no longer just the room we cook in. Families and work-from-home-ers are gravitating to the cook’s room to dine, study, work, go to school, and simply spend time together. This gives rise to multipurpose surfaces and a clear separation of food-prep versus other zones.

Multi Zone Kitchens for a Flexible Lifestyle

If you don’t have a lot of space to work with, small kitchen remodel ideas are also plenty. For example, a small drop-down surface can serve both as a dining and desk space - pleasing to the eye and conveniently flexible.

Attention to Cabinets

According to Tops Kitchen Cabinet (a family business with years of kitchen remodeling to boast), cabinets can be the most expensive part of the average kitchen remodel cost, coming in around $15,000 and up. However, you can achieve a handful of your design goals with various changes to your cabinetry with any budget. A fresh coat of paint can make your cabinets the statement piece of this very axial room or, if you're working with a small kitchen remodel, help to create a more expansive look with a lighter hue in color choices.

Cabinet trends include smooth surfaces for a sleek and more hygienic no-touch experience and one or two glass-front cabinet doors to help achieve an open-concept kitchen. With more home cooking, snacking, and serving going on, freestanding furniture, wall cabinets, and storage on wheels will be entering kitchens to make more space for more sustenance. 

A Cabinet Makeover Is an Effective Way to Update Your Kitchen without Doing a Full Remodel

Another tiny trick with a big impact is replacing your old handles and knobs for new, and commonly, brass or matte ones. A cabinet makeover, however small, will play the biggest role in creating a new look for your kitchen.

A Connection to the Outdoors

A closer touch to nature and more natural light is always pleasant, but especially fashionable this year. An ideal way to breach the gap that health precautions have created between us and the outdoors is to add in windows, a skylight, or install bi-fold doors that completely break barriers between indoor and out.

While window installation is the best way to bring in natural light and fresh air, there are more affordable options to breathe life into the room. You can replace existing window curtains with lighter, more transparent ones. If you don’t have windows, then thinking about lighting design is a must. Some indoor lighting ideas that are trending this year include sconce lighting (especially with soft metal touches for warmth and contrast) and a slew of pendants that help add accent and character.

The most affordable way to bring the outdoors in, of course, is through a biophilic lens — with plants. You can stand them up or have them hang. Hanging plants also play with the architecture of the room, which will bring in a change in atmosphere for a small price.

A Connection to Outdoors to Make Your Kitchen A More Homey Hearth

Warm Colors and Natural Textures

Naturally, re-doing the room you and your family are spending increasingly more time in begs a glance at the design as well, not only to improve convenience but also the aura. This is why inviting colors and natural textures like wood, stones, or brick which make the room brighter and give it a more livable feel are popular choices this year.

The Pantone Color Institute announced the color(s) of the year to be grey and yellow - “A marriage of color conveying a message of strength and hopefulness that is both enduring and uplifting.” Leatrice Eiseman, Executive Director of Pantone, describes how the two tones, Ultimate Grey and Illuminating, establish warmth and structure, positivity and stability - a harmony that will be sought after as we try to move past a trying year, looking for creativity to guide us towards productivity and joy.

Natural Textures and Warm Colors Make for a Comfortable Kitchen with Character

In the stone department, marble will continue to be popular, however, veinier alternatives will be on the rise, helping achieve a more exotic and personalized look. Wood-like floor installation or smaller pieces with wood accents will also be common choices that are eye-catching as well as homey. 

Kitchen Design Trends that Manage to Be Homey As Well as Eye-Catching

A Fusion of Styles

The aesthetic of a kitchen is the aesthetic of your day-to-day, directly reflecting and affecting our productivity and moods. Choosing an overall style will help create a coherent one. With regards to which interior design style will shine most this year, it looks as though there are two in the lead.

Although she never left, a natural, organic style has grown in popularity around kitchen design ideas even more. According to the annual trend reports of the National Kitchen and Bath Association, an organic style full of earthy tones and textures is amongst the top three kitchen styles in 2021. 

Your Interior Design Can Reflect The Various Vibes of You, Even In the Kitchen

Wood, organic, and energy-efficient selections are no longer strictly associated with a bohemian style. They can easily have a sleek and modern finish (and stay on budget) by smoothing the contrast between cabinets, walls, and ceilings, or by incorporating elements of the second most trending style of the year - transitional. A synthesis of contemporary and traditional design, the transitional-style kitchen will attract those who prefer a simpler color palette, clean lines, neutral finishes, and more opportunity to create visual impact with appliances, lighting, and accessories.

You Can Have a Sleek, Modern Kitchen and Stay on Budget with Transitional Style Tricks

The Year of the Island

While all kitchen aficionados have always loved the island, the added space for work and storage that island counters can provide is just as attractive as the beautiful designs you can achieve with them. They have been consistently popular throughout the years, but are even more sought after this year.

The Timeless Kitchen Island Evolves Just as We Do

Those who already have an island will be looking into making them bigger or adding space for more functionality around it. The kitchen island provides a great opportunity to add character to the kitchen by choice of color, waterfall countertops, added lighting, and surrounding furniture. Don’t forget about adding outlets and seating for everyone who will flock to this surface for a place to work as well as a corner to convene. 

Friendly Tips for Your Wallet

Your kitchen remodel checklist should start with the changes that are really necessary. If you want new cabinets but your old ones are still functional, a great way to save money is to repair instead of replace. 

The kitchen is home to most of your home appliances, which are not only costly themselves but also entail a lot of added expense if you decide to change their location. Yes, placing your sink beneath a window is beautiful, will help ease the strain on your eyes, and improve your mood attitude with more natural lighting, but it will also require a significant portion of your budget to relocate. Consider leaving appliances and plumbing where they are and adding lighting or furniture to establish a change in atmosphere.

However, if you chose to prioritize adding value to your home lighting and convenience are worth the added expense now, especially as they are some of the most important factors for buyers.

Considering that this year’s design trends reflect our collective craving for timeless values like comfort, convenience, and hygiene, implementing any of the remodel ideas above will increase the future value of your home and revitalize your living experience in the meantime.