{"id":992,"date":"2026-01-26T10:53:00","date_gmt":"2026-01-26T15:53:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.sunlighthomes.ca\/blog\/?p=992"},"modified":"2026-01-22T11:41:07","modified_gmt":"2026-01-22T16:41:07","slug":"top-10-kitchen-trends-homeowners-are-choosing-in-2026","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.sunlighthomes.ca\/blog\/top-10-kitchen-trends-homeowners-are-choosing-in-2026\/","title":{"rendered":"Top 10 Kitchen Trends Homeowners Are Choosing in 2026"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
\"\"<\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

1. Wood Cabinets Are Back in a Big Way<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Wood has officially moved into the top spot as the most popular cabinet color, chosen in 29%<\/strong> of renovated kitchens \u2014 slightly surpassing white (28%<\/strong>). Medium wood tones lead the way (15%<\/strong>), followed by light (11%<\/strong>) and dark (3%<\/strong>).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

2. Cabinetry Upgrades That Do More<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Cabinet upgrades remain almost universal, with 84%<\/strong> of homeowners updating their kitchen cabinetry. And within those upgraded kitchens, 94%<\/strong> include specialized storage options such as:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Pull-out waste & recycling bins (64%<\/strong>)
Cookie sheet and tray storage (55%<\/strong>)
Spice storage (41%<\/strong>)
Cutlery organizers (38%<\/strong>)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Homeowners are also improving those hard-to-reach spaces using corner trays, pull-out shelves, and deep drawer organizers (34% each<\/strong>).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

3. Butler\u2019s Pantries Are Becoming a Must-Have<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

For homeowners adding a butler\u2019s pantry, it\u2019s all about hiding the \u201ceveryday stuff\u201d and keeping countertops clear. The study shows:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Small appliance storage (67%<\/strong>)
Prep counters (61%<\/strong>)
Enclosed cabinetry (59%<\/strong>)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

4. Bigger Kitchen Islands Are the New Normal<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Kitchen islands continue to be a major upgrade, with 58%<\/strong> of homeowners adding or updating one. And many are going bigger than ever:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

52%<\/strong> exceed 7 feet<\/strong>
30%<\/strong> are between 6\u20137 feet<\/strong>
18%<\/strong> are under 6 feet<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Rectangular islands remain the top choice, making up 80%<\/strong> of upgraded island shapes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

5. Transitional Style Still Leads the Way<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Transitional design remains the most common kitchen style at 25%<\/strong>, followed by:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Traditional (12%<\/strong>)
Modern (11%<\/strong>)
Contemporary (10%<\/strong>)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Interestingly, the number of homeowners reporting \u201cno specific style\u201d doubled to 6%<\/strong>, showing more people are mixing looks instead of sticking to one design category.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

6. Slab Backsplashes Are Growing Fast<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Tile still dominates backsplash choices (72%<\/strong>), but slab backsplashes continue to rise and now account for 28%<\/strong> of designs.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Ceramic tile leads tile options (49%<\/strong>)
Engineered quartz is the top slab choice (39%<\/strong>)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

7. Stainless Steel Appliances Are Still #1<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Stainless steel remains the most popular appliance finish at 72%<\/strong>, with other options far behind:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

White (6%<\/strong>)
Black stainless (6%<\/strong>)
Black (5%<\/strong>)
Off-white (2%<\/strong>)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

8. Engineered Quartz Continues to Dominate Countertops<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Engineered quartz remains the most popular countertop material at 32%<\/strong>, though its share dropped 7 points<\/strong> year-over-year.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Other popular countertop choices include:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Granite (15%<\/strong>) (down 4 points)<\/em>
Quartzite (10%<\/strong>)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

9. Layered Lighting Makes a Big Impact<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Lighting continues to be one of the most important kitchen upgrades. Homeowners most often choose:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Recessed lighting (72%<\/strong>)
Undercabinet lighting (72%<\/strong>)
Pendant lights (56%<\/strong>)
Chandeliers (21%<\/strong>)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

10. Tile Flooring Is Rising Again<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Ceramic and porcelain tile flooring has climbed into the top spot, now tied with hardwood flooring at 22%<\/strong> each.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n\n\n\n

What This Means for Today\u2019s New Home Kitchens<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

The message is clear: homeowners want kitchens that feel beautiful and<\/em> work effortlessly. More storage, more function, more purpose \u2014 and less clutter on display.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

At Sunlight Heritage Homes<\/strong>, we pay attention to trends like these because they reflect how families actually live today. Whether it\u2019s maximizing cabinet storage, designing larger islands, or creating smarter kitchen zones, the goal is the same: a kitchen that feels great every day, not just when guests are over.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u2705 Thinking about building a new home with a kitchen designed for real life?
Visit www.sunlighthomes.ca<\/a><\/strong> to explore our homes or book a tour.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Read one of our Homeowner reviews!<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

This was a great experience! Stephanie was fantastic and very helpful. The design centre has many great options, we can\u2019t wait to see our design choices come to life in our new house!<\/q><\/p>\n\n\n\n

~\u00a0Hannah & James<\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

1. Wood Cabinets Are Back in a Big Way Wood has officially moved into the top spot as the most popular cabinet color, chosen in 29% of renovated kitchens \u2014 slightly surpassing white (28%). Medium wood tones lead the way … Continue reading →<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[1],"tags":[15,19,20,22,23,29,32,33,39,40],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.sunlighthomes.ca\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/992"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.sunlighthomes.ca\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.sunlighthomes.ca\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sunlighthomes.ca\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sunlighthomes.ca\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=992"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.sunlighthomes.ca\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/992\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":996,"href":"https:\/\/www.sunlighthomes.ca\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/992\/revisions\/996"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.sunlighthomes.ca\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=992"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sunlighthomes.ca\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=992"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sunlighthomes.ca\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=992"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}