After a long run of all-white kitchens, Calgary clients are asking for more warmth, more texture, and islands that look less like a box.
All-white and light-grey kitchens dominated requests for several years, but a growing share of our current projects bring wood tone back in, often on an island or a run of upper cabinets left open as display shelving, paired with painted perimeter cabinetry rather than replacing white entirely. It reads as warmer without abandoning the clean lines clients still want.
Islands are increasingly being detailed to look like a standalone piece of furniture rather than an extension of the surrounding cabinetry — turned or tapered legs, a contrasting wood tone or paint colour, and sometimes open shelving in place of upper cabinets on at least one side.
In kitchens with the ceiling height to support it, we're building more full-height pantry walls with a mix of open and closed storage, reducing or eliminating traditional upper cabinets along at least one wall for a cleaner look and often more usable storage overall.
Matte black remains popular, but we're seeing more requests for mixed hardware finishes — brushed brass pulls with matte black faucet and lighting, for instance — rather than matching every metal finish in the room exactly.
Panel-ready appliances used to be reserved mostly for high-end builds, but more mid-range Calgary kitchen projects are specifying at least a panelled dishwasher front, since it reads as a meaningfully more finished look for a relatively modest cost difference.
Tell us about your space and we'll set up a free in-home measure and design consultation.