Nicholas Vanderhovel, CMKBD, is the owner and creative director of Dream Kitchens, located in Brighton, Mich. A member of the KBB Editorial Advisory Board and one of the youngest people to earn the Master Kitchen & Bath Designer credential from NKBA, Nick casts an educated eye on what’s hot and what’s not for design in 2026.
What are the color trends you expect for kitchens in 2026 and beyond?
I expect warmth to continue permeating the market with creams, clays, taupes and soft earthy neutrals replacing the stark whites of past years. Pairing them with rich wood tones like mid-oak, walnut and even cherry tones create layered palettes that will define the next wave of kitchen design by balancing natural luxury with timeless longevity.
What about color trends in primary bathrooms?
I believe we’ll see very much the same thing in bathrooms. These warm and earthy tones lean toward a spa-like feel that we’ve been seeing in bathroom design, creating calming retreats with soft creams, muted clays, and rich natural woods.
What smart technology trends in the home do you foresee for 2026?
Smart technology in 2026 will continue moving toward seamless integration – systems that disappear into the home rather than call attention to themselves. Expect more voice-controlled lighting, hidden sensors and whole-home platforms that learn a family’s rhythms and automate comfort, energy use and security without any manual input. In kitchens and baths specifically, smart appliances, water-monitoring fixtures and adaptive lighting will become the new standard for both convenience and wellness.
Will open-plan kitchens still be coveted in 2026 and beyond?
I think the open-plan kitchen still has some staying power. I am not sure if we will truly ever revert back to the segregated spaces we once had, but maybe a happy medium. Even in my own home that I am doing right now, I have disassociated the living room from the kitchen/dining space to give a little more intimacy to those spaces.
Will all-white kitchens still be coveted in 2026 and beyond?
To be honest, all-white kitchens often feel flat and uninspired, even though their clean, simple look still appeals to many homeowners. Design trends always come back around, so while we’re deep in a warm, earthy era now, I fully expect the all-white kitchen to return in force in another ten years or so.
Spa-like bathrooms are all the rage today. What do you see coming down pipeline in that regard?
I see the spa trend for bathrooms being around for quite a while. Even as I build my textural Japandi bathroom in my own home, I’m leaning into warm woods, tactile surfaces, and calming neutrals that create a true retreat-like experience.
Will wellness elements like improved air and water quality in the kitchen and bath gain momentum? If not, which wellness trends can we expect?
Water filtration will continue to grow as a core wellness feature, with homeowners prioritizing cleaner drinking water, reduced contaminants, and integrated systems that blend seamlessly into high-end kitchen and bath design. At the same time, induction cooking is gaining significant traction – still smaller than gas today, but the fastest-growing segment due to improved energy efficiency, better indoor air quality and a more streamlined aesthetic.
What kind of cabinet and storage innovation can we expect to see in 2026?
With modern kitchen design reducing the amount of wall cabinets, I expect we’ll see more tailored base and tall cabinet storage. The kitchen I am currently building for myself has no wall cabinets and limited base cabinet storage. Each drawer has a planned utility based on how Brandy and I live our lives. Individual tailoring is another facet of luxury and I think we’ll see storage keep on trend with that fact.
Do you think sustainable design will become a norm instead of an exception moving forward? Why or why not?
Although I see it growing, there is a cost barrier to sustainable design. Until the market finds ways to produce more sustainable materials that potential buyers can afford and find attractive, I think there’s still a lot of headwinds to face before it becomes truly mainstream.
How will the concept of outdoor living expand in 2026 and beyond?
With designing projects around the country, I definitely see how the different markets approach outdoor living. As a current Michigan resident, there’s less expansion into outdoor living since the long winters limits the usefulness each year, while my projects down south seem to be ever more focused on blending the inside and outside atmosphere as they can enjoy them more throughout the year.
Will color-tunable lighting become more mainstream?
As we focus more on wellness, I could see automated color-tunable lighting start to find some ground in the market though its biggest limitation is lack of knowledge and understanding which I think will take quite a lot of effort to inform the mainstream population of its effect on our daily life.
Do you expect client requests for living-in-place design features in kitchen remodels to grow or decline? Why?
With more generations living in the same home, I think we can definitely expect more requests for living in place. As we design the mother-in-law suite in our house, we’re preparing for what the future may hold and I see more and more requests by clients as well.
Do you expect client requests for living-in-place design features in bath remodels to grow or decline? Why?
Bathrooms are the most dangerous room in the house so I believe if we’re going to make any improvements on living in place design, these are the spaces we should focus on.
Do you see the ‘back kitchen’ trend in luxury projects continuing?
Yes, as kitchens are an aesthetic stronghold more than ever, I definitely see continued growth in the luxury market for sculleries and back kitchens so that the staff or caterers can work without interfering with hosting or taking away from the main kitchen’s visual appeal.
Laundry rooms: Will they grow beyond the tried-and-true washer/dryer design to include other elements like steamer closets?
We’re seeing more and more requests for steamers and more utility in laundry rooms. I expect these rooms to keep growing in size as such a large amount of time for families, especially those with kids, are spent in the laundry room.
Will design for pets accelerate in 2026? What features will we see?
Although I typically like to keep my design for pets less integrated, they are members of the family and people spend increasing amounts on their pets each year.
—Nicholas Vanderhovel, Dream Kitchens
