The kitchen is where your family can come together and converse while grabbing an afternoon snack or preparing dinner. The kitchen is becoming more and more like a family room, and as such it’s a good idea to try to make it feel as warm and inviting as possible. Take a look at some of the more popular trends in kitchen design this year.

Out with Stainless Steel

While stainless steel may not ever go completely out of style, it’s certainly losing its flair.  Warm metals are becoming progressively more dominate in 2014 kitchens. The new material and color options in kitchen appliances allows you to have more versatility when choosing the theme and style of your kitchen.

New Functionality

In 2014 they’re taking innovative kitchen design to the next level. Most of us are not able to boast a huge kitchen and instead need to maximize our storage space wherever we can. New ways to increase the amount of storage space, and not the size of your kitchen, include the following; built in cabinetry that looks like furniture, new functional doors for storage, open shelving, practical pullout drawers, dividers for drawer storage, and corner sinks and ovens.

Neutral Colors

Many kitchens in 2014 are trending towards neutral colors. Neutral colors in the kitchen can make the space feel larger and brighter. You can choose to maintain neutrality throughout the entire kitchen, thus leaving you with a clean minimal feel, or use the base neutral colors to make other splashes of color in your kitchen pop.

Natural/Recycled Materials

These days it’s all about including eco-friendly attributes wherever you can. The kitchen may be one the best rooms in the house to invest in when becoming more environmentally friendly. The more popular eco-friendly kitchen designs are saying goodbye to drywall and hello to materials like brick, concrete, and recycled wood. Using recycled materials in your kitchen can add a unique vintage look to your kitchen that you won’t find in your neighbors’ homes.