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Omaha Magazine

Minimalist With a Techy Twist

May 29, 2019 07:01PM ● By Callie Olson

Interior design is an Instagram-worthy business. Social media sites, TV shows, and even furniture stores show homeowners multitudes of ways to personalize a space, such as various grains of wood to use on kitchen cabinets or palettes of neutral colors to go on the walls.

That is why interior designers spend time keeping up on trends and looking ahead to the future of designs to make a client’s home perfect for them. This is especially true in kitchen design, as the average American spends about 230 hours in the kitchen each year.

Sadie Anderson has worked for the Omaha location of CKF—a company specializing in cabinets, countertops, and closets—for six years, and has been in the design industry for 10. This year she attended the 2019 Kitchen & Bath Industry Show in Las Vegas to learn about industry trends.

“The biggest thing I noticed was the abundance of black and gold,” Anderson says. “Gold was everywhere. It seems like in the past it was brushed nickel and oil-rubbed bronze, but those are being replaced now. Oil-rubbed bronze is basically gone.”

Anderson notes other trends as well, including high contrast colors, lighter wood tones, and a shift to clean, seamless styles. White cabinets are set against dark granite, gold handles glitter against black drawers, and the dark, espresso-washed wood of the past is being replaced with lighter tones, encouraging the return of oak.

Homeowners are moving toward a minimalist, European-influenced design, which has led to a rise in integrated hardware and floating shelves. Anderson says that some homeowners are even doing away with wall cabinets entirely. Instead, they are placing a few items, such as dishes, on shelves.

Although many trends are showing hints of the 1980s or 1990s, one big trend shown at KBIS this year is solidly 2019.

“The [number] of things that had Alexa,” Anderson says with a laugh, “You can tell your kitchen faucet ‘Alexa, give me a cup of water,’ and it will pour exactly one cup.”

Here in Omaha, the sink in which the faucet sits is also changing, from dual basins to one. Kitchen & Baths by Briggs offers "a large selection of quality brands for the kitchen and bath and dedicated showroom specialists" to help decide what works best for a space.

Robyn Petersen of Kitchen & Baths by Briggs notes that the professional-type kitchen is on the rise, meaning larger, “work station” sinks and professional faucets. Homeowners are more likely to go for a farmhouse-style sink and use fitted accessories such as cutting boards and colanders. Some sinks even have a smaller prep sink attached to the main one to keep cooking and cleaning processes moving.

Minimalistic design has not stopped homeowners from being bold.

“We’ve had people come in and tell us they are doing dark green cabinets, for example,” says Michelle Pflughoeft of Ferguson, which focuses on kitchen and bath products as well as appliances.

“Or maybe they are sticking with navy, but adding a different color for hardware,” Pflughoeft continues. “It seems like people are having more fun with the designs they are putting in their house.”

She indicates that different colors will be welcome in the kitchen for a long time. She also notes that some people are surprised to see that modern design is represented in Omaha’s Ferguson showroom. As Omaha becomes a more modern city, interior design firms and showrooms are starting to branch out of the traditional designs many clients expect to see.

“It’s kind of fun to see that Omaha is trying something a bit different.” Pflughoeft says, “Like not what mom or dad did, but something kind of out of the norm for what people see in the Midwest.”

Whether black, bold, or gold, those wanting to redo their kitchen in 2019 have plenty of options in both designs and designers around Omaha.   


Visit ckfco.com, kbbriggs.com, and fergusonshowrooms.com for more information about the design companies featured in this article.

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