5 Kitchen Cabinet Trends for 2026

Blended Styles Are Dominating—but Farmhouse Is Still Popular

MasterBrand’s survey revealed that the three most popular design styles for kitchen cabinets are soft modern, transitional, and modern traditional, though it’s important to note that of those three, transitional is starting to decline precipitously. The aesthetic, known for its simpler, more neutral style, emerged during the late aughts, and up until very recently, was dominating design. 

White Cabinets Are Really Out

Modern kitchen with a central island and pendant lighting

We’ve been saying this for years: White cabinets are slowly being phased out of kitchens, and MasterBrand came through with hard numbers to prove this. “For the first time in the nine years we've been doing this survey, white is not the number one preferred finish,” Pierce says. ”It's not only not number one anymore, but it fell to number three.” In the design world, that’s kind of groundbreaking, because it’s dominated kitchens for well over a decade!   

Multiple Colors—All Over—Are In

So yes, the survey confirmed that wood tones are hot right now—and white is very not hot. But it also revealed that homeowners are hungry for color, and they’re incredibly confident about the application, too. Pierce notes that over the last two years, there’s been a 15% increase in color on the “perimeter” of a kitchen—not just the island—where it’s historically been the star. 

White Oak Is Still the Preferred Wood Type

We mentioned stains earlier, and while they’re being applied to all types of wood like hickory, pecan, and even cherry, consumers are still going strong for white oak, which is a beautiful but very premium species—and it’s not sustainable, as it ages very slowly. Pierce admits that white oak lends itself nicely to light stains, but according to her, you can actually get a similar effect with red oak, which is more readily available. 

More People Are Making Space for Custom Pantries

Pantries, especially the kind with tricked-out cabinets, have truly exploded in size over the last few years. MasterBrand confirmed that there has been a gradual uptick in requests for walk-in pantries. In new construction, they see requests for this feature almost 100% of the time. Pierce points out it gets tricky in a remodel, though: What do you give up in order to get that pantry, and is it more valuable than what you're giving up?