Best Kitchen Projects for 2020

With the new year upon us, it’s time to plan for DIY projects. 2020 will be a great year for kitchen upgrades to enhance your cooking and gathering space.

Create a Colorful Backsplash

Backsplashes have been a large kitchen trend for several years, but 2020 dictates that colorful tile backsplashes will reign supreme. This is an easy and tasteful way to add a bright energy to the room. If you’re feeling particularly bold, extend the backsplash to take up the entirety of the wall—this is another hot kitchen trend for the new year.

Unexpected Color

Speaking of color, another way to add it to your kitchen that will be popular in 2020 is in the form of a stove or oven hood. Use a bold color of heat-resistant appliance paint to liven up these functional elements.

Install Open Shelving

While open shelving has been popular in other areas of the home historically, recently it has become more of a kitchen trend. This interior design trend will continue to gain popularity in 2020. Replace traditional cabinets with open shelves and stock them with mixing bowls, utensil jars, and other accents for a stylish kitchen.

Add Wallpaper

It’s no secret that wallpaper has been making its comeback, and now it’s also a kitchen trend that’s on the rise. Try out peel and stick wallpaper on one wall in your kitchen and pick a chic or bold design you love. This will be easy to install and remove if you change your mind later, and it will certainly be eye-catching in the meantime.

Install a Plate Rack

Plate racks were a thing of the past—until 2020. These can be added to countertops or stylishly displayed on a wall. Not only do these provide a fun accent in your kitchen, they’re also organizationally functional. Best of all, you can do this at a low cost, especially if you source vintage plate racks at garage sales or resale shops. Something vintage can bring a touch of classic character to your culinary space.

Mix Up Your Metals

Mixing and matching the metal finishes in your kitchen is a project that’s easy to do in as little as a weekend and it's right on trend for 2020. Consider using one type of metal for your drawer pulls and cabinet knobs while using a different one for your lighting to create some clever contrast.

Upgrade Your Pantry

In recent years, pantries have been hidden away. In 2020, that's changing. Upgrade your pantry and make it more of a focal point in your kitchen by adding a colorful door that can be a conversation piece. Perhaps even consider a screened porch door to offer transparency. Organize your shelves meticulously inside your pantry with bins, baskets, and increased shelving. This is a project that will leave your kitchen feeling organized and easy to maneuver.

Tile the Floor

Hardwood floors have had a long-standing spot on kitchen wish lists, but now they have to share the spotlight with ceramic tile floors. If you’re itching for new flooring in your kitchen that makes a statement, this is a superb project for the new year. Tile is a more affordable option to install, and it’s also easier to maintain, since it’s resilient to spills, making it ideal for a kitchen. Best of all? The options for ceramic tiles are limitless—from something bright and bold to more subtle colors and patterns.

Paint Your Cabinets

White cabinets have been in for quite a while, but that light and bright color trend is stepping aside as dark cabinets come into their own. Deep, dark hues for this major part of your kitchen have become more popular. Consider making this change to your cooking space by painting your own cabinetry. You can even put a spin on this trend with chalk paint, which is both dark and turns this woodwork into a canvas for artwork and messages. Blue cabinets are also here to stay, so consider painting cabinets a rich navy—they'll likely stay in style for years to come.

Add a Compost Bin

In the spirit of making your home more eco-friendly, add an indoor compost bin to your kitchen. These are easy to use and highly convenient, in addition to helping the planet and reducing waste. You’ll soon become so accustomed to using a compost bin to recycle waste that you’ll wonder why you didn’t install one a long time ago.