As I planned my kitchen remodel and struggled with the decision on whether to install the bold green kitchen cabinets I dreamed of, I worried that trendy green kitchen cabinets might go out of style sooner than a more conservative choice. Here are the reasons I decided to gamble on green kitchen cabinets being a trend that’s here to stay through 2022 and beyond:

Will green kitchen cabinets go out of style? Eventually, yes. But keep reading to learn about the four reasons I chose them anyway.

A small galley kitchen featuring open shelving, glass front cabinets, and green base cabinets.

1. Green Cabinets are Actually Traditional

Like subway tile, the green kitchen cabinet trend isn’t a modern innovation. In fact, forest green cabinets can be seen in classic European estates dating back to the 1800s. Green is a vibrant and historic color- emerald-glazed bricks all over Saint Louis’s historic homes remind me regularly this color has long been a choice of designers.

After the last few decades of wood-toned 1990’s kitchens and white kitchens ruling the 2010’s, color has returned to the kitchen. It feels new and different to enjoy vibrant colors in kitchens, but green cabinets can be seen in butler’s pantries of the 19th century and in the colorful metal cabinetry of the 1950’s.  In the kitchen, green is a color that defines renewal, rejuvenation, and energy, while grounding us in a soothing organic color- since we all need a little extra grounding and coziness in 2022, I don’t see the green kitchen cabinet trend going anywhere anytime soon.

I chose to go with green kitchen cabinets because the classic lines and traditional color complement my 1910 cottage – just like this color of forest green glazed onto hundred-year-old bricks on many houses in my neighborhood.

2. Custom Look without Custom Pricing

It was clear, when I priced forest green cabinets through traditional cabinet manufacturers in 2021, that if I purchased green custom kitchen cabinets, I would be spending a minimum of $10,000 just on base cabinets (and waiting at least 4 months!).

Custom cabinets were not realistic for my budget or my timeline, or even necessary- since IKEA made it possible- to purchase the dream green cabinets I wanted at a budget price.

3. Cabinets Can be Refaced for less than Replacement

Although it would be a large undertaking in itself, it is possible to change the fronts and cover panels of IKEA cabinets without replacing the cabinet shells, shelves, pullouts, and drawers- in fact, a number of companies specialize in making doors, drawer-fronts, and cover panels that fit perfectly on Ikea cabinet boxes.

IKEA drawer fronts pop on and off with a simple insert-and-twist of a screwdriver, and a simple clip holds cabinet doors in place on the hinges. If green kitchen cabinets go out of style and I can no longer stand my forest green kitchen, I should be able to purchase replacement drawer fronts and cabinet doors to replace my green ones for under a thousand dollars. Replacing the cover panels, toe kicks, and trim to replace green with another color would be a larger undertaking, but still a minimal investment of time and money compared to purchasing new cabinets.

4. All kitchens are trendy

Listen, every choice you make in your home design is informed by trends. Even the most cautiously designed, non-trendy kitchen of 1997 is now dated and tired, a scroll through kitchen design history makes that abundantly clear. One day- not so far in the future- subway tile, gold fixtures, wood floors with grey or back tones, and stone-finish countertops, will look as woefully dated as the kitchen shown here.

No kitchen design escapes the aging process. Carefully selected off-trend kitchens will still look as dated as this 1980’s kitchen as time passes.

Instead of trying to design a non-descript kitchen time capsule that will magically thrive through the passage of time, design a kitchen you love. Try to locate your own style through the white noise of what designers and influencers promote. Focus on honoring tradition while making a personal statement, this will help your kitchen remain relevant and modern-looking for much longer than following (or avoiding) trends.

Focus on honoring tradition while making a personal statement, this will help your kitchen remain relevant and modern-looking for much longer than following (or avoiding) trends.

One of my concerns as I considered whether green cabinets would soon be moving out of favor was that if I got myself the forest green cabinets I was dreaming of, I’d find them out of style in a few years, but these arguments convinced me to go ahead and install green cabinets despite this fear.

Bold color in kitchen design is more than a trend, and when it is used for cabinets, it can change the overall look and feel of your home. The use of green kitchen cabinets can may your home kitchen look more spacious and even draw the eye away from less attractive details about your kitchen.

As a color, green is one of the most appealing colors- it’s at once energizing and soothing. It feels fresh and new while also grounding us in the past and harkening back to English estates of centuries past.  Green cabinets are popular because many people feel that they make a kitchen look bold and original- something many people desire after too many years of white-on-white kitchens or visually overwhelming granite surfaces.

Because green is also a long-lasting tradition in home design, it is likely to still be relevant and in style even many years after installation. While function trumps form in many parts of the world, Americans seem to believe that better meals are made possible whenever someone is cooking in a calm, peaceful, and friendly environment- and I think they might be right. And it’s one reason I love my green kitchen cabinets- they have a soothing, calming effect on everyone in the kitchen and inspire me to keep my space a little cleaner and a little more organized. 

In my bold and clean kitchen, I feel like I’m living in a fancy vacation rental- and it inspires me to maintain the space neatly so I can keep enjoying the luxury vibes I get from my green cabinets and gold fixtures for many years to come.

Conclusion

To reiterate a perhaps most helpful piece of advice that I mentioned above….All Kitchen’s (cabinets and otherwise) are trendy. The styles of kitchens and their general layout and color use / patterns will continue to change from time to time. My advice is to simply pick a kitchen style that you like love and go with it. Some kitchen styles can be a bit more timeless, like this remodel that really leans into the white look and leverages subway tile backslash (quite timeless) but give it 15 years and it too will look outdated.

A good example of how styles are changing often revolves around what type of appliances are ‘in’ and this will often help dictate all sorts of things…for example at both Home Depot and BestBuy (big box stores in the US) Here is a similar, but more simple style by the same manufacturer that I love. I have seen these new model of refrigerators that have a very different exterior finish to the very common and at this point tried and true stainless steal finish. What do you think of this style….pretty different – reminds me of some of the kitchens I saw when living in Europe. The style of the blue and white glass front refrigerator looks as if some of the sea glass I made recently became a kitchen appliance…you see what I mean?

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