The open-concept kitchen is losing its grip. The National Kitchen & Bath Association’s 2027 Kitchen Trends Report finds designers favoring defined zones, partial walls and operable partitions over wide-open floor plans, a reversal from last year’s report. Intentional zoning is “here to stay,” according to 81% of designers surveyed, while semi-enclosed layouts (46%) and partially concealed kitchens (41%) are rising. Kitchens are still growing, but more slowly: 52% expect larger footprints over the next three years, down from 76% in the 2026 report. Layout reconfiguration ranked as the second-best return on investment (49%), just behind cabinet upgrades (54%).
Kitchens are also taking on more jobs, absorbing mudrooms, laundry areas and specialty stations into one hardworking space. Some 94% of designers expect attached mudrooms to be popular, and dedicated beverage areas (90%), pet feeding stations (64%) and eat-in kitchens (63%) are on the rise. Islands are becoming more customized (82%), and 88% see pantries evolving from storage into multipurpose extensions of the kitchen. Style stays calm. Neutrals remain the top color choice (96%), quartzite (78%) and quartz (74%) lead countertops, and 85% say cabinetry is increasingly designed to hide appliances.
Health and resilience are moving up the priority list. Designers are tuning kitchens for better light, air and water quality, treating ventilation as a health feature rather than a code requirement. Climate resilience is gaining ground, too, with 65% citing leak detection and automatic shut-off valves and 62% backup power. Lighting is stepping into the spotlight as a design feature: 84% expect multiple layers of light, led by under-cabinet fixtures (87%).
The AI hype, meanwhile, is meeting skepticism. Only 27% of designers expect ovens with food-recognition AI to be in demand, while practical tech like mobile alerts for power failures or gas leaks (57%) is gaining traction. The report is based on an online survey of 830 NKBA community members in the U.S. and Canada and is available free to NKBA members.
