Alright, so you’re asking about what’s really driving kitchen looks this year—cabinets and backsplashes, yeah? Honestly, it’s less about some rigid “2023 trend list” and more about how people are actually living now. I was just over at a mate’s renovation in Hackney last month—tiny terrace house, mind you—and what they’ve done… blimey, it just makes sense.
Let’s start with cabinets. Gone are the days of just plain white shaker doors everywhere, thank goodness. What I’m seeing—and loving—is this move toward warmth and texture. Painted woods in olive greens, deep ochres, even moody charcoal, but with a finish that’s not perfect. Think slightly brush-marked, or with a whisper of grain peeking through. It feels human, you know? Not like a showroom. My own kitchen? I went for a Farrow & Ball “French Gray” on lower cabinets last autumn. In the morning light, it looks almost blue, but by evening, it’s this cozy, stormy grey. Two colours in one, and it hides my toddler’s sticky fingerprints like a dream.
And the hardware! It’s all about personality now. I ditched those boring knobs from the big DIY shed and found these antique brass cup pulls from a reclamation yard in Bristol. They’ve got little dents and a patina—makes opening a drawer feel like an event. I’ve seen others using fluted wood handles, or even leather straps. It’s the jewellery of the kitchen, really.
Now, the backsplash. This is where people are having proper fun. The big idea? Treat it as art, not just a splash guard. I’m obsessed with handmade zellige tiles—those Moroccan ones with the slight glaze variation. I used them behind my hob in a soft pink beige. When the kettle steams up or the evening sun hits them… oh, they shimmer. Every tile is a tiny bit different, so the whole wall moves. It’s alive.
But it’s not all fancy tiles. Some are going bold with slabs of bookmatched marble—where the veining mirrors itself across the join. Stunning, but crikey, you need a brave heart and a deep pocket for that. Others are keeping it simple but clever: think long, skinny bricks in a pale limewash colour, stacked vertically. It draws the eye up and makes a low ceiling feel taller. Saw that in a flat in Edinburgh—utterly clever.
What’s really ticking boxes, though, is linking the two. Cabinets and backsplash talking to each other. Not matching, but conversing. Like, deep green cabinets with a backsplash of handmade terra cotta tiles. Earthy and rich. Or pale oak cabinets paired with a glossy, midnight blue subway tile. Classic but with a twist.
I remember helping a client in Brighton who was terrified of colour. We did cream cabinets but used a backsplash of these incredible hand-painted Portuguese tiles with little cobalt blue fish on them. Now every time she makes a cuppa, she smiles. That’s the point, isn’t it? Your kitchen should give you a little jolt of joy.
So yeah, if there’s a thread for how things are shaping up, it’s character over catalogue. Materials that tell a story, combinations that feel collected, not bought in one go. It’s about a kitchen that feels like it’s always been there, even if you just finished it last week. Forget the pristine, sterile labs of the past. We want spaces that are warm, a bit imperfect, and honestly, just a joy to be in. Now, if you’ll excuse me, all this talk has made me desperate for a brew. That new tile behind my kettle really does make the water taste better… or maybe that’s just me!
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