Is traditional English style the next big thing in the US?

In the design world, it’s often said that we are usually 5-10 years behind what Europe is doing stylistically. Is the United States still behind or are we running in tandem? Is the next big design style derived from the US or from our friends across the pond?

Opposition Research

Why pick England specifically? Easy, I just got married there in June and I somehow managed to visit 7 kitchen and bath showrooms while we were there. In addition to that, we visited a few others when I was shortlisted for an international design award a couple years back. Couple all of this with the many, many accounts I follow on social media, I’d say I’ve gotten a pretty good dose of what English kitchen design looks like today.

England, like the United States, has at least 2 major overarching design trends at any given time. In lieu of our farmhouse kitchen, popularized by Chip & Joanna, the English have their own transitional style. We may call it a “traditional English kitchen”, but they can more accurately be described as a Georgian-era kitchen. Georgian architecture, aptly named after King George I through George IV, spanned from 1714 to 1830 and marked their consecutive reigns. In the United States, we see influences of Georgian architecture pop up through the decades, but most notably in our colonial revival style architecture.

Diametrically opposed, the second major trend consists of sleek contemporary kitchens focused on minimalism and functionality. Much of this influence comes from across other parts of Europe where the contemporary aesthetic dominates. If you were to visit EuroCucina, the world’s largest kitchen and bath design event, in Milan in 2024, you’d see these kitchens ranging anywhere from clean and crisp, to earthy and biophilic, to dark and moody.

Something for Everyone

There’s parts to love of both of these aesthetics. Personally, my aesthetic is a bit more traditional. I love depth, interest, and detail. I’ve been called an over-designer, but I take it as a badge of honor. What surprised me when I visited multiple locations of possibly the most notable Georgrian-era firm in London, was how truly primitive these kitchens were. And I don’t just mean in their simplistic aesthetic, but in functionality and construction. With brush marks strewn across the back of cabinet doors which, to the touch, felt like they lacked a top coat altogether, this manufacturer truly was going for the look and feel of the late 18th century. The cabinetry lacked soft-close hinging, drawer glides, and other amenities that we don’t dare design a kitchen without. Despite Georgian style focusing on functionality over ornate aesthetics, these kitchens had the interior functionality of the 18th century. Doth mine eyes deceive me? I even had to visit another one of their showrooms just to confirm what I saw. Sure enough, it was just as crude as the other. Nonetheless, their aesthetic is incredibly beautiful and whomever marketed them as a luxury manufacturer deserves a medal. Now that we’ve done our research, Brandy and I will build you a Georgian kitchen out of our garage – don’t all line up at once!

Now this wasn’t true for all of the showrooms I visited. Others maintained a similar aesthetic, but added in some of the amenities. Unlike American showrooms, these showrooms typically focused on specific styles, whereas many of our showrooms display vignettes across the aesthetic-board. The most well known contemporary European brands also had good representation in the major cities as well.

Georgian Influence in the US

Did you see a Georgian-era kitchen that you wanted to recreate in the United States? Luckily for you, there are designers who have adopted this notable English style and claim it as their own. Don’t worry though, you won’t need to seek out these specific designers to achieve this look. Any designer who’s worth their weight and knows how to work with framed inset cabinetry can create a Georgian kitchen for you. The farmhouse kitchen, which is really just a basic transitional kitchen with some beams and a little bit of texture, has past it’s heyday, Television networks need to search for the next big thing to flood interested eyes with. My prediction is you will see more of this style start to dominate in the United States.

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