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Warmer wood tones, visible grain and natural textures are gaining momentum in kitchen design, signaling another shift away from the cooler, high-contrast looks that have dominated residential interiors in recent years.
MasterBrand Inc.’s newly released 2027 kitchen trends report, based on surveys of more than 2,000 kitchen design professionals across the U.S. and Canada, identifies the return of wood finishes as one of the key material trends expected to shape kitchens in the coming year.
For the first time in 15 years, medium-toned stains have moved into the top position alongside light wood stains and creamy off-whites, according to MasterBrand. The cabinet manufacturer said the shift reflects growing interest in warmer, more natural interiors and is placing greater attention on wood species, texture, stain and visible grain.
“Homeowners are embracing functional features such as appliance garages, textured wood species and bringing nature indoors through color to create spaces that reflect how they live and feel,” said Stephanie Pierce, senior director of marketing operations and innovation at MasterBrand.
The findings provide a notable downstream trend indicator for cabinet, component and decorative surface manufacturers as designers increasingly look to materials that deliver warmth, texture and natural character.
MasterBrand reinforced the trend with its 2027 Impactful Finish of the Year, Kanga, a warm mid-tone stain designed to emphasize rather than obscure wood grain. The finish is being introduced across several MasterBrand cabinet lines under different names, including Cello from Decora Cabinets, Seed from StarMark Cabinetry and Fieldstone Cabinetry, Karoo from Homecrest Cabinetry and Ashnut from Omega Cabinetry.
Color and texture continue to expand
The move toward warmer wood is part of a broader interest in personalization and materiality identified in the survey.
MasterBrand reported that 88 percent of homeowners are interested in experimenting with color. Creamy off-whites remain popular, while green has emerged as the dominant accent color. Designers are also pairing those colors with organic stone and other natural materials to introduce additional visual and tactile texture.
Material quality is another consideration. According to the research, one in three homeowners said they wished they had selected higher-quality materials during their kitchen renovation, reinforcing the importance of material and finish decisions early in the design process.
Function influences material and cabinet choices
Functionality is also reshaping kitchen layouts and cabinet specifications as kitchens increasingly accommodate cooking, dining, working and entertaining.
MasterBrand found 57 percent of designers are using a hybrid approach combining lifestyle, activity-based and traditional work zones. Appliance garages and integrated waste and recycling storage are among the functional features gaining traction as homeowners seek to minimize visible clutter.
Taken together, the findings suggest the 2027 kitchen will continue moving toward a more layered aesthetic in which woodgrain, texture, natural color and material quality play increasingly prominent roles, while cabinetry is expected to deliver greater flexibility and concealed functionality.
MasterBrand’s findings are based on two online surveys conducted among its dealer customers and designers across the U.S. and Canada in 2025, with a combined 2,196 respondents. The company supplemented those results with input from its Dealer Designer Council and ongoing trend analysis.
