Sustainable Kitchen Trends in 2020
Last Updated: Mar 19, 2025The kitchen may be the most utilized space in our homes. As such, the kitchen is an area in which we can significantly impact our goals toward healthy, comfortable, and sustainable living. Especially with today’s open-plan interiors that unite living, dining, and kitchen into one contiguous space, there is a lot we can do, beyond esthetics, to make these spaces benefit our health, wealth, and also, of course, the planet.
Consider the fact that kitchens are the place where kids do homework while the parents make dinner. Kitchens are the space where, during parties, guests seem to insist on congregating. In many new homes, a cocktail or wine bar, a small office or laptop area, the laundry room, or outdoor food prep or eating area may also be considered part of the kitchen.
Whether a dedicated chef or cook or someone who needs to get food on the table, we’re still spending lots of time in our kitchens these days cooking healthful meals, growing our herbs, and fermenting vegetables, and more while hanging out with family.
If you’re looking to incorporate more energy efficiency and sustainability in your kitchen bit by bit or through an entire remodel, we’ve got the 411 on making your kitchen light on the planet in 2020.
Looking for the latest? Check out our 2021 Kitchen and Dining Trends: Think Refresh, Not Remodel article.
Table of Contents
- Use Low or no-VOC and Natural Finishes
- Choose Electric Appliances Over Gas
- Smart Home Appliances Are in for 2020
- Buy Sustainable and Healthy Cabinetry
- Use Natural Countertop Materials
- Final Notes
Use Low or no-VOC and Natural Finishes
Low- or no-VOC wall and ceiling paints are a given. Jeneva Aaron, founder of and blogger at thehousewire.com, is a fan of milk paint. “Homeowners have used milk paint for millennia,” she says. “Some of the earliest cave paintings have traces of milk in the pigment. Almost all houses in colonial America were painted with it. It’s come back as it’s a safe and organic alternative to latex or oil-based paints. Companies like The Real Milk Paint Co., are making unbelievable paints in gorgeous colors without using toxic materials. Their paint buckets even come with loose pigment so that you can mix your colors.”
Choosing the perfect colors to match your tastes and stand that test of time can seem difficult, but it doesn't have to be. The 2020 kitchen trend is to not have just one color, but several complimentary colors. White and light gray are neutral colors that can easily take center stage in any kitchen. They are complemented well with lighter shades of charcoal, black, blue, red, yellow, and green. Natural light will also help to brighten your kitchen and bring the colors alive.
Final Notes
Energy efficiency is more than a trend, of course. Climate change is here. Managing our resource consumption has reached a critical level. Homeowners committed to sustainability already know that energy-efficient lighting, fixtures, and appliances, as well as low-flow water fixtures and even touch-free sink faucets (which minimize water use with automatic shut off), are integral components of the sustainable kitchen.
We can always do more, as well. From choosing more durable and lower footprint countertops to composting kitchen scraps, proper ventilation to lower footprint flooring, creating a kitchen—the hub of the 2020 home—that’s comfortable, functional, and sustainable now and into the future is key to a happy, healthy home.
Camille LeFevre
Camille LeFevre is an architecture and design writer based in the Twin Cities.
