Spring Kitchen Trends We're Actually Excited About (And One Thing to Skip)

Spring has a way of making everyone want to refresh their space. Maybe it's the longer light, the urge to open windows, or just the general feeling that things should feel good again after a gray Pacific Northwest winter. Whatever the reason, we're here for it - and our kitchens are overdue for the conversation.

At Forge & Found, we spend a lot of time thinking about what trends are worth following and which ones will feel dated before the paint dries. This spring, two directions have us genuinely excited: mixed metals and layered natural materials. Here's why and how to do both in a way that feels intentional, not accidental.

Mixed Metals: Stop Matching, Start Layering

For years, the design rule was simple: pick a metal finish and commit. Brass fixtures, brass hardware, brass everything. Or matte black. Or brushed nickel. The idea was cohesion, but what it often produced was kitchens that felt a little flat, a little showroom-ish, a little too finished.

This spring, the rule is out the window, and we couldn't be happier about it.

Mixed metals done well create the feeling that a space has been collected over time - that someone with genuine taste made intentional choices, not a single trip to a big-box store. Think an unlacquered brass faucet paired with aged bronze cabinet hardware and a blackened steel range hood. None of it matches. All of it works.

The key word there is living finish. This is the single most important thing we tell our clients when it comes to metals: choose finishes that are meant to age. Unlacquered brass, oil-rubbed bronze, blackened steel, hand-forged iron - these materials develop a patina over time that actually makes them more beautiful, not less. They earn their character.

What to avoid? Anything with a coating designed to keep it looking brand new forever. Polished chrome, lacquered brass, or standard brushed nickel will show every scratch, every water spot, and every fingerprint - and because they're fighting the aging process rather than working with it, they eventually just look tired. A living finish wants to age. It's doing exactly what it's supposed to do.

The investment is real. Living finish fixtures typically cost more upfront. But here's the math we always walk our clients through: a quality unlacquered brass faucet that you never have to replace, versus a cheaper coated option you're swapping out in five years. The "expensive" choice is almost always the economical one in the long run.

Natural Materials: Mix Them, Layer Them, Commit to the Real Thing

If mixed metals are about collected character, natural materials are about grounding a space in something that feels genuinely alive. Stone, wood, linen, clay - these are the materials that make a kitchen feel like it belongs to the Pacific Northwest, not just a Pinterest board.

This spring, we're encouraging our clients to stop treating natural materials as an either/or decision. You don't have to choose between a marble countertop or a wood island. You can have both. A honed Calacatta marble perimeter with a thick walnut butcher block island isn't a contradiction, it's a story. Different textures, different warmths, different functions. That layering is exactly what gives a kitchen depth.

The same principle applies to stone itself. Mixing a leathered quartzite on the counters with a tumbled marble backsplash creates a richness that no single material can achieve on its own. The variation in texture, veining, and tone makes the whole space feel more considered and more alive.

Again, though: buy the real thing. We cannot say this enough. Portland homeowners are increasingly drawn to look-alike materials, engineered stone that mimics marble, LVP that mimics wood, porcelain that mimics slate. And we understand the appeal. They're cheaper, easier to maintain, and consistent in ways natural materials aren't.

But here's what you give up: the soul. Natural stone has movement. Real wood has grain. These imperfections are the point, they're what make a surface interesting twenty years from now instead of just twenty minutes after installation. Engineered materials don't age gracefully. They just age. Spend a little more, get the real thing, and never think about replacing it again.

The Bottom Line

Spring is the right time to start thinking about a kitchen refresh, not because of trends, but because a well-designed kitchen genuinely changes how you experience your home every single day. The trends we're excited about this season aren't really trends at all. They're a return to materials and approaches that have always worked: things that age beautifully, layer thoughtfully, and feel like you rather than a catalog.

If you're ready to start the conversation about your Portland kitchen remodel, we'd love to hear what you're imagining. Reach out here — we'll take it from there.