Flooring company Floor & Decor just released its 2026 Design Trends Forecast, which highlights a few interior design styles currently on the rise.
One of the report’s most interesting trend predictions for this year is a warm and bright kitchen aesthetic called the “Crème Brûlée Kitchen” — a trend that Owning Manhattan star Peter Zaitzeff exclusively shared his thoughts about with Dengarden.
To learn more about this design style and how to incorporate it into your kitchen on a budget, read on.
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What Is a Crème Brûlée Kitchen?
The Crème Brûlée Kitchen jazzes up the traditional white kitchen with a variety of warm neutral shades, such as vanilla, eggshell, almond and toasted marshmallow. These toasty tones can make a bright kitchen a bit more cozy without having to add too much color, per Floor & Decor.
“A Crème Brûlée Kitchen is as delectable as it sounds,” Ashley Biscan, Design & Trend Expert, Floor & Decor, tells Dengarden exclusively. “It’s a refined take on the classic white cookery. Toasted neutrals add warmth and depth without compromising freshness.”
A crème brûléePhoto by Adam Gault on Getty Images (Photo by Adam Gault on Getty Images)
According to SERHANT realtor Peter Zaitzeff, who stars in Netflix’sOwning Manhattan, wealthy home buyers are embracing the Crème Brûlée Kitchen aesthetic.
“I’m noticing a clear shift toward warmer neutral kitchens in luxury new developments across New York City,” Zaitzeff exclusively shares with Dengarden. “These tones are overtaking stark whites to create spaces that feel brighter, more inviting, and inherently more residential — a design direction high-end buyers are really responding to.”
How to Create a Crème Brûlée Kitchen on a Budget
Just because Crème Brûlée Kitchens are upscale doesn’t mean you can’t achieve the look on a budget.
“Achieve a luxury look without the price tag using materials within the same color palette,” Biscan says. “Variation in tonal finishes across cabinetry, backsplash tiles, and countertops is simplistic yet elevated.”
Two of Biscan’s favorite products to pair together in a Crème Brûlée Kitchen are Floor & Decor’s Sugarhill Stained Sugar Cookie Cabinets and Benjamin Moore’s Swiss Coffee paint color. She also recommends installing a mosaic backsplash of marble tiles in shades of ecru, eggshell and vanilla.
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This story was originally published by Dengarden on Jan 17, 2026, where it first appeared in the Interior Design section. Add Dengarden as a Preferred Source by clicking here.