While minimalism will never truly go out of style, the world of interior design is definitely seeing a shift toward bolder, more expressive styles. This wave began to form in 2025 and is expected to continue well into 2026. In the kitchen, this trend manifests itself, among other things, in countertop surfaces with pronounced veining in contrasting colors that steal the eye and can give the room a unique feel.
Engineered stone and porcelain can mimic the look, but rich marble is the material that is truly winning the hearts of interior designers, which is closely tied to the all-encompassing demand for natural materials. For example, this is what HGTV's Nate Berkus and Jeremiah Berkus' gorgeous kitchen looks like in their New York apartment, and a style that celebrity interior designer Kelly Wearstler also often references in her projects. Speaking to Sheerluxe, London-based interior designer and bold marble lover Bari Jerauld explained the appeal perfectly. “When I walk into a room with dramatic marble, I immediately feel a sense of awe,” she confessed, adding, “Each slab tells a story… and you can feel that sense of history in the room.”
The best bold marble types and how they fit in your kitchen
Eye-catching brickwork, especially strong marble, is not always easy to incorporate into an existing kitchen. If you're just starting to design your kitchen, this is the perfect time to get started, but incorporating this striking stone into an existing space could prove challenging. Veins are like the beautiful signs of age on marble, created through a natural, living process over centuries. This means that each panel is its own work of art, and the more expressive and varied its design, the more difficult it is to decorate it. The most popular types of marble include Arabescato, Calacatta Viola, Calacatta Turquoise Antico and Calacatta Monet for black and white contrast, and Rosso Levanto or Cassiopeia for a touch of color.
To ensure bold marble takes center stage, designers recommend selecting the stone first. Everything else, from the cabinets to the flooring, should be there to complement and enhance it. There are certain materials that designers gravitate toward when designing a space around a scene-stealing slab of stone. Jerauld loves how the warmth and rich grain of darker woods like oak and walnut blend with the natural stone (according to Sheerluxe). And while Brent and Berkus opted for white cabinets instead to create an airy feel, the three designers share a penchant for textured, whitewashed plaster walls to bring out the old-world essence of marble.
Similarly, the bold stone trend also appears to overlap with a preference for continuous kitchen countertop and backsplash designs. This gives the stone an even larger stage to shine and creates a calm, uninterrupted visual flow with no competing materials or visible grout lines.