Kitchens are the hot renovation space with new approaches that combine technology, healthy living, the environment and getting closer to nature.
It’s no longer enough to have a kitchen that’s a practical space to prepare meals – kitchens are now wellness areas that are a central hub of health, style and family. Here are the top trends we’re seeing:
Back-to-nature themes
New top-rated designs deliver beautiful, seamless flow from the kitchen to outdoor areas. Designers say it’s all about connecting with the outside, recommending full glass sliding doors that offer a visual connection and increase the natural light.
The cabinetry must be sleek and minimalist with island benches or peninsulas that offer great storage spaces and seating for casual dining. Glass-fronted and open-shelving are being embraced once more with more audacious styles featuring ’60s-style coloured glass.
Highlights of blue and green enhance the environmental vibe
All-white cabinetry is on the outer as designs embraces earthy and neutral colours that maintain the environmental theme. Colour schemes are now embracing blues and greens to reflect the turn back to nature. Appliances that can’t be hidden, such as the fridge and stove, are being powder-coated in back-to-nature greens and blues that blend beautifully with outdoor areas featuring lush greenery. They offer sensational splashes of brightness against neutral cabinetry and help the feeling of flow to outdoor areas.
Sustainable materials
Sustainability of the materials and lighting solutions are a fundamental part of any new kitchen build. Quartz and black stainless steel are dramatic and popular new materials but don’t appear to have pushed marble, Caesarstone and granite to the sidelines just yet.
One popular choice for handles and other door and drawer furniture is ombre metal, a light brass-colour that offers the feel of craftsmanship and nature.
Hi-tech appliances support health goals
The kitchen is now recognised as an integral part of our desire for health and wellbeing. Hot new appliances that promote healthy eating include steam cookers, multi-cookers and professional-grade blenders. Some kitchen designers are going a step further by offering built-in vacuum sealers in the pantry!
Bespoke column fridges, once a luxury item, allow you to pair any size of fridge and freezer based on your dietary needs. Temperature-controlled pantries is another popular innovation. These technologies allow you to better store and access the freshness of fruit and vegetables.
Indulgences aren’t forgotten with wine racks and wine fridges now considered essential. Kitchen designers are also offering sink tops that open and close on demand, fridge doors that will open as you approach, and button-controlled taps. Built-in Bluetooth speakers are a must and mood lighting that can be controlled by your Google Home or Alexa will become common.
A minimalist vibe that’s big on storage
You’ll see more work-surfaces that can be retracted into walls to maintain that minimalist feel. Designers are responding to the increase in appliances with ceiling-height cupboards and overhead cabinets to hide away the toaster and coffee-maker, plus other items that sit on work benches doing nothing for most of the week.
The island bench retains its popularity as a gathering point for the family’s casual meals and snacks. New designs are maximising the storage spaces these offer.
Peninsulas – eating benches attached to the wall – are making a comeback in difficult lay-outs such as an L-shaped room. They’re increasingly incorporating so-called waterfall tops where the material, such as marble or stone, flows over the edge and down to the floor.
