PHPD takes a look at some of the trends influencing the design of new kitchens.
The kitchen has always been the hub of the home and a hive of activity for family life and this is what makes it such an important selling point for property developers.
With the kitchen at the heart of family life, there’s little wonder that open plan layouts have become so much more than just a passing trend. As consumers increasingly choose to entertain at home and therefore use the space to prepare meals, but also to enjoy time together with friends and family, so the kitchen has become truly multi-functional.
With the kitchen becoming ever more part of the living area, there has been a move towards practical layouts, with the island unit really coming into its own, offering a natural way of zoning the kitchen and living areas and also provide an informal seating area.
Mixed materials
Warm materials such as timber, are also being introduced more and more as a way of adding character to the space. “We are seeing a lot of mixed materials being used in the kitchen,” comments Steve Tough Commercial Director of Masterclass Kitchens. “Customers like the natural beauty of materials such as wood and are increasingly requesting for this to be combined with high gloss units, which bounce light around smaller spaces and can be used to add definition to certain areas of the kitchen too.”
Wood is not the only natural materials that is increasingly being seen in the kitchen, with others including granite and stone. Work surfaces crafted from these natural materials top off a high end project, while composite surfaces are also on trend, offering all the durability and beauty of a stone worktop while also making it possible to incorporate a little more colour into the kitchen.
“Composite is an extraordinarily versatile surfacing material which offers a host of benefits in performance and aesthetics, with incredible application and design flexibility which designers love,” explains Marco Cioffi, md of Okite UK. “Composite worktops are available in a huge range of textures and finishes, including those which resemble natural materials such as granite or timber, but the beauty of this is that they offer a much higher level of durability in the busy family kitchen, creating a truly individual design that is also highly practical.
“Composite also has a very high temperature resistance due to its mineral content, making it ideal for use in the kitchen, as it offers a much greater resistant to burning than laminate worktops. This, combined with its seamless finish which reduces difficult-to-clean areas that attract bacteria, makes solid surfacing hard to beat in terms of hygiene and durability.”
Colours and curves
Such materials for surfaces and splash backs also offer the opportunity to introduce colour into the kitchen without the risk of it being too overbearing. Bright, bold colours add interest to larger kitchen areas while for more compact spaces they are often used as accents, providing a contrast to a predominantly neutral colour scheme.
In terms of kitchen designs, curves are a big trend and are being introduced to large and small kitchen alike as a way of giving the space a soft and welcoming feel. Curves also help larger rooms flow freely from one area to the next and can be teamed with handleless drawers and doors for a completely streamlined finish in the contemporary kitchen. “We recently extended our collection of curved cabinets,” explains Masterclass’s Tough. “These can be chosen for sweeping end units or to transform a tall larder unit into a focal point. For the ultimate statement piece, curves look stunning when used to create a semi-circular island unit for the centre of the room.”
Modern or traditional
Curves can be introduced equally as well to a classic kitchen design and while it can be tempting to always opt for a modern look, particularly if the property itself is new build, many consumers will be sold on a kitchen that offers a timeless elegance. Kitchens that are quintessentially British in their design are popular, as they offer a welcoming and homely feel that never goes out of fashion.
“We have seen a marked rise in the trend for Shaker style and country painted kitchens over the past few years,” comments Tough from Masterclass. “This move was largely born out of the recession originally, with homeowners wanting a kitchen that would last the test of time and not date too quickly. However, the trend continues today and is being influenced by some of the nation’s most popular TV shows as much as anything else. The kitchen used on the Great British Bake Off, for example, had customers requesting our powder blue units in their droves. Team this with a traditional range cooker and you’ve got a kitchen that Mary Berry would be proud of.
“It’s important to remember when designing the kitchen though, that more than just a fashion statement, such programmes have led to the nation using their kitchens to cook more too, so now more than ever the design needs to work both practically and aesthetically.
“Above any other room in the home, kitchens sell houses so it’s crucial to get the design right.”
