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The COVID crisis has meant that many of us are spending more time at home than ever before. This also means that many of us have been spending more time than ever in our kitchens. The kitchen has increasingly become the heart of our homes, providing a common ground for cooking, working, and leisure alike. In light of this, I’ve decided to start putting my extra kitchen time to good use: less time looking in the fridge, more time looking at everything around the fridge. Here are the up-and-coming kitchen design trends for my favourite room’s much needed renovation when all of this blows over.
Kitchen Units
Kitchen Units are the centrepiece of any kitchen, the point where its functional and aesthetic aspects meet. Kitchen Warehouse break this down into three simple but important decisions. First, Solid Wood or Painted Units? Solid Wood looks upmarket, timeless, and is a one-step solution to a kitchen that will impress. But some like their kitchens a little more playful, and this is where the popping colours of Painted Units come into the mix. Second, Gloss or Matt Units? This is of particular importance to those with younger sous-chefs; glossier units pick up more marks – sticky fingerprints included. Matt finishes gather less dirt, but are much harder to clean when they do. Third and finally, kitchen doors: Shaker or Handleless? Shaker is good for busy kitchens; handles make access quick and easy, plus they endure the marks and knocks that come with the terrain. Handlessles are sleek, urban, and terribly on-trend.
Is It Really that Simple?
Can we complicate these distinctions? Absolutely, say trendsetters. With open-plan living always on the rise, and young people making more out of smaller spaces, kitchens are for more than just cooking. For many the kitchen has become one with the living room, so soft and comfortable furnishings have their place too.
For some, the kitchen becomes a place to reflect the area in which they live, with the rich and raw materials of industry, or the bright and contrasting colours of 1970s revival both on the rise. The answer is to mix-and-match. Mix rich textures like gloss, matt, and wood grains. Using them in juxtaposition to one another or to the other furniture in your kitchen can add depth, character, and intrigue to any space.
Colours
But which colours should I be matching or contrasting with? Solid Wood or Cool White are always clean, classic, and cohesive. Blue has been in for the last few months. Navy Blue, in particular, has seen a 45% increase in interest in the past year, and can make for a dramatic and sophisticated space. However, the new-normal of kitchen colouring is set to be Green. Emerald and Deep Forest Greens are set to be a key style in the coming months, with botanical hues doing for 2020 what florals did for the mid-2000s. Never forget though, that in a year as crazy and stressful as 2020, calm is always cool; dusty pinks, soft greys, and sage greens could be the best thing for those that want a composed and collected kitchen.
Double Trouble
The final trend that caught my eye is another for the family-focused: Double and Dining Islands. Islands have long provided a way of gaining worktop space and a casual dining area. But why stop at one? Consider a dining-island, a small feature added to the end of your island to provide a relaxed but distinct dining space. Or, if its double the functionality you want, consider a second island. Double your storage and workspace, half your cleaning time with the addition of dual sinks, and maintain the pitter-patter of kitchen traffic-flow.
Whoever you are, whatever units, colours and combinations best suit you, rest assured that your new kitchen can be one of the best and brightest things to emerge from a strange and uncertain year.