The kitchen of today is the focal point of your home; a place where the family is brought together after a day of work or school, or an area where you socialise with friends. For the past twenty years, cooking has gradually become Britain’s favourite hobby, with TV shows such as Masterchef and the Great British Bakeoff becoming staples in the national consciousness. This, combined with the increasing trend of kitchens becoming dining rooms, has led to kitchens becoming more and more important. Whereas decades ago, it might have been somewhere unseen at the back of the house, today the kitchen is now the beating heart of most people’s homes.
Whether it’s the latest fashion trends or the newest in fancy applications and technology, how a kitchen looks and functions is now a high priority in people’s minds! Kitchen designs have changed hugely throughout human history with a multitude of different looks – even throughout our own lifetimes. If you are building a kitchen or perhaps thinking about an upgrade, here are the biggest trends in contemporary kitchen design for 2019:
1. Kitchen Islands To Help Kitchen Units
Kitchen islands, particularly single level multipurpose ones, are becoming more and more popular across the homes of Britain. As the once humble kitchen takes to the main stage in people’s thoughts, kitchen islands are no longer just some means of squeezing more space into our increasingly smaller homes. Kitchen islands have increasingly become the focal point of kitchens, and have begun to take on new practical functions. Combined with the trend for open-plan kitchens and their merging with living and dining rooms, kitchen islands have begun to take on new tasks. As well as their usual storage capabilities, modern kitchen islands are now more likely to offer sinks and taps, clever storage for appliances and a greater emphasis on serving as a casual dining or drinking bar.
2. Ceramic Tiles In Kitchen Design
Though hardwood has been the most fashionable flooring for new kitchens a good while, ceramic tiling is becoming increasingly popular. This material is easy to maintain when compared to others and its surface texture can even be designed to mimic other materials. Ceramic flooring offers a stunning range of different styles and designs through the development of new technology and has brought down its price significantly. Thanks to this, kitchen lovers are increasingly able to match their ceramic tiles to the overall decor of their kitchen at an affordable price.
3. Innovative Storage Cabinets
Houses in Britain are getting more and more unaffordable to the average person while new build homes are being designed increasingly smaller. As a result, kitchens are being squeezed in size, which makes adequate storage ever more important. With people having more utensils, greater cuisine options and more recycling bins, there is a need for better storage solutions. Being able to efficiently and conveniently store utensils, appliances and food has led to a number of innovations in the kitchen, including developments in cabinet design. Conventional cabinets are quite inefficient at storage, with valuable space being unnecessarily wasted. Better storage solutions can include pull-outs for condiments or spices, trays that rollout, drawer dividers for knives and forks, tray dividers, and caddies for pans and similar items.
4. Darker Cabinets
White or pale colours have ruled the roost in kitchens for a long time now but times are changing. Darker coloured kitchen cabinets were often criticised in the past as potentially making a room looks smaller, oppressive and even less hygienic! This is no longer the case, however, and people are beginning to see darker shades in their kitchens as a refreshing change to the conventional look. Wood stained colours or different paint tones give kitchens a new perspective and can create a completely different atmosphere. Black, dark brown, purple and other similar colours can give the most important room in the house a traditional and luxurious feel. Be careful that you don’t overpower the kitchen with your dark tones, however – sometimes less is more!
5. Smart Bespoke Kitchens
Kitchens have benefited hugely from technology throughout the last century, with hot running water, microwaves, refrigerators, electric kettles and more, becoming ubiquitous in kitchens throughout Britain. The next evolution in the kitchen is the advent of smart technology, which consists of nearly every aspect of the room being integrated with technology. From taps to lighting, from ovens to coffeemakers, large parts of the kitchen are or will soon become smart kitchens. The technology can go from simple, easy-to-install motion sensors to refrigerators alerting you when you run out of a certain food or your eggs are about to go bad. The rise in the smart kitchen is also facilitated by the smartphone which allows the owner to control various parts of the smart kitchen remotely from another room or even outside the house. Many kitchens being built from the ground up feature smart technology, whereas older existing kitchen is gradually being upgraded with the latest in the technology.
6. Quartz Kitchen Tops
Quartz is a material that stupidly tough, anti-microbial and is very simple to maintain. Though used for many things, in recent years the substance has come to dominate high-end kitchen tops around Britain. When they first start to be used there were concerns that the possible styles, colours and finishes were limited; thankfully technology has allowed the production of a wide range of different types of quartz kitchen tops. Spectacular whirls in the material along with stone patterns are now standard features, and there is a degree of custom personalisation possibilities for that unique quartz kitchen top.
In recent years, quartz kitchen tops have become more neutral in tone with a definite trend towards softer colours. White, cream and greyish colours along with veining surfaces, have become more fashionable across Britain and have followed the recent trend towards cleaner styles in general.
7. Streamlined Kitchens
Whether it’s building materials, surfaces or designs, there has definitely been a move towards a streamlined aesthetic in kitchens recently. Traditional designs such as Mid-Century Modern and Rustic, though still popular, are gradually being superceded by straight lines and a larger and brighter atmosphere. Smaller and more crowded kitchens benefit from this new style and combine well with the trend of removing cabinets and the promotion of a more open plan feel. Open shelves can contribute towards this effect, as can utilizing countertop space more efficiently. Materials with texture such as industrial tubing can also be employed to differ from the usual plain and sparkly vibe you get with many kitchens.
Grays Fitted Furniture
Norwich-based Grays Fitted Furniture has built itself an unparalleled reputation for quality and customer service in its half-century of operation. By ordering with Grays Fitted Furniture you are drawing on the experience and expertise of a highly qualified team of craftsmen and craftswomen, that can design, plan and build to your exact specifications. Regardless of whether it is your kitchen, bedroom, bathroom or living room, Grays Fitted Furniture’s staff have the skills and experience to create bespoke products that will transform your home. We operate across a range of different styles and our custom-made furniture is raved about by our customers. Our bespoke service makes us the obvious choice for your furniture requirements in and around Norfolk. Contact us today on 01603 860 694 to see how we can help transform your home.
