The heart of the home wants to be adorned, to have soft sculptural lines and secret spaces to conceal technology. From decorative splashbacks to dining tables made of precious stone, here are 7 kitchen trends to try.
Kitchen design has moved on from cool colour combinations to a warmer palette that offers piping hot inspiration.
The mood is about reimagining materials, from precious stone used in furnishings as well as countertops.
Splashbacks take their lead from decorative jewellery design, and islands are now sculptural shapes that are tactile to the touch.
Here are 7 trends to work into your home.
Lighting takes centre stage
This romantic deVol kitchen in an Edwardian home in the Chiltern Hills, north west of London, is deceptively functional, hiding all the essentials for busy family life behind its elegant Shaker doors.
But it is the Belle Epoque style chandelier lighting over the island that brings a freshness to this classic look.
Such lighting styles are decorative rather than functional and, as such, help root the space within a larger room.
Prices start from €13,850, excluding delivery and installation.
Sculptural shapes
Cesar is a high-end Italian kitchen company that is family-owned.
Its Tangram by García Cumini offers a much more sculptural approach to cabinetry.
It comprises five curved modular units that can be combined with straight elements at will, to build kitchen islands with unusual forms, compositions that can even wrap around corners.
The materials shown include red metallic lacquer, desaturated chestnut with breccia sarda stone tops. Exclusive in Ireland to Realm Concepts, a Cesar kitchen as shown will start at around €60,000 excluding worktops, delivery and installation.
The company also produces its own natural stone tops starting at €15,000 at this scale, but Realm also works with local fabricators.
Bejewel splashbacks
Splashbacks are becoming more decorative, with some resembling jewellery boxes in their intricacy.
These ideas can be as detailed as your budget allows. A really simple way to inject a fresh look is this enamel-like blue scallop tile aluminium splashback that will elevate the look of a hob.
The panel, which has an on-trend art nouveau look, stands 80 cm high and is 60 cm wide and can be installed in an afternoon. It costs €146 from B&Q.
Invisible upgrade
Kitchens have become open, social spaces with much of the heavy lifting now behind closed doors. These conceal pantries, laundry rooms, and utility spaces.
Kitchen cabinets too screen many technologies. A really simple way to upgrade existing air quality is the installation of a high-performance extractor such as Neff’s design hood.
It drops down when in use and has a smart automatic air sensor that adjusts its settings based on what’s happening on the hob below.
When done, it pops back out of sight. On display at Neff’s Home of Innovation showroom in the M50 Business Park, Dublin 12, it comes in six different sizes and costs from about €229.
Hourglass curves
The curved Topos island by German brand Leicht will add a touch of Hollywood glamour to the kitchen.
The rounded edges will instantly soften the look of a space and make this island look more like a piece of furniture.
Shown in a painted finish, featuring its Hygge Nordic Fresh and extending to 2.5 metres long by 1.2 metres wide, prices for this six-drawer unit start from about €13,000 fitted at McNally Living.
This price excludes worktops, appliances and sinks. Prices for a Leicht kitchen start from about €50,000.
Curved cabinetry
Neptune’s Henley painted curved glass cabinet is a great way to create a punctuation point between the seating and kitchen areas of an open-plan space.
You can use it to show off dinner sets, serveware and any family silver you have.
The solid timber frame has curved glass panels and flattened brass handles, subtle strip lights and adjustable shelves so you can play with height and scale. It costs €6.395 to order.
Rich and rare dining table materials
Inject colour into an open plan space through the use of richly veined stone to add textural luxury to a space.
Lema Mobili’s Traverso table has soft curves and feels sensual to the touch. The piece is a serious high-end design statement.
Pictured in red Lepanto marble, on both the top and legs, it extends to 2.9 metres by 115 metres wide and costs €48,000.
It also comes in a smaller version, which is 2.4 metres long. Prices for it start from €44,280, and it is available to order through Arena Kitchens.
