As we spend more time cooking our own meals in the trend towards being healthier and making better nutrition sources, we are more demanding about the space we are working in. More and more, kitchen design and trends, and making the space more functional is top of mind. We’re seeking not only functional changes to the kitchen, but we want the kitchen to be beautiful too. Here are some design trends that are finding traction with interior designers and home renovators.
Concealed Storage and Appliances
One of the biggest trends in kitchen design now is to conceal as much as you can. There are many things we will need to store in the kitchen and having it hidden in cleverly designed cupboards makes the kitchen look sleek and inviting. Often getting the most out of your concealed storage will require some custom-made cupboards and cabinet doors, but the result will almost always be worth it. Using tricks like pull-out pantry cupboards and pop up shelves can be a good start to the concealed storage revolution, but taking it a step further to create cabinet doors that conceal your dishwasher and even your refrigerator are also growing in popularity.
Open Storage and Shelving
Of course, it wouldn’t be a design trend if the very opposite weren’t also true. Open storage and shelving are seeing a resurgence in kitchen design this year too. Creating shelf storage means that some of the best pots and pans bundles you’ve purchased as well as your crockery is on display, creating a homely, cottage feel to your kitchen space. It might mean some extra cleaning or dusting of items you don’t use very often, so it’s a tradeoff between aesthetics and functionality. You also won’t need to rummage in cupboards to find a specific pot or pan that you need because everything will be out and on display for you.
Sustainable and Eco-Friendly Kitchens
We all want to do our part for the environment, but often what we can do is quite limited. That means that small changes in our lifestyle and home environment can help bolster our eco-credentials. The kitchen is the perfect place to start making some of these changes. Re-using woods and adding recycling receptacles are both good starts but it can go much further than that. Even the smallest things can aid your sustainability mission. Consider doing little things like switching from standard stoves to induction hobs that heat up instantly and don’t need time to heat up and waste electricity.
The Versatile Kitchen Island
Kitchen islands have always been a sought-after feature of the modern kitchen, and often tend to be the focal point of a kitchen that includes them. Taking the idea of the kitchen island and expanding what it can do is a design trend making waves. Instead of simply being a work surface, turning it into a dining table or adding drawers and cabinets to the underside for storage will mean your humble kitchen island becomes a very functional piece of furniture. Adding some caster wheels will make your kitchen island mobile, increasing its uses.Having your kitchen work for you is important as it drives you to spend the time cooking, which will lead to better choices of food and diet. If your kitchen is a beautiful place that you want to spend time in, you’re more likely to do this and not opt for takeout. Often these changes in your kitchen don’t need to be frightfully expensive and small changes can be done without spending large amounts of money.
