Over 122,000 of us have tagged our floating shelves on Instagram – at our last count. Not only are they practical, but they are the perfect spot to show off your most attractive kitchen accessories, making your kitchen feel more like a living space than a cooking space.
With cool new kitchen brands popping up and lots of innovative design ideas and clever twists on old appliance designs on display in kitchen showrooms across the country, there are plenty of on-trend looks and state-of-the-art appliances to pick from. Below are some of TraVek's favorite trends! See the full list of trends at Homes and Gardens.
1. Marble
It’s the time of strongly veined marble, the busier the better for unmissable luxury and next-level style. If there’s one thing that’s storming the style charts and shaking up interiors, it’s the return of marble.
As an architect, Natalia Miyar has a great passion for materiality and uses the finest, high-quality materials in her design schemes. She says ‘heavily veined marble is making a significant comeback in the design world and has become synonymous with high-end luxury.’ A popular choice for kitchens and bathrooms, it is also highly sustainable; its durability, classic attributes, and ability to withstand passing trends make it a good investment.
Marbles with naturally strong veining add statement value and create a textural contract between other polished surfaces, metals, and woods. Within a kitchen, Natalia uses marble to create an elegant bath, an eye-catching sink, or a kitchen island.
2. Wood Finishes
Out of fashion for a while, wood is now enjoying a bit of a revival. Use subtle-grained ash, paler than oak or walnut, to pick out the warm tones in manmade stone.
3. Color Pops
Throw the rulebook out of the window in favor of unexpected paint-color pairings. Kitchens are rife with color opportunities, from appliances and flooring, to window treatments and cabinets.
Start by deciding how much a permanent commitment you are willing to make. One of the easiest and least expensive options is to paint a wall that can be easily updated should you tire of it. Choosing a color is such a personal experience – in fact, no one knows for sure whether we all even see the myriad shades in the same way.
Mark Wilkinson, the founder of Mark Wilkinson Furniture, believes that the colors we choose automatically are naturally influenced by current fashions. 'The color in a kitchen – be it on walls or fittings – should last for at least five years, minimum, so try to look beyond immediate trends and choose a color that will keep you feeling good long term,' he advises.
4. Double Islands
With the move towards larger kitchens, in open-plan spaces, the kitchen island has become an essential kitchen feature. A pair of island units has become the last work in luxury, an expansive addition for when space is no object.
5. Pantries
Pantry cupboards have been kitchen staples for centuries and, in the last few years, have established themselves as one of the must-have items in modern homes.
'Having a pantry makes perfect sense. All the food goods are in one place and not scattered around in numerous wall cupboards, meaning people can be more organized when doing their food shopping.
'The other great advantage of a larder and its storage capacity is that a kitchen no longer needs to be full of wall cupboards. It frees up entire walls to either be left free or have an attractive piece of artwork in the kitchen which in turn helps it feel less like a kitchen and instead more of a relaxed environment, perfect for open plan living areas,' says Leisha Norman, Designer, Harvey Jones.
6. Appliances in Drawers
This isn't so much a new innovation – Fisher & Paykel introduced its first DishDrawer™ 20 years ago. However, as we become more interested in the ergonomics of our kitchens – and more of us suffer back problems – these innovative appliances will become more popular.
Fisher & Paykel’s DishDrawer™ and CoolDrawer™ provide an array of functions that make life easier. When placed at bench height, the need to bend down is significantly reduced and there is no longer a need for you to get on your knees to fill the salt, rinse aid, or detergent – it is as easy to open as a normal drawer.
7. Utility Rooms & Mud Rooms
Ancillary spaces – we mean a functional but thoughtfully considered utility, pantry, larder, and mudroom – provide the perfect space in which to house everyday essentials away from the main kitchen. Ancillary spaces and larder cupboards have become the ultimate status symbol and are fast becoming number one on kitchen wish lists.
‘Having a utility room has become a status symbol. Coupled with the current trend for neat and tidy spaces and zealous cleaning, it provides a much-needed dedicated housekeeping area,’ says Design Director at British Standard and Plain English, Merlin Wright.
8. Pendant Lighting
Our feature on Instagram kitchen trends looked into what was trending on Insta for kitchens. Kitchen islands came out tops, but the next searched term was 'pendant lights'.
More than just a practical addition, kitchen pendant lighting is a decorative feature over worktop spaces, too.
'Lighting is key to any kitchen design scheme,' comments Sarah Davies of Floella Interiors. 'My advice would be to be open to exploring the use of a pendant light in different ways; for example, grouping multiple pendants to add drama to the kitchen.'
9. White Kitchens
There are many good reasons why white kitchens are so enduringly popular: white is calm, neat, minimal, and light-enhancing – all must-have qualities in a space that's increasingly busy (and sometimes somewhat chaotic).
White is also so easy to change up: 'white cabinets are great for giving you that fresh clean minimal look but are also a great backdrop for layering up color and texture,' adds Sarah.
And, of course, white kitchens are the most likely to please potential buyers, should you decide it's time to move on.
10. Floating Shelves
