New Trends in Kitchen Design

The kitchen is the heart of the home. Traditionally, fitted kitchens had a tendency to look clinical, more like a doctor’s office than a warm, family gathering spot. Fortunately, today’s homeowners and home builders have a myriad of choices when designing a kitchen. They can opt for fitted or freestanding cabinetry, find custom-made or off-the-shelf cabinets and choose from a wide array of colours and counter top materials. Below are just a few trends in kitchen design to get you thinking about your new dream kitchen.

Trends in kitchen design

1. Freestanding cabinetry

Kitchen cabinets are coming off of the wall. It used to be that virtually all kitchens sported built-in cabinetry. All of that is changing. While you can still opt for traditional cabinets, you now have the option of free-standing cabinets in a variety of design styles, from sleek industrial to warm, wooden traditional. Wren Kitchens is well known for their variety of elegant free-standing cabinets. You can choose every style from traditional to modern.

Free-standing cabinets offer a number of advantages. They are portable and often are built on wheels, so they can be moved around the room for variety or even taken to your next home. This type of cabinetry also lets you to break away from traditional cabinet layouts and make your kitchen truly unique.

2. Fitted Kitchens

Here at The Idealist, we love the clean lines and sleek look of the fitted kitchens that Habitat offer. They combine ample storage with a clean, no-frills look. Fitted kitchens, as the name implies, are custom-made to fit into any kitchen space, even if you are rehabbing an older home with less than perfect dimensions. They can also be created to suit your cooking preferences. For example, if you are an avid baker, you can have a dedicated rolling and kneading station, complete with a marble slab, as well as plenty of storage for your baking pans and cutters.

3. Off-the-shelf cabinets with that bespoke look

Another major change in kitchen design in recent years is a much wider variety of ready-made kitchen cabinets. No longer are off-the-shelf cabinets low-end and boring. You can now find a wide variety of cabinets, both free-standing and built-in, ready for you to take home immediately.

Not only are off-the-shelf cabinets usually less expensive, but they save the time necessary to have cabinets custom made to your specifications. Magnet UK does a great job of creating off-the-shelf cabinets with that bespoke look.

A cool and classy, modern and stylish kitchen with black granite stone worktop

4. A myriad of counter top materials

Your choice of a worktop material is a good way to truly let your personality and design style soar. There are a huge array of choices available on the market today. Plus, you don’t have to stick with just one surface. We recommend mixing materials, such as combining a solid wood eating surface with a marble insert for making pastry…all on the same kitchen island.

Just a few of the counter materials available include:

Quartz. This relatively-new, manufactured product has the look of natural stone without the high price tag. Quartz is also available in a wide array of colours and is more resistant to stains and chips than marble or other stone surfaces.
Granite. Still one of the most popular choices for worktops, granite brings the beauty of nature into your kitchen, with its rich veins and swirls of colour. Granite is also one of the most durable surfaces available.
Krion. One of the most recent additions in worktop materials is Krion. This manufactured surface is bacteria-resistant, easy to keep clean, made of 100% recycled materials and offers a sleek, seamless look.
Solid wood. Wood counters have never really gone out of style. They add a warm, inviting look to any kitchen. Wood counters are also durable and can take on a unique and lovely patina as they age.

Chrome, greys and whites give a sharp look

5. More colour options and finishes

Not too long ago, all kitchens were white. Certainly, all appliances and fixtures were made in neutral colours. All of that has changed. Sinks, refrigerators, stoves and other appliances are available in a rainbow of dramatic hues, from red to green to aubergine.

Background colours have evolved also. We’ve heard people call grey “the new white” in kitchen design. Grey offers a neutral palette without the constant maintenance requires by white walls and surfaces.

Designing a new, dream kitchen has never been easier or more exciting. If you’re building a new home or looking to upgrade your existing kitchen, take advantage or the new trends toward freestanding cabinetry, interesting and affordable off-the-shelf cabinets, the wide range of counter materials and bolder colour options.