In the past, the kitchen was one of the most neglected rooms in the house – a place of daily toil and struggle. In 2020, though, the picture is just about as different as it could be. Modern kitchens are bright and roomy places in which people discover new flavours and culinary delights.
So what new trends do we see this year? What’s coming down the pike that can make you excited?
Indoor/Outdoor Kitchens
Nowadays, people want to entertain outside. But ferrying food from the kitchen to tables on the patio can be a chore. The current trend, therefore, is to connect kitchen and garden spaces with French or sliding doors, bringing the two areas of the home together. This basic concept has been around for a while. But in the past, it just meant opening up some aspect of the back of the house, not explicitly the kitchen. Now the trend is towards installing large glass doors or even add-on conservatories to the room itself that brings light into the home.
Embellished Backsplashes
Just because you regularly splatter your backsplash with food doesn’t mean you should neglect it. Having a stylish area behind your hob can impact your kitchen’s atmosphere.
At this juncture, most people choose tiles, but today, there are many more choices on the market. Easy-clean synthetic modern panelling is one option, for instance.
Go Smart
Going smart is perhaps the most significant trend in 2020 so far. Homeowners want to imbue their kitchens with the power of computers, getting them to do all kinds of things, from responding to voice commands to alerting you when your groceries are running low (and occasionally ordering them on your behalf).
Smart kitchens offer practical advantages too. For instance, kettles can start boiling water for your morning brew automatically when you enter the room. And you can even get gadgets that monitor your eggs and tell you which are going bad. Zero-waste kitchens here we come!
Dark Cabinets
Dark cabinets weren’t always the top choice in the past, but they’re a big theme in 2020, pushing out their traditionally more popular white counterparts. They’re smart, elegant and discreet.
Quartz Countertops
While people celebrate marble and granite, quartz is still the king of countertop materials. It’s naturally anti-microbial and doesn’t require as much upkeep as many of its rivals. Plus, many cuts feature beautiful striations throughout the stone.
Effective Storage
Modern homeowners are much more adventurous in their cooking habits than they were twenty years ago. For that reason, they often have a deluge of ingredients spanning multiple cuisines. The issue today is finding space to store them all.
In 2020, practical storage has become a prominent theme, with people experimenting with tray dividers, pantry storage jars, roll-out trays, and caddies for crockery.
Family-First Layouts
The one-size-fits-all kitchen is fast becoming a thing of the past. Today, homeowners want functional spaces that cater to the needs of all family members, ranging from the youngest toddler to the oldest grandparent.
Future-proofing kitchens mean incorporating more demanding interior design elements, including central islands of differing heights, food prep areas, breakfast bars and dining spaces.
Eco-Friendly Design
With more millennials than ever before investing in kitchens, the market has seen a surge in demand for eco-friendly offerings. Homeowners want solutions that will let them cut their carbon footprint and save energy.
Carbon-neutral kitchens became a real possibility in 2020, with innovations that extend beyond feel-good gimmicks. Things like dedicated recycling bins in cupboards, induction hobs and three-in-one hot water taps are all in-demand features right now.
Built-In Appliances
While freestanding appliances were par for the course in the past, tastes are changing, and now people want them built into their kitchen. The main reason for this is the sheer amount of clutter on the average kitchen worktop. When you add your blender, microwave, coffee machine, and rice cooker to the mix you don’t have much space left over for anything else, such as prepping meals.
Built-in appliances are associated with the older generation. But practicality concerns and space constraints now means that even modern buyers have to go down this route.
Concealed Kitchens
Concealed kitchen concepts are perhaps the most exciting development in the interior design space since kitchen islands came along. The idea is to hide the lion’s share of your appliances, pots, pans and ingredients behind in-built cupboards that line the walls. Then, when you’re ready to cook, you open the doors and slide them back into recesses, getting them out of the way as you prepare your meal.
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