Kitchen Makeover Ideas – What’s Hot in the Kitchen This Year

Just like any other form of interior design, kitchen styles come in and out of fashion. One year it’s ‘shabby chic’ with rag-rolled walls and stencilling, the next we’re stripping out our natural pine panelling and replacing it with sleek, minimalist steel and glass.

So what’s hot in the kitchen this year? Here are a few ideas to brighten up your kitchen that won’t look dated by the end of the month!

Pops of colour

Big, bold blocks of primary colours (especially bright red and electric blue) were big news last year, but this year they’ve fallen out of favour a little. Instead, designers are favouring smaller ‘pops’ of colour that act as an accent to predominantly neutral tones. Colour pops work particularly well in smaller kitchens that would be overwhelmed by larger blocks of bright, primary colours. Coloured trim, bright cupboard doors covered with a high gloss laminate and clever use of coloured appliances to pick up the theme work well, and also have the added advantage of being adaptable if you change your mind later on.

 

Traditional

A perennial favourite, traditional ‘cottage’ style kitchens are big news again this year, with plenty of natural wood finishes in soft golds rather than dark mahogany. The Oak finish is a particular best-seller, primarily because it keeps things light and fresh without being too contemporary. However, do remember what kind of space you’re working with – so if you live in an ultra-modern apartment then the traditional look is probably not going to work well with the rest of your space.

  

Ultra modern

The polar opposite of Traditional is ultra-modern – a style best suited to loft apartments, minimalist décor and is even the current trend for Japanese style interiors. Ultra modern isn’t going to work if you have a busy family, as it relies on minimal clutter, clean lines and an almost barren effect when it comes to gadgets (which are all carefully and cleverly hidden away). Think sink top covers that convert the sink into another workspace, space-age levitating storage and soft-close drawers that you press to open rather than using a handle. But be prepared to be forever cleaning fingerprints off high-gloss surfaces if you go down the ultra-modern path!

The art of the cabinet maker

One big trend throughout 2015 has been the ‘cabinet’ look – drawers and cupboards that have a truly bespoke feel and look, and celebrate the craft and skill of the cabinet maker. This is a high-end look that can also be achieved on a budget by talking to a kitchen refurbishment specialist, who will be able to measure up your kitchen for a set of bespoke kitchen cupboard doors and drawer fronts. This will allow you to achieve the same look for a much lower cost.

Wonderful wallpaper!

Traditionally, wallpaper in a kitchen is not the best idea in the world – you’re introducing paper and water-soluble glue into an environment where steam and humidity is definitely an issue! However, today’s modern wallpapers and specialist pastes are quite capable of coping with the warm, humid environment of a kitchen, and with bold patterns that can add a real note of interest into any décor, wallpaper rather than the standard Magnolia paint are definitely a big trend this year!