The kitchen was the heart of the home long before the pandemic. Even though the hospitality sector is now reopening, home-eating and home-entertaining are clearly going nowhere. In fact, home kitchens are becoming more important than ever and, as such, people are becoming more prepared to invest in them. With that in mind, here are six top kitchen design trends for 2022.
Open plan is great for maximizing floor space. Unfortunately, that also means that it’s great for allowing sounds and smells to cross spaces. As a result, people have been moving back to enclosed kitchens.
Some people have been taking this concept as far as it can go by implementing concealed kitchens. It is, however, more common for people to take the “broken plan” approach. This keeps the kitchen visible, accessible and integrated but still separated. The separation is often achieved with glass partitions to maintain good light flow.
The trend towards multifunctional home spaces is arguably a necessity in modern homes. Kitchens have long been used as places to do laundry and have informal meals. They also regularly merge into cloakrooms. Now, they’re increasingly becoming home studies for children and even, sometimes, home offices for adults.
As a result, there’s much more emphasis on designing a kitchen in much the same way as you would design any other area of the home. In particular, there’s a strong trend for creating a cosy, lived-in atmosphere. This often includes bringing in natural elements, especially wood finishes, and vintage or even antique pieces.
Textiles are playing a more important role in the kitchen. Obviously, safety, particularly fire safety, is an important consideration. This can mean that blinds are still the only option for window treatments. Even so, there’s a move to soften them. The sink skirt is making a return and rugs are now finding more of a place in the kitchen.
Kitchens have always needed effective lighting for safety reasons. Now, however, there is more emphasis on improving both form and functionality. It’s becoming more common for kitchens to have a statement light supplemented by layered lighting. This may or may not be task lighting.
Designers are also making increased use of reflective surfaces such as glass, acrylic and glazed tiles. Glass can be used for both cabinets and backsplashes. In the case of cabinets, it can be frosted or clear. Acrylic and glazed tiles are both used for backsplashes. Each of these materials helps to bounce light around the room to maximize its impact.
Appliances aren’t just getting smarter, although that’s a long-established trend. They’re also being adapted to be more space-efficient and/or accessible. For example, the traditional fridge-freezer is increasingly being replaced by under-counter alternatives. These include drawer fridges, counter height fridge-freezers and counter height fridges and freezers.
Likewise, cookers are being replaced by separate hobs and ovens. In some cases, this means that full-size ovens are being swapped out for mini-ovens plus microwaves or even mini-oven/microwave combinations.
The statement light fixture is probably the most usual way to bring impact to kitchens. If, however, you have more space and/or more budget, there are plenty of other options. Two growing trends are the use of statement kitchen hoods and the use of a single, open shelf. The open shelf is increasingly likely to be a floating shelf. It’s typically used for decor rather than storage.
White and neutral kitchens are still very popular and for entirely understandable reasons. People are, however, increasingly willing to add colour to their kitchen. This is often done with paint, as it can be changed relatively easily.
Darker kitchens are having a revival. This doesn’t necessarily mean black, although it can. Deep blues and greens are probably more common. Bright colours are being used to create accent walls. These are sometimes created with chalkboard paint to be functional as well as fun.
Here at Tara Neil we are able to help you build your perfect bespoke kitchen, we also specialise in accessible kitchens. We guide you through the stages of designing a kitchen to suit your individual style and requirements. For more information, please contact our team today.