THESE ARE THE TRENDS IN KITCHENS
The kitchen is one of the spaces in the greatest transformation: dark colors, maximum connectivity, minimalism, integration with the living room … Experts say: these are the trends that are being carried.
Wood and dark colors
The resounding tones begin to gain strength at home, entering the kitchen. At the chromatic level, in the furniture, there is a predominance of the dark color. In addition to black, dark green and petrol blue also provide a characteristic accent. These tones are often combined with wooden modules, fundamentally walnut and white oak with marked veins, resulting in “an elegant and warm space”. Also in countertops we see this trend, from pure and homogeneous dark tones, to strongly contrasted with veins. For instance, the Silestone Eternal Noir color has become a global success, standing out in many markets. There is also a recent fondness for contrasts between navy blue coatings (perhaps a nod to the Pantone color of the year?) and aquamarine with woods, in addition, in matte and pastel tones, with vintage echoes. Finally there is the long lasting preference for natural wood, which gives a warmth note to any room and specially in a kitchen project.
Integration with the living room
The fusion of the kitchen with the living room or the rest of the house transforms the structure of the kitchen cabinet. On the one hand, it integrates with the living room aesthetically, and on the other, it becomes more functional. For example, there is more storage space for food, shelves that hold books, etc.
The idea also works in reverse, with kitchen furniture that is integrated with the living room. Of course, with its own characteristics, provided with doors or modules that hide the kitchen cabinet. Commonly the kitchen will occupy the wall area in a parallel way, and simulate a living room furniture, but which reveals the kitchen when it is in use. This trend is accompanied by the predominance of large islands that connect both spaces, and that become a food handling and storage center, as well as a place to share and experience the kitchen
The island in the kitchen where the cooking area is located is the dream most in demand, and what we aspire to the most. Dispositions in line or parallel fronts is what is most tended to, in addition to guaranteeing a good harmony and balance between the volumes, and ensuring good use of the different functions that make up the work triangle in the kitchen: storing, preparing and Cook.
Straight lines, compact surfaces and minimalism
The trend is to go towards minimalism in the kitchen, and even traditional designs tend to maintain straight lines and cubic shapes.
We are talking about architecture and furniture, formally very simple, and very functional, creating clean and welcoming spaces through the combination of colors and natural materials.
Another trend is sparkling 70’s with 80’s luxury, characterized by the combination of the brightness and ease of the disco night clubs of the 70 with the voluptuous and velvety volumes of the luxurious 80. The beige and sandy finishes stand out. There is a preference for straight and defined silhouettes which are translated into a total integration between the furniture and the countertop, sharing the same material in both Applications. The whole is close to what we call monolithic kitchen: imposing, modern and spectacular. So much so that they believe that it will be the innovation that hits the strongest this year.
Natural and sustainable
The search for the natural, organic and sustainable has a strong effect on the manufacture of materials, textures and colors that contemporary designers use for the development of current design. It is a style aware of sustainability and in contact with nature, in which new solutions and innovative and surprising materials arise, which harmoniously unite nature and technology.
The concept of sustainable living is increasingly integrated into our day to day: the combination of ecology and durability will be a key piece this season. All this combination, in addition to creating spaces closely connected with nature, provides a great wealth of textures.
Including Domotics
Technology is established in the home through home automation and connectivity. Different types of electronic elements coexist in the kitchen and the trend is that they are increasingly connected to each other. For this reason, appliances such as kitchen robots become relevant, as well as cooking, allowing us to save time and even control the shopping list from a mobile app. Another example can be the extractor hood, which tends to merge with the cooktop. In this way, two electrical appliances are integrated and we can save space, which also highlights the increasing energy classification of household appliances , following the trend towards sustainability that we mentioned earlier.
Technological changes
As we have seen, electrical appliances are not the only elements of the kitchen that implement technological solutions: also surfaces. What is sought is to improve already consolidated products or even innovate with new uses. We find large-format ceramics that reach three by 1.5 meters; easier to clean floors that hardly require maintenance; much more sustainable technological surfaces.
In the kitchen countertop, we are finding a strong presence of high-performance materials, which offer high resistance and durability properties with a natural stone look.