The kitchen is the heart of the home and as such is usually one of the busiest rooms in the home. Whether your family are avid bakers, cooking connoisseurs or are the forever hopeful wanderers who appear when food is being prepared, the kitchen tends to be one of the liveliest places in the home! With so much going on in there it is little wonder then that kitchen trends change regularly and, in this article, we will take a look at the current popular styles.
Sustainability
Sustainability is a really hot topic and more and more people are looking at sustainable solutions for everything, from reducing single use plastic, to upcycling furniture. Kitchens are not exempt from this and there is a trend emerging of people buying second hand or ex display kitchens. Second hand kitchens can be up to 70% cheaper than brand new ones. There are specialist companies that can help source great quality and sustainable second hand kitchens such as the used kitchen company or the used kitchen hub. If that doesn’t tickle your sustainability fancy, then there are kitchens which are made using sustainably sourced materials, recycled or reclaimed materials and those using only low carbon production techniques. For example, the German kitchen manufacturer Rotpunkt now runs its factory in a carbon friendly manner.
Handleless kitchens
We’ve all seen it on cars where the door handles are now recessed into the doors giving sleek lines. Kitchens are now also introducing that trend and they are becoming increasingly handleless. There are essentially three types of handleless cupboard:
- J-pull doors, like these ones from Wren Kitchens where there is a handle as such but it is recessed into the door via a cut out. There are no protruding handles though.
- Push open mechanisms where you have to push the door and then it will slowly open. These simply have an internal mechanism. You can buy any door and retrofit it with these push open mechanisms from Ikea
- True handleless systems where there is a recessed space behind the doors and drawers which can be used to open them, such as these from the online kitchen store
Even appliances are not exempt and Miele have developed their ArtLine range of appliances which open at a touch rather than needing a handle.
Statement lighting
Clearly to be energy efficient LED bulbs should be used, but that doesn’t mean that the lights themselves need to be “boring”. In 2022 the trend is going very much towards large, colourful statement pieces. Take a look at some of these ceiling lights from Ultra beam lighting. They have no relationship to the old plastic strip lights that we all used to have.
Flooring
Back in the day the flooring options for kitchens were limited to lino as it was very practical, easy to clean and easy to install. This has all changed now and according to Amtico the trend for this year is moving towards larger tiles which, in larger open plan kitchens can create unity across the whole space. In addition, people are being bolder with patterns such as parquet, basket weave and French weave.
Eco-Friendly appliances
Carrying on the sustainability theme, it isn’t just the kitchen itself that is trending towards sustainability. The latest shift due to the energy hikes is that appliances should also be eco-friendly. Miele have a range of sustainable appliances from hobs which only heat the surface of the pan which is touching the hob, so no wasted heat, to ovens which now consume almost 50% less energy than previously.
The kitchen trends for 2022 is about statement lighting and flooring, minimal cupboards with sleek lines and all of this taking into account sustainability goals. Whatever style, trend or functionality you opt for in your kitchen, make sure you make it your own!
