A MULTI-TASKING SPACE AT THE HEART OF YOUR HOME
2016 saw one of the most turbulent, bewildering years in most of our memories. Change seemed to be all around us. In a crazy world, how good it is to have a place to come home to! If there is one trend in home renovation and decorating that remains dominant this year, it is to keep the kitchen at the heart of the home.
There are many style and decorating influences that are forecast to have an impact in 2017 however the kitchen will still remain a multi-purpose room which is not just a centre for cooking, but a space for relaxing and entertaining – that may even be combined with a home office too.
Mirama Bronze Radianz worktops with cream coloured painted wood-grain cabinets and warm wood flooring
2017 COLOUR TRENDS USE NATURAL TONES INSPIRED BY NATURE
Open-plan, multi-purpose larger kitchen spaces need careful planning to create a practical but cohesive look. One way to achieve this is through zoned areas using different shades from one colour palette. Colours trending this year (2017) have taken their cue from nature with muted blues, natural environmental inspired greens and buff neutrals. Just look at Dulux’s “Colour of the Year”: Denim Drift, a soft grey-blue with a supporting colour palette of shades of blue from the world’s leading paint manufacturer. These colours work particularly well where the kitchen-diner/ family room leads directly onto the garden adding to the spaciousness and feeling of re-connection with nature, bringing the outside world back in.
For kitchen worktops that work really well with this “back to nature” colour palette, try Dekton for solid colours. Dekton Galema is a gorgeous rich taupe with a matt finish, and Dekton Lumina is its gloss twin. Other earth-toned worktops you might consider are two of Affordable Granite’s stock quartz colours: Silestone Ironbark and Silestone Coral Clay. Both have a marble-look in cream/brown.
Open planned barn style property with wood floors, matt white kitchen cabinets and the really striking Brittanicca by Cambria worktop
Given all of this, you may wonder whether the combination of white kitchen units with white worktops has had its day. Not so – that look seems to be here to stay. This year, though, we are going to be seeing white work-surfaces on white cabinets teamed with a warmer natural wood floor or with contrasting cornices, pelmets and end panels. Adding an extra bit of drama to the scheme can be achieved by using different lighting combinations for the different zones of the kitchen; oversized lamp-shades can be an economical way to add impact to a relatively bland kitchen.
White cabinets with white Blanco Stellar Silestone worktops teamed here with grey floor tiles and modern hand-made grey wall tiles. Plinth lighting and under-cabinet lighting add interest to a contemporary kitchen
Wood is definitely making a comeback this season. Although not the most practical material for actual kitchen worktops, it can add warmth to a very minimalistic kitchen as a trim or feature bar top. Butcher’s block workstations are still popular too. The secret to using wood is continuity throughout the house; if the living room furniture is dark stick to a similar tone for the kitchen.
Other key looks this year include the use of two different colour doors within the same kitchen. Sometimes using two different shades of a similar colour, this is currently popular using darker and lighter shades of grey. We have also seen stronger contrasts of hue, such as cream and blue doors. This is sometimes followed through onto the worktops using two different but complementary shades of work surface for different areas of the kitchen. Using two different worktops can add drama to the most minimal contemporary design.
This kitchen, still awaiting its finishing touches, has Coral Clay Silestone worktops for the wall runs and the lower level of the island. To complement this the customer selected Amazon Silestone in a Volcano finish to create a contrasting feature bar top. To add to the overall impact the Amazon Volcano Silestone has mitred apron edges to give a really chunky profile. The substantially proportioned leg has also been clad in the same Amazon Volcano Silestone.
Remember that a large living space can handle a bold contrasting pattern. Don’t be afraid to make a statement in 2017!
Cosmic White Granite is the stunning centrepiece worktop in our recently refurbished showroom at Charlwood. Flanked by two circular workspace tops in XGloss Halo Dekton, this beautiful stone is admired by all visitors. The colour contrast and multipurpose, multilevel worktops are in keeping with what this article is all about – connecting themes and adaptable spaces.
