PRODUCT FEATURE Kitchens

“Working with materials, which are not commonly associated with the kitchen, such as concrete, is a new and inventive way to create

interesting spaces.” Matt Yeatman, Managing Director at Krieder,

KITCHENS UNCOVERED

It doesn’t seem long ago that the kitchen was tucked away and kept pretty much out of sight. It couldn’t be any more different today, with the kitchen being described as the central hub of the home. It’s still fundamentally where we prepare and wash up, but now you’ll find that in most homes it’s designed to integrate into the overall living space.

If you’re looking to understand kitchen trends, many people will say that there’s no better place to start than with the original trend setters themselves - SieMatic. This German manufacturer is considered by many to be a leader in kitchen trends, as it claims to have been the very first company to design a sleek handle-less kitchen back in the 1960s. This style continues to dominate modern kitchen design, although the look has evolved to bring in a more diverse

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SieMatic PURE collection

William Garvey bespoke kitchen table

Krieder Parisian kitchen

... cont range of finishes. Managing Director at SieMatic UK, Bernard Otulakowski, explains: “Our most trendconscious customers are looking for a design which is modern and minimalist, but with warmth and individuality. Our designers are achieving this by mixing cabinetry from different ranges and making a feature out of textures and finishes.”

“We have seen a desire for polar opposites, such as light grey concrete and dark wood coming together to create one complete look.”

Bill Garvey Managing Director, William Garvey.

Whilst the days of fussy and ornate kitchens with pilasters and patterned curtains are a distant memory, it seems that the answer is not simply one colour and a singular door style. For example, the C Collection kitchen by Schüller and available from InHouse is pictured demonstrating a harmonious range of colours and finishes, including a white breakfast bar with shelving in a light Scandinavian wood style and cabinetry in indigo blue and a sage green. Bernard also advocates a combination approach: “Take, for instance, matt white handle-less cabinets; they work so well

TradeUp™ is a new kitchen proposition exclusively available to trade professionals.

The collection features a comprehensive range of kitchen styles to suit any homeowner’s taste, all available to iKBBI members at trade prices.

TradeUp KitchensTM are supplied on a complete basis through a network of independent trade manufacturers throughout the UK.

Each highly experienced trade manufacturer offers quality, custom-built complete kitchen solutions with on-site delivery as standard. Many manufacturers have showrooms for your use and offer a design service to help you plan your client’s perfect kitchen.

Find your nearest trade manufacturer by visiting: www.tradeupkitchens.co.uk

... cont when teamed with subtle metallics, rich wood veneers, glossy cabinets and slim stone worktops. It’s not a flashy look, but elegant, simple and understated. With these kitchens, it’s not a matter of choosing either matt or glossy, or colour or wood, but bringing together a palette of harmonious finishes, which can play off each other.” Managing Director at Krieder, Matt Yeatman, also thinks interesting finishes and materials are the way forward: “It’s great to experiment with unusual materials to create bespoke, daring and individual kitchens. Working with materials, which are not commonly associated with the kitchen, such as

“When it comes to material, matt lacquers with tactile finishes and interesting veneers remain a popular choice.”

Sara Wells, Regional Sales & Business Development Manager, Doca UK

concrete, is a new and inventive way to create interesting spaces. A material like concrete doesn’t have to be cold and clinical; simply give it a textured finish for a more organic feel. It doesn’t have to be heavy either; it can be applied as a thin layer to the outside of cabinetry to create an interesting aesthetic without the weight.” Managing Director at William Garvey, Bill Garvey, adds: “We have seen a desire for polar opposites, such as light grey concrete and dark wood coming together to create one complete look. Not only is this achieving a tactile interior with different textures, but the difference between the warming wood and industrial concrete offers high contrast with a contemporary edge.” Regional Sales & Business Development Manager at Doca UK, Sara Wells, has also found this to be the case: “The most popular choice right now is opting for a mix of materials, white, taupes or warm greys, teamed with rich wood veneers, textures/patterned laminates and polished chrome or brushed steel accessories. When it comes to material, matt lacquers with tactile finishes and interesting veneers remain a popular choice.”

This new style, which is modern but feels warm and individual, can be accessible for all areas of the industry. Take TradeUp’s Brabant kitchen; it shows how to combine a white kitchen with an exposed brick wall and an industrial wood table to create a really interesting and modern arrangement. This shows that a consumer can opt for a singular door style and colour, but simply add interesting materials and finishes in the general décor. The desire to replicate the latest fashionable styles works in every market and you’ve only got to look to the high street’s continual mimicking of the catwalk to see how successful this can be.

“For the kitchen cabinetry to blend into the living areas, it’s necessary for it to look less like kitchen furniture and be more akin to the finishes and cabinetry styles found in living room furniture.”

Bernard Otulakowski, Managing Director at SieMatic UK.

So what sparked this shift in kitchen design? Many people point to our busy lifestyles and how by combining rooms rather than separating them, it allows us to spend more time with each other. This has meant that the kitchen has had to adapt and become a multi-purpose space rather than a purely functional area and so the design has evolved to make this possible. Bernard proposes: “For the

kitchen cabinetry to blend into the living areas, it’s necessary for it to look less like kitchen furniture and be more akin to the finishes and cabinetry styles found in living room furniture. This has led, for example, to rich wooden veneers being used to house tall cabinets in kitchen spaces so that they blend into the living and dining areas. This has elevated the status of kitchen furniture and made it

TradeUp Brabant kitchen possible to integrate luxurious, metallic and wooden finishes as part of a kitchen living design.”

Doca www.docauk.com InHouse www.inhouseltd.co.uk Krieder www.krieder.com SieMatic www.siematic.co.uk TradeUp www.tradeupkitchens.co.uk William Garvey www.williamgarvey.co.uk

InHouse Schüller C kitchen

Doca UK Brocant Series kitchen