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 Exploring new trends in kitchen design can be quite exciting as you learn what new role technology has in our homes. Among all rooms of the home, kitchens are priority for designers, manufacturers, and homeowners. This has opened doors to hundreds of fresh products and new ideas in kitchen design.
Kitchen Layout
It was once believed that there must be a flow between the sink, oven, and refrigerator to create the kitchen triangle. This was suggested as the best kitchen layout for ease of cooking and working. While this may still be the general idea behind kitchen design, it has taken a more exact approach as homeowners seek better ways to create flow in the space.
To create this “flow” most new kitchens are being designed to have large work areas suited to each need. Bar sinks in kitchen islands to wash up vegetables, fruits, and meats; dishwashers located next to primary sinks and garbage compactors for ease of cleanup after meals and cooking; ovens, microwaves, and stovetops located in the same station for quick cooking and ease of multitasking.
The introduction and popularity of islands can be mostly to blame for the change in kitchen layouts over the last five years. Now, most want to have the kitchen island as a workspace with easy access to the sink, refrigerator, and oven. What was once a triangle has become a rectangle to accommodate these new productivity desires.
Appliance Trends
Although stainless steel appliances are being sold as one of the most popular style of appliances, this trend is beginning to change just a bit. Stainless steel has a great place in the modern kitchen but many homeowners have taken a liking to having appliances built into cabinets and hidden away as part of the cabinetry. This can be a very expensive upgrade but works beautifully in almost every modern kitchen design.
Ovens and stovetops in kitchen are no longer typically installed as one oversized unit and have been condensed then mounted separately to increase overall space in the kitchen. Ovens are installed on the wall and often feature a double unit to cook two separate oven heated items at once, and stovetops are going sleek with modern glass tops and are mounted in the countertops to create a flush look.
Dishwashers and trash compactors have come a long way since aggressively hitting the market about twenty years ago. Over the past five years they have truly began tackling many features that had homeowners annoyed. Now most dishwashers and trash compactors on the market are whisper quiet, energy and water efficient, and can hold a larger capacity to increase productivity.
Cabinetry Trends
Custom cabinetry is quickly rising in popularity as homeowners recognize the advantages to having cabinets made to suit their personal style. Some homeowners choose this option to accommodate for greater amounts of higher cabinets for storage of special occasion dishes, lower cabinets for extra and special made cooking appliances, special made cabinets to suit appliance options which are often built into cabinets now.
The traditional wooden cabinetry is very quickly being taken over by more unique modern materials held in high regard for being recyclable and more environmentally friendly. These environmentally friendly upgrades are a large inspiration for new trends in kitchen design. Metal, man-made materials, and especially bamboo, are being seen in many new kitchen designs. These materials can often be painted to give the room more color and take away from the dullness of most cabinetry, which prior to new trends was just a necessity. Cabinets are no longer a necessity and now play a role in the kitchens design.
Hide away cabinet hinges are also being used to create the finished look on cabinets. These are installed on the inside of each cabinet door to eliminate bulk on the face of the cabinets.
Sink Trends
To many homeowners surprise the kitchen sink is now taking center stage in most new kitchen designs. What was once simply a necessity has worked its way up to a prime spot in setting the mood for a kitchen. With this new popularity enters the choice and top of the line apron front sink. An apron front sink is installed into the sink cabinet with a large “apron” on the front to be seen from the front of the cabinet. To show off all this styles potential many are having custom designs etched into the apron to really give their kitchen that extra flair.
Lighting Trends
Sleek and simple is the name of the game with kitchen lighting in modern kitchens. Inset lighting has become very popular to provide just soft glows throughout the space and pendants above islands to light up the workspace when necessary. Large overdone chandeliers and track lighting are very swiftly becoming a thing of the past. Rather than flooding the entire space with one bright light, the kitchen is now lit up in stages to evoke just the right mood per space.
Dining Trends
Eat-In kitchens have come and gone in kitchen trends over the last thirty years, and as for modern designs you better have that eat on bar reinstalled. As people become busier with work, entertaining, and caring for their families they turn to the fastest ways to take care of necessary chores. Children are enjoying breakfast at the bar with mom and dad preparing them for the day while tidying up after preparing the meal. A kitchen bar is a great way to better entertain guests and family while taking care of cooking responsibilities and clean up. They can sit and snack on your appetizers while chatting with you, and still allowing you to prepare the main course.
As breakfast bars take over popularity, the eat-in breakfast nook is quickly being eliminated for use of space in the actual kitchen space. Most would prefer a larger island, more countertops, and less wasted floor space. By removing the breakfast nook the homeowners adds significant area to expand the kitchen allowing for much more room in cabinets, a larger island, and better layout for growing lists of appliances.
The concept behind new trends in kitchen design of 2009 is wide-open cozy. At one time this would not make sense, but today we have found many options to make a space feel free and open while also intimate and serene. All the different elements of kitchen design and modern trends help make this an attractive new trend.
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