The kitchen is often referred to as the heart of the home, so there’s a reason that people tend to get a little obsessed with it. Now, as interior design becomes ever more important, families are looking for ways to up the ante with innovations and trends. The kitchen, once just a small room at the back of the house for chopping vegetables has fast become one of the most exciting places to be. Families and companies are always on the search for new ways to add utility to the space, and consumer tastes are changing all the time. Here are some of the kitchen trends that are timeless and hot right now.
#1: The Do-It-All Kitchen Island
When kitchen islands first arrived on the scene, everybody wanted one. Islands are more than just tables: they were a fashion statement and an indication that you had one of the most desirable kitchen features on the market.
But since then, the appeal of the island has grown, and it’s become almost a self-contained kitchen in itself. Today’s popular islands are large, dominate the space in the middle of the kitchen, and come equipped with numerous appliances for easy access. Many have in-built ovens, dishwashers, and wine chillers, alongside cupboards or cabinets and other interesting appliances that just pop out of the top of the chopping surface.
#2: Pet Zones
Animals in the kitchen was never a good idea. But now people are experimenting with ways of making the kitchen a pet-friendly zone. Making the space pet-friendly isn’t limited to keeping food out of paw’s reach; it’s about creating entertainment for animals. Pet-friendly kitchens have built-in doggies, toys, and feeding areas.
#3: The Addition Of Artificial Intelligence
Kitchen remodeling has come a long way over the last 20 years. But the next twenty are going to be even more extreme, thanks to the implementation of Artificial intelligence. This year, the hottest new trend has been the introduction of smart fridges and other appliances. Smart refrigerators are perhaps the most helpful (as well as the most expensive) because they’re able to tell you when you need to top up your groceries and do the boring ordering part for you.
Coming soon are other innovations, such as the smart chef cook station. These AI-driven cooking stations will use robots to prepare simple meals from a menu, meaning that you don’t have to go to so much effort to cook a meal. To begin with, you’ll still have to chop and prepare the ingredients, but it won’t be long before we all have our own sous-chef.
#4: The Return To Quartz
Quartz has been used in kitchens for many decades now. But despite the growing popularity of other surface materials, especially granite, quartz is now widely recognized as having the best overall properties for a kitchen countertop material. The reason? Quartz is not porous like many other forms of rock. As a result, it’s almost impossible for water and food debris to penetrate the surface. What’s more, people can choose from a wide variety of colors to match practically any kitchen theme.
Photo by Paul Massey for House and Garden UK
