So, you’ve decided to invest in a new kitchen this year -how exciting! To help you create the kitchen of your dreams, this short article outlines some of the key trends for 2021 – from appliance cupboards and wood finishes to worktops. To help your designer create a beautiful kitchen that will work for you, your family, and your lifestyle, think about how your new kitchen will fit into your daily routine and life. If you’re updating your kitchen, what doesn’t work about it now? By considering how your kitchen can work for you, it can truly become the heart of the home you deserve.
Here are some of the Key Kitchen Trends for 2021:
Natural Wood
Natural wood cabinets bring a versatile warmth to your kitchen style. Wood is easy to maintain, solid and hardwearing and can be timeless or trendy to suit your chosen look. Cabinets manufactured from natural wood are exceptionally solid and have a long lifespan. Different woods have varied natural grains and patterns and can be enhanced with your choice of finish – from matte wax to a high gloss lacquer or a luxurious hand painted finish.
Birch continues to be a strong trend – the pale smooth grained wood is perfect for achieving a calm Skandi look. Birch is versatile and looks especially striking with black quartz worktops and brushed metal fittings and appliances. Consider pairing birch with grey based blues or greens for a tranquil start to the day.
Oak units are most often associated with a traditional kitchen. This golden-hued wood brings a feeling of warmth, permanence and craftsmanship that never dates. For a twist on tradition, oak units in a sleek modern design look particularly gorgeous! Try a zingy citrus hue on one wall to create an energising sociable space.
Mix and Match
The mix and match trend is a great way to make your kitchen unique to you. Mixing cabinet styles, materials or colour combinations easily achieves a personalised feel for your new kitchen space. Here are some ideas to mix and match:
- Wall cabinets and base cabinets in toning or contrasting colours – for a spacious feel in a smaller kitchen, keep your wall units pale coloured, or consider breaking up your wall cabinets with floating shelves and lights.
- Mix up finishes – natural wood base cabinets and contrast painted wall cabinets.
- Worktop colours – using different worktop colours in your new kitchen can create visual zones which can really lift a design. Consider making a feature of your island unit or breakfast bar with a contrasting colour work surface.
- Mixed metals – choose small kitchen appliances, trims and cupboard handles in different finishes for a quirky look.
Quartz Worktops
It’s easy to see why quartz kitchen worktops are so popular! Quartz worktops are made from manufactured stone which is a mix of around 93% stone, bonded with 7% resin and colourants. This gives a very hardwearing worktop that really makes a statement but is an extremely practical choice for your kitchen work surfaces. An extra benefit is that a quartz worktop does not need the care and regular resealing of granite and other natural stone choices, whilst giving a luxurious feel to your new kitchen.
Quartz achieves the look of a granite worktop but is chip resistant and easy care. As it is a manmade product, there is a wide range of colour choices available, and it is easier to cut and lighter to fit than a granite work top. Joins are less prominent as quartz worktops can be templated and any joins worked into the design to minimise their impact.
Breakfast Cupboards
Whether you dream of organised work and school mornings, or a slow leisurely weekend breakfast, then a breakfast cupboard could just change your life! A close cousin of the pantry cupboard, a breakfast cupboard is designed to hold all your breakfast items, including appliances, all in one place. There are some fantastic space saving (and clutter concealing) cupboard designs.
A breakfast cupboard can be designed for you and incorporate pull out shelves for a toaster, integrated power sockets, and room for your cups, bowls, and cereal packets too. Some designs have fold away or roller doors for a neat space saving idea – leaving counter space in front of the cupboard.
A breakfast cupboard frees up your work surfaces and conceals your appliances, whilst keeping everything you need to hand.