Euro-style living
Sydney Kitchens shares emerging design trends sweeping Europe
LivingKitchen, the trend barometer for cutting-edge design, is the kitchen-specific section of Cologne’s Internationale Möbelmesse (IMM) design show.
Held in January, Sydney Kitchens designers were in Cologne to meet with the world’s top designers and share the emerging kitchen design trends from Europe.
1. Thin on top
The most prevalent trend at the show was ultra-thin and sleek benchtops, which Europeans are favouring for a streamlined look and luxury finish. Thicknesses of 20mm or less on benchtops were displayed in natural stone, glass, acrylic surfaces and stainless steel. Interestingly, the higher end the kitchen company, the thinner the benchtop.
2. Communicative kitchen
Already considered the hub of the home, the kitchen space is set to take on an even bigger role as the communication centre of the home. Take, for instance, the Interactive Grid System developed by German kitchen manufacturer SieMatic in conjunction with Miele. Looking similar to Miele oven appliances, the Interactive Grid System is a touch-screen entertainment unit providing instant access to the internet, Facebook, television, iPod connectivity and digital radio, photo uploads and live recipes.
3. Colour trends
Serene outshone colour in Cologne with white featuring heavily alongside metallic hues in champagne, charcoal, dark chocolate and ocean blue. Textured timber finishes were everywhere, particularly prevalent in dark horizontal wood grains.
Stainless steel is also being used to stunning effect on doors and panels, giving a sleek architectural aesthetic to high end kitchens, and is in popular demand for high-end architecture in Switzerland, France and Monaco.
4. Visual impact
Oversized pendant lighting and directional accent lighting were displayed to great effect, creating a focal point to the entertaining zone of the kitchen. Just as lighting is important in accentuating architecture, feature lighting in a kitchen is taking the visual impact to a whole new level, such as cabinets and drawers that light up with internal LED lights as you open them.
5. New technology
Leading German kitchen manufacturer Hettich showcased the latest in soft-closing drawer and door technology including its Sensys hinges, with an in-built soft-close mechanism. Internal drawers fronted with aluminium and glass panels were sleek, while dark grey drawer interiors were an eye-catching contrast to the kitchen utensils they stored. This new technology is available in Australia and can be experienced at the Sydney Kitchens Drummoyne design studio.
Image 1: Thin benchtops.
Image 2: Horizontal timber finishes.
Image 3: Oversized pendant lighting.
Image 4: Oversized pendant lighting.
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