A Round Up of 2017 Kitchen Trends

2017 has definitely been the year for changing trends in kitchens. We've seen some incredibly beautiful trends throughout the year, but also a few that we're happy to see never return!Whilst we like to see all of the different interior trends throughout the year, we never create kitchens just to go along with those trends. We like to create kitchens that will stand the test of time and would never be considered a fad, so despite some of our kitchens being incredibly modern, they will never be out of fashion as they have so many timeless features within their designs. We have incorporated some trends into the designs we have created this year as we know they will last, but there are a few that we knew would be very short-lived. This post is simply a round up of our favourite trends from the past year, and we hope you enjoy re-living it with us!

One of the main trends of 2017 that we were fully supportive of is the mixing of materials within the kitchen. The kitchens we create for our clients are often finished in neutral colours, and therefore we like to try and incorporate another material into the design to ensure there is enough texture and warmth within the room.Mixing materials creates so many new textures for the eye to focus on, and ensures that the kitchen never feels flat or boring. As a company that specialises in using timber, we love to try and incorporate some form of exposed wood into the design. We particularly love the look of whitewashed oak in a neutral painted kitchen, as it brings a beautiful contemporary vibe to a neutral kitchen, without looking too cold or modern. Walnut is also a beautiful option for bringing warmth and sophistication to a kitchen, and mixes beautifully with a rich, intense colour palette.

Industrial style kitchens were also very popular in 2017, and this is actually set to continue into 2018 too. With the Scandi inspired trend of minimalism in a kitchen design, this has led to a lot of customers wanting to incorporate metal into their kitchen design, giving the kitchen an industrial vibe. We love the use of thin, black metal, as we think it contrasts beautifully with an exposed timber or painted kitchen. But, another trend that we have really got on board with is the use of warm metals in the kitchen. This can be done in a very subtle way, with handles or simple accessories, but we particularly love when metal is incorporated in a really bold way in the kitchen such as a splashback. One of our favourite (and our customers favourite) kitchen designs is our Ladbroke Kitchen, which has a large antiqued brass splashback, and is just absolutely stunning!

One trend we do love to see in kitchens is open shelving. Whilst wall cabinetry is absolutely beautiful, a lot of the kitchens we have designed recently are much more compact, we have to ensure we incorporate certain design features to keep the room as light as possible. By using open shelving instead of wall cabinets, it means that the customer can still have storage within their compact room, but it never closes the room off. These open shelves also allow the client to put their own personal twist on their kitchen, as they can use these shelves to display their favourite items showing their visitors what they love.

Another favourite of 2017 kitchen trends was the use of a rich colour palette for cabinetry and walls. With many people choosing to break away from the normal neutrals that we see in so many kitchens, they were looking for alternatives that make an intense statement, but still look natural and not overwhelming in any way. We particularly love the look of dark greens and blues in a kitchen, but we're sure there are many colours we're going to see in 2018 that will make an incredible statement in the same way.We love when this colour palette is styled with some form of exposed timber, as we think these materials really compliment the rich colours and create an incredible relaxing vibe in the room.

Open plan living is something we saw many people try to incorporate into their kitchen design in 2017. With people looking to try and combine living, dining and cooking, and the kitchen becoming a very sociable gathering point for the whole family in the house, many clients are looking to make their kitchen into an area that incorporates all three.We use elements that we know can help to create a room of this style, such as large central island with seating for dining and socialising, or unique storage features such as bi-folding doors to hide TV's to please all members of the family.

Handle-less kitchen cabinetry is also a trend we've seen and wholly embraced in 2017. With many clients opting for a more contemporary kitchen for their modern home, a more sleek look has been embraced and handle-less cabinetry has been chosen. Whether this is the circular cut out detail like our Ladbroke Kitchen or the J-Groove handle on our Portobello Kitchen design, this handle-less detail ensures that the kitchen keeps its clean lines and contemporary feel.

Despite this not being a very exciting trend for 2017, the increase in people wanting to put bespoke storage solutions into their kitchens has been immense. With the popularity of larders and storage solutions that are completely bespoke to the customer such as engraved drawers, specially designed spice racks, and pull out caddies, there is no doubt that we have created pieces that perfectly fit with our customers lives. We're not the only people who have noticed this trend however, with Houzz even writing an article on larders being the most desirable kitchen feature of the moment!Check out our social pages for more beautiful images- Facebook, Instagram and Twitter.