For this blog we teamed up with Steve Bradshaw from Envision Kitchens to go through kitchen trends he’s been seeing this year and what to expect in 2022
Steve is one of the directors of Envision Kitchens, Envision Kitchens is a fully licensed Kitchen Bathroom Laundry Renovator and Plumber, who install kitchens throughout Newcastle and the Central Coast. Steve and his team are renovating close to 75 kitchens a year. Let’s get the low down on all the kitchen design trends Steve is seeing!
“We see plenty of colours, textures, and natural and recycled materials used in the kitchen renovations that we are completing, creating a calming, tranquil, and luxurious space.”
Whether that’s in the form of tapware, unconventional sinks, unique tiles and tile shapes in the splashback, wallpapers and plants.
Steve said there’s no end to natural raw materials such as timbers, marble, stone and concrete being used in their kitchen renovations any time soon!
Below are Steve top kitchen style tips:
1. Colour
We are seeing many kitchens using two tones/colours in their cabinetry to ad contrast. The colours we see lots of are muted greens, blues, greys, creams and of course, your more traditional white.
Colour is being added to the kitchen not just through cabinetry but through tiled splashbacks and tapware selections. Don’t forget artwork can add a great pop of colour.
2. Lighting
Your ceiling lights can be a fundamental feature of your kitchen, with many choices such as; pendant lights, downlights, track lights, flush mounts, or a combination. It’s also essential to include lighting in your task-orientated areas, for example, pendant lighting over your island bench or recessed strip lighting under your cabinetry where you do your food preparation.
In butlers pantries, a great idea is to install a simple sensor light. The sensor light will work much like a fridge; every time you open the pantry door, the light comes on. Genius!
The beauty of lighting is that it can create a great ambience and one way to take advantage of this is with light dimmers. Dimmers allow you to control lighting intensity, and the more control you have over the power, the better. Another way to create a welcoming ambient light in your kitchen is with warm white LED lights, a soft yellow-toned light. Compared to the starkness of cool white LED lights, the difference is very apparent.
3. Storage
The first area to maximise your storage is with your cabinetry and draws, such as adding pull-out baskets on sliding rails instead of just a standard pantry door and shelving. Another great example is a rotating corner basket for your tricky to access corner cupboards; they work much like a lazy susan for your pots and pans or pantry items.
If you have the luxury of space, a walk-in butlers pantry is a must. You can go to town on organising all your pantry items, buy and store food in bulk, and hide all your everyday appliances like toasters, kettles, coffee machines, microwaves and Thermomixs, freeing up valuable bench space and hiding clutter. Win!
4. Appliances
Smart appliances designed to make your life easier will gather steam in 2022. Whether it’s your fridge reminding you when you’re low on milk or having the ability to look inside remotely, GPS navigation in robot vacuums, AI air conditioners or simple Bluetooth and Wi-Fi connectivity, smart appliances will become more mainstream in 2021 and into 2022. Samsung is leading the way in this arena, boasting a wide range of smart fridges.
Hidden power points with USB ports for charging devices are also very popular!
Demand and competition in the market are making smart technologies cheaper overall, which means we’ll see more ‘intelligent’ appliances enter the modern home soon.
If you’re planning a kitchen renovation in the Newcastle or Central Coast regions Steve and his team at Envision Kitchens are a wealth of knowledge. If you’ve got any questions on anything tile related don’t hesitate to give us a call or drop into our warehouse at Warners Bay!
