Five of the hottest kitchen design trends for 2015

Kitchens have become far more affordable in recent years, with innovative and exciting design now being within most people’s reach. However, with so much choice, it can be hard to know where to start when designing a brand new kitchen.

To kick-start your imagination and give you some inspirational ideas for your kitchen, here are 5 of the hottest kitchen design trends for this year:

1.     Bold colour. If you think kitchens this year are going to be cream, white, grey and black – prepare to think again. According to design experts, kitchens this year are going to be seriously bold. Red is a popular choice, but teals, mustard yellows and even purples are also hugely popular. This look is all about making a statement with stand-out design and colour, and it’s perfect for those who like the modern, glossy look. If you’re trying this look yourself, just remember to balance out your strong colours with neutrals – the contrast will also give your bold colours more distinction.

2.     Open shelving. Open shelves have often been used for display purposes, but user-friendly open shelving is now being seen as a practical solution for kitchen storage. According to kitchen designer Kesha Pillay from Art of Kitchens, open shelving can also help to personalise storage spaces as well as making a kitchen more functional.

3.     Statement ceilings. Kitchen designer Lee Hardcastle believes that 2015 is the year of the ‘statement ceiling’. But what does this mean? Simple ideas are bright colours on the ceiling – which looks fantastic in an otherwise neutral kitchen – and features such as long horizontal windows high up the wall. You can add beams and other design features to add interest to your ceiling, but remember that it’s all with the aim of making your ceilings appear higher and the room larger.

4.     Industrial lighting. Industrial-style light fittings, including copper, brass and other metals, have been popular in homes for a while now – but the trend has now spread to kitchens. The look is relatively easy to achieve and goes well with greys, whites, woods and blacks. Good choices include old-fashioned style lightbulbs, maritime-themed light fitting, wire caging instead of sconces and stainless steel. To master this look, head online to get some inspiration.

5.     Smart appliances. We all want our kitchens to be as efficient and as easy to use as possible, and the latest trend for smartphone app-controlled devices takes this to a whole new level.. There are lots of ways that smart technology can help you manage your kitchen, from apps to adjust lighting and sound systems to Bluetooth connected cookers and coffee machines. This technology isn’t cheap, but it is super cool (and can make your life much easier).

Once you have your dream kitchen design, possibly incorporating some of this year’s most popular design trends, it’s time to think about fitting. Don’t ruin an otherwise high-end kitchen with a poor fit – use a specialist such as A&J Kitchens for expert fitting down to the last millimetre. 

With any renovation or DIY job, preparation is everything. This is even more important when fitting a whole new kitchen – your room needs to be completely ready before anything else can get done. So, what’s on the list?

Get rid of old units

It’s really difficult to visualise and plan your new kitchen while the old units are still in place – so get rid of these via recycling or selling them online before you do anything else. Don’t leave it until the new kitchen arrives.

Remove obstructions

Unfortunately, not every room is a lovely square box ready for a new kitchen to be fitted inside. There are often obstructions to deal with, from old water pipes and inconveniently placed radiators to large obstacles such as chimney breasts, so you’ll either need to remove these or plan around them.

Repair walls and floors

If you’ve ever painted a room, you’ll know how crucial it is to put in the time and effort to prepare surfaces. The same goes for your new kitchen. Surfaces need to be in good condition, so you’ll need to repair holes, remove all nails and other fittings from walls and do your best to get wall surfaces and floors even and smooth. Measure lines and corners to check the angles, so you can be prepared when it comes to fitting the kitchen.

The finishing touches are to thoroughly clean down all surfaces before the new kitchen is installed, although after all trades have been in (as this work will only create more mess).

Measure up and mark out

To ensure your new kitchen will fit properly in the space, accurate measuring is crucial. Here are some measuring tips:

·       Measure in millimetres rather than cm or inches for greater accuracy
·       Measure everything at least twice
·       Write down your measurements
·       Mark out your measurements on the wall to help you visualise how your kitchen will look

Once you’re happy with your measurements, you can start marking out your units on the walls and floor. Use pencil, chalk or marker on the walls (depending how confident you feel) and tape on the floor. Remember that if your floor is uneven, measurements for units and worktops made up from the floor may not be accurate at some points.

If your room is difficult to measure or you aren’t confident about measuring accurately, using a kitchen fitting specialist to measure up can give you some peace of mind. 

Let’s get planning!

Once you’ve carried out these essential preparatory steps, not all of which will apply to everyone, you are ready to start designing your perfect new kitchen. You can now think of the space as a completely blank canvas, all ready for you to put your own stamp on.

If you’re struggling with measuring or need help with preparing your room, get in touch with A&J Kitchens for some expert help and advice. We can help with every stage of planning and fitting a new kitchen, and we have lots of experience in overcoming obstacles and challenges.