Gallery: RIPO kitchen Modern with an island and solid wood counter, designer Jevgenija.
Latest trends in kitchen furniture and materials.
You will not redesign your kitchen every year; therefore, your kitchen project must reflect a sustainable design, deeply rooted in functionality. Design must solve problems, and not create them! This is an ever-lasting truth. The latest trends are new discoveries easing your everyday kitchen chores, and they stay the same until changed by better solutions.
Kitchen perimeter furniture with cabinets on the walls are more and more often replaced by island-type kitchen design with column cabinets. Contemporary kitchens are nowadays designed by focusing all functionalities in a single large island with spacious surface, power outlets, sink (with garbage disposal), dish washer, pull-out containers for recycling, cabinets for plates and utensils, stove with a built-in cooker hood with durable filter and other elements. The kitchen island is often accompanied by a counter and attractive luminaire above. As a result, guests or family can gather around the counter and the person who cooks the meal is right nearby and takes part in conversations. The islands come in countless shapes and forms, making kitchens visually appealing, with specific character and individuality. Behind the doors of high column cabinets, you can find convenient pull-out storage systems and built-in equipment – refrigerator and freezer, steam oven where you can cook healthy and delicious meals, coffee machine, warm and vacuum drawers, and other appliances.
When it comes to materials, artificial stone surfaces are the most trendy ones due to truly easy maintenance as dirt simply cannot accumulate on them. Stone surfaces with seamless connections and wall moldings are still some of the most in-demand solutions in corner kitchens. Quartz and ceramic surfaces are also in demand. Customers opt to choose matte or textured façade materials whereon wear on tear is less obvious. The biggest newcomer of course is light – in drawers, showcases, and shelves. The more, the better!
Trendy fitting solutions.
Functional fittings make your kitchen comfortable – people tend to choose pull-out systems, making it easier to fill-in inconvenient corners – corner baskets, pull-out columns, internal pull-out drawers instead of regular shelves. Drawer systems are in high demand, helping to organize your items and store plates, spices, knives and other utensils.
Meaning of ergonomics in the eyes of a designer.
Ergonomics, just like functionality, is beyond important in a kitchen. There are standards that cannot be compromised. For example, the surface height must make sure that your elbows do not get tired while chopping products or doing dishes in the sink. Inconvenient places must have pull-out mechanisms, but above-the-head closets must be equipped with electronic doors with push-to-open buttons in easily reachable places. The depth of wall cabinets must fit specific parameters, but the doors cannot be too wide to avoid possible injuries. The cooker hood above the stove must be in the right height so that it would be comfortable for you to cook and the hood would function perfectly. One must consider children in the kitchen too – avoid push-to-open drawers, sharp and brittle items must be stored in places where children cannot reach them. All these and many more nuances that simply cannot be ignored will be considered and addressed by an experienced designer.
Before you order furniture based on a technical drawing, play out your daily kitchen routines.
For example: first, come to the refrigerator, take out products; right nearby there must be a sink with pull-out basked underneath or on the side as well as the surface with power outlets for electric appliances; then move to hot area where you can easily access spices, utensils, towels, and other necessary elements. Your dishwasher must be placed in a way that it does not make it harder to access the sink and waste bin.
Kitchen design trends 2019 / 2020.
When you have paid proper attention to comfort and functionality along with sustainable design foundations, think about the character of your kitchen. In terms of decoration, a stylish 2019 / 2020 kitchen has thin surfaces with noticeable texture – marble with large, prominent veins, terrazzo texture, metal structures and many luminaires, including behind tinted glass. Some furniture can stand on supports and you can use radio-type handles and non-ferrous metals – copper and brass. Customize your kitchen with vintage items and retro appliances in pastel tones; remember that classical black and red colors never go out of style too. Take the style to the next level with tiles with ethnical symbols or glazing. Instead of using wall cabinets, opt in favor of effective wall finish with grouped lamps and ceiling luminaires, thin metal or thick wooden shelves on massive brackets with plenty of greens. Don’t shy away from earthy colors, grey, dark and black colors, and remember that you can enjoy complex nuances of green and blue or powder pink in combinations with marble, wooden and concrete textures.