If 2018 was the year of minimalism, 2019 is the year that we start to put a little sparkle back into our kitchens. Interior designers are bored of sleek, simple white and brassy rose gold appliances and are starting to mix things up. That doesn’t mean you need to renovate your entire kitchen to stay on trend – a few small changes can make all the difference.
Get Back to Nature
Add stone accents to your kitchen and feel at one with the outside as you cook your evening meal. Swap your worktops to incorporate a stone finish or simply add a stone canvas to the wall for a subtler way to work the look. You can include a stone backsplash behind the stove, and you can even get hood-vent covers made out of stone.
Eco-Friendly Influences
Following on from the natural theme, the biggest colour of the year is set to be green. Perhaps it’s a response to our collective need to protect the environment as we discover more and more about the damage we are wrecking on the earth, but emerald and forest green tiles add a classy touch, while dark green cabinets can look incredibly dramatic. Balance out the deeper shades with your natural stone worktops, or white works too, as a way to reflect the light back into the room.
Incorporate Texture
Gone are the days of clean, crisp edges – 2019 needs a little texture. Consider adding vertical beadboard panels on your cupboard doors, island fronts or hood vent surrounds as a way to break up the monotony of flat white. If you have a breakfast bar, textured chairs are also a great way to include this trend. This is a great way to add a few focal points in a minimalist kitchen.
Back to Black
The perfect antidote to all-white, black is always in fashion, but this year we will see the continuation of our love affair with matte variations of the shade. The perfect contrast in almost all styles of kitchen, the best way to include matte black is in your appliances, since they are likely to complement any decor.
Stay Indecisive
Can’t choose between the painted navy cupboards and the rustic white wooden ones? This year you can have them both! Mixing up complimentary shades in cupboard design is a brave, bold move, but one that makes a huge statement. The best bit is that it saves you having to decide between the two!
Retro Styling
Another great way to deflect from all things white and simple, is to add excessive pattern to a room. This year, we are likely to see a 1970’s influence in kitchen tiles, with tones of mustard, chocolate and, as previously mentioned, green, all blended in a garish, retro pattern. This kind of styling needs to be added with care, as too much will overpower a room, but it can look amazing when done well.
Super Storage
As kitchen gadgets get more and more sophisticated, we need clever storage solutions in which we can put them all away. In 2019, hidden storage is set to be huge, providing convenient places to house our less beautiful, yet essential items. Cabinets with doors that slide out of view for a clean, unfussy look when the contents are being used are particularly popular.
Floating Units
Floating islands have been a practical and popular choice for some time now, but the strain of open-plan kitchens is starting to show. Designers are solving this problem by adding freestanding shelving units in the centre of larger kitchens. Providing extra storage while breaking up the space allows for a little mystery in food preparation – you don’t want your guests knowing all your cooking secrets, after all!
The trends for 2019 make for an exciting change in kitchen design. Many of the design ideas mentioned can be easily incorporated without having to completely overhaul your current layout, but if you are planning on treating yourself to a bespoke kitchen in 2019, you might find some useful inspiration in the above.