News Article
4th February 2014
Caesarstone's top 10 Kitchen Design Trends for 2014
So you’re renovating or building your new kitchen in 2014 and you want to make 100% sure that your kitchen design is ‘spot on’ and that it won’t leave you feeling like you’ve walked onto a dicey, B-grade soap opera set a few years down the line... You are not alone.
Ironically, with the likes of Pinterest, houzz.com and thousands of other design inspiration resources out there it’s never been more confusing to try and pull together a kitchen design that works. More and more, homeowners are resisting the simplicity of mass produced carbon copy kitchen designs that may tick the functionality box, but don’t meet every item on ‘the list’. Let’s be honest, we’re all looking for a kitchen that will give us that blissful, ‘contented sigh’, all-is-well-with-the-world feeling – we want a kitchen that makes us feel special. Not unlike many a woman’s search for Mr Right…
As homeowners we’re increasingly drawn to create living spaces that embody our intangible personality characteristics, as well as create an atmosphere that resonates with our core beliefs and personal values. We’re at a bizarre crossroads of ages: we find ourselves caught up at an intersection of self-actualisation, individualism, limitless options and the obsessed-with-being-special, Generation Y worldview, leaving us overwhelmed with choices – yet seeking an end result that is almost spiritual in its significance to us personally.
Successful kitchen designers don’t just design kitchens. They create artworks: visual interpretations that must reflect multiple aspects of their clients’ identities or personas. A client’s satisfaction will depend on how much of themselves they can recognise in their kitchen. If you’re redoing your kitchen on a solo mission, you are probably attempting to do the same thing. There is something in each of us that delights in seeing our own image reflected in our creations – it generates a pleasurable resonance within us.
Excellent kitchen design is a balancing act between design and colour longevity, functionality and personal touch. A good kitchen designer will get a sense of what kind of person you are before putting pencil to sketchpad, or index finger to mouse. Your job is to communicate to your designer the kind of spaces you feel most comfortable in. Are you an outdoorsy, spunky entertainer, or an artistic, moody hipster? Do you desperately need a neon pink kitchen, or are you just in love with the idea of having a neon pink kitchen? Work out whether you just appreciate a funky, ‘out there’ design or if you can live in that bright, psychedelic space for a decade or two.
Make sure your design choices are serving you and not constraining you. It may help to ask yourself some questions. Which restaurants do you feel most at home in, and why? Are you an urban, contemporary, concrete and lights kind of person, or is your happy place in a log cabin on the mountains? Do you like structured, clean lines or more of an organic look and feel? It’s often a good idea to measure how certain spaces make you feel and then identify the elements that stand out for you to achieve a design that recaptures that feeling that you’re after.
Unfortunately, budget is always an issue, as well as your predicted tenure in your current home. It’s no good designing your perfect kitchen if you’re selling up and moving to Perth next year. They say (whoever “They” are) if you’re going to be in your house for longer than five years then it’s ok to treat yourself when it comes to the wants versus the needs of your kitchen design. You would probably be over-capitalising if you succumbed to your wants otherwise. Check out Your dream kitchen on a budget… without sacrificing your Caesarstone tops for hints on how to save money to keep the finishes you really want.
We’ve put together a list of kitchen design trends for 2014 that will help you navigate the choppy waters of contemporary or country style kitchen design to help you create your dream kitchen interior with ease, and a little bit of flair.
1. Monotones are here to stay
Let’s face it, you can never go wrong with whites and neutrals and this year proves no exception. With world economic growth inching forward at a sluggish pace, many of us need to plan kitchens that will work for at least ten years, if not twenty. And we haven’t even started talking about reselling. Monotone colours and whites offer the most versatility as base colour concepts as they don’t demand visual attention in the way that brights do, nor do they overstimulate the eyes. If you’re still not convinced, take a cue from the wedding dress: classic colour and design will never let you down!
2. Keep Calm And Add A Splash of Colour
Just like your former biker, druggie crush from high school, an eccentric kitchen has an exceptionally short novelty period – for you and your family and friends. Resist the urge to express your mid-life crisis in colour and rather add colour to kitchen elements that are inexpensive to update, such as glass backsplashes, small appliances, display pieces or wallpaper. Marita Smuts from Future Classics, the co-winner of the Judges’ Choice award from the Caesarstone Kitchen Designers 2013 competition says, “We advise our clients to add splashes of colour with splashbacks, accessories and even wallpaper so they can change it at a later stage. There’s nothing worse than sitting with a red kitchen for twenty years – even if you are adventurous!”
One of the winners of the Caesarstone Kitchen Designers 2013 competition, Santa Eksteen from Sterlings predicts, “The use of monotones and earthy colours will still be used overall with just a splash of colour in well thought-out spaces.”
A double category winner of the Caesarstone Kitchen Designers 2013 competition, Charlotte van der Haer from Kitchen Classics in Durban confirms this prediction: “I see the trend moving towards using more bold areas of colour, not in the actual colour of the cupboards themselves but rather in feature areas in the kitchen. Possibly a glass splashback, bright feature wall or bold décor”. And now there’s no excuse – you’ve heard it from the experts!
3. Back to the Future: A New Old-World Look
This year homeowners and designers will break free from the shackles of one-style-fits-all thinking. Contemporary, country, farm style, shabby chic or industrial – whatever style revs your motor has the thumbs up this year. What is cropping up again is the inclusion of old-world metals such as copper, rose gold and brass in reaction to the stainless steel coup which has besieged the kitchen design world these past few years. These gorgeous – and yes, expensive – materials can be incorporated into your kitchen as accessories. Think light fittings, cookware, trivets or other kitchen odds and ends. Some high-end, foreign retailers offer specialist ovens with copper finishes: true masterpieces for the kitchen!
Contemporary designs aside, there are some stunning reinventions of designs and styles from times gone by that designers can help you incorporate into your new kitchen design. The fifties and sixties fascination that continues to grip some industries has certainly left its mark on our homes. A cursory look at SMEG appliances reveals an expression of popular culture’s continuing reminiscence of these eras. According to Santa this obsession with the past will continue in 2014, “We will also see personal eleme
