insideKENT Magazine Issue 98 - May 2020 | Page 34

HOME+GARDEN Hot Stuff: KITCHEN TRENDS 2020 IT'S NO SECRET THAT OUR KITCHEN IS THE HUB OF OUR HOME. ASIDE FROM IT TYPICALLY BEING THE MOST UTLISED ROOM IN THE HOUSE, (EVEN BEFORE LOCKDOWN BANANA BREAD BECAME A THING…), IT IS ALSO, OF COURSE, ONE OF THE KEY VALUE-ADDING AREAS OF ANY HOME IMPROVEMENT PLAN. Whether you have ventured into the unknown for the first time, spend every waking minute preparing yet another snack, are a born-again baker, or rank as an accomplished amatuer chef; spending more time in the heart of your home will undoubtedly have you thinking about your own kitchen design. From functionality to desirability, insideKENT have asked two in-the-know, Kent-based, kitchen design dream teams, for their take on the hottest trends to inspire your dream kitchen. Neptune Canterbury: Neptune’s kitchens focus on timeless looks and the highest quality materials, with a total consideration for how you want to live your life. Your kitchen should be nothing short of a pleasure to live with. When you look at it, it should make you feel good. Every day. And when you use it, it should make life a bit easier. In ways big and small. Shades this spring also include deep mustard yellows, and right now we are seeing not just a one-colour scheme but the use of two colours to make a real statement. In several of our display kitchens we have shown a high-contrast scheme. The Ink island in the Suffolk kitchen really changed the feel of the room, made it more edgy and placed a lot more emphasis onto the island. Cool Storage - the Larder is back: No kitchen is an island - but everyone should have one: Larders with storage racks on the inside of the cabinet doors are just brilliant at giving you a place to group like-things together. You can put all your spices in them so you have everything close to hand when you’re cooking. Or, turn one of the racks into a breakfast pantry with teas at the top, jams and preserves in a row beneath, and boxes of lovely- looking cereal below that. The word “larder” might conjure up images of where your Nan used to keep butter cold, but larders are definitely cool again – and for a very good reason. They are hugely practical, look attractive (both from the outside and the inside!) and solve a multitude of storage challenges: Brave, Bold, Colour: We are definitely seeing the use of more and deeper colour in our kitchens. Our own Suffolk kitchen in the showroom is a great example of this, which we painted in Ink (an almost-black shade) for the AW19 season. People are getting braver with their use of colour, and of course being able to see things in a life-like home setting like Neptune Canterbury allows you to have the perfect preview before you make the commitment in your own kitchen. 34 If space allows, always look to see how you can accommodate an island into your kitchen design - it’s where the action happens! From food prep to entertaining, eating to chatting, an island is a functional yet inspired design statement in any kitchen design. And of course with a two-colour scheme you can highlight this social, functional hub in a really strong shade too.