With reality television shows like Masterchef and My Kitchen Rules driving people into the kitchen with aspirations of fine dining-esque home cooked meals, kitchens have assumed greater importance in many homes.

Here we take a look at some of the trends hitting the home kitchen, new products to enter the market and whether the glossy shine of kitchen surfaces is a continuing trend or on the way out.

Laminex

Formed in 1934, Laminex has been an enduring brand in households in Australia.

Regularly launching new products into the kitchen market, last year Laminex branched out with several new products. This includes a range of textured surfaces with the Impressions range, which addresses the trend of ‘super naturalism’ by adding a sense of realism to surfaces.

Textured finishes in Impressions include Spark, which has sparkling quartz embedded in the stone for benchtops; Riven, which has a brushed effect for doors, drawers and vertical panels; and Nuance, which has the look and feel of a timber grain for cupboards and vertical panels.  

The company has also launched Alfresco Compact Laminate in an outdoor kitchen laminate that is maintenance free and impervious to water, so it can be hosed down for easy cleaning.

Designed to help with the seamless flow from the indoors to the outdoors, Joanna Baker, marketing manager at Laminex, says it is the first compact laminate to have been designed with the outdoors in mind.

The aim of the woodgrain print was to create a high fidelity print on a realistic surface, providing a dry and natural look  that was suitable for outside.

However, this does not the signal the end to glossy surfaces, according to Baker. She says the look will still be popular into the short-term, with Laminex recently expanding its Silk and Diamond gloss ranges.

While the trend in kitchens has been one of increasing minimalism, Baker says we are now witnessing a move to ‘maximalism’. This trend includes using different materials, varying proportions, using different colour gradations and positioning surfaces on different planes, such as placing a benchtop higher than a workspace.

While Australia traditionally takes its cues from European designs, Baker says the challenge has remained for suppliers and manufacturers to make sure trends are adapted to the Australian environment.

“Typically, Australia follows the European ‘look’, more so than the American or the Asian look. In turn, these material choices are influenced by ‘mega’ style trends that can be seen in fashion, technology, lifestyle and ultimately interiors,” Baker says.

 

 Hettich’s Magic LED lighting range. Photography: Mal Corboy..

Hettich

At Hettich, Dave Angus, national marketing manager Australia and New Zealand, says trends are constantly evolving, with Hettich trying to stay ahead of the game by continuously updating its product range.

For example, it has recently added a fluid damper to its InnoTech Drawer System to help improve the drawer’s soft close action and added a new range of ProDecor handles.

Hettich also plans to launch the ArciTech drawer mid this year, which is already being sold in Europe. The drawer system will be available in three loading capacities – 40kg, 60kg and 80kg – and will be fitted on Actro runners with soft close technology.

“We currently have four different ‘levels’ in our drawer offering … and we wanted to be able to offer cabinet-makers and designers one more level,” Angus says.

Like Baker, Angus predicts textured surfaces for walls and doors will take off this year to add an extra dimension to the kitchen.

“While consumers like minimalism and simplicity, they still want the extra luxurious touches, such as textured surfaces, and it can be tricky to strike the perfect balance,” Angus says.

Consumers have also come around to soft closing drawers, Angus says, something they were cautious of early on when the technology was launched. He says it is now a staple of showrooms and rare to find cabinetry without it.

“Soft close technology … was previously seen as the cherry on top of a new kitchen. However, it is increasingly becoming a necessity in today’s kitchen designs,” he says.

Angus says consumers are also looking for storage spaces in the kitchen that don’t take up too much room. Hettich has addressed this by creating storage that is fixed to the back of doors, underneath shelves and inside pantries.

And while it can be easy to pinpoint emerging trends, Angus says each consumer is different and needs something that will suit their lifestyle and taste. For example, quirky handles and colours can let a client’s individuality shine through.

“Consumers like to impose their own personalities onto their kitchen designs, so glossy finishes are really just a matter of taste – some consumers are still interested but many want to show their own style off a bit more,” Angus says.

“[But] the overly clean and clinical look is on the way out. While minimalism may still exist, an overly clean looking kitchen is definitely not in trend and can be seen as cold or lacking in personality.”

 

Ilve

Ilve has also launched several new products over the past 12 months. The Italian kitchen appliance manufacturer has released a new 60cm Pyrolytic oven, a Pizza oven, a built-in coffee machine, wine cabinets and a range of flush line cooktops.

 

The new products all include digital components, such as a touch control panel, and have been updated with some other cosmetic changes.

“We recognised a need in the market for these style of products. Kitchens need to be an extension of people's lifestyles and the products need to reflect this too,” says Daniel Bertuccio, marketing manager at Ilve.

Bertuccio says consumers are simplifying their kitchen and focusing on maximising space and incorporating high-quality products that fit in seamlessly.

 

Blum

Furniture fitting company Blum plans to release a minimalist range of drawers, Tandembox antaro, from mid this year.

Alicia Draper, marketing communications manager at Blum, says the company created the product due to the need for a drawer system which complements the changing façade of kitchen designs.

“We are seeing more harmonious lines in kitchens. Drawers are becoming standard in base cabinets with horizontal lines being repeated in overhead cabinets by using lift systems, as opposed to cupboard doors,” she says.

This trend is being driven by changing lifestyles, according to Draper. For example, kitchens were once a place where meals were cooked and the dining room was where meals were eaten. Now, the line between the two has been blurred.

Consumers are also increasingly requiring their kitchen to be well designed and being a functional space that can help save time and provide better ergonomics.

“We are finding kitchen cabinets are extending beyond the kitchen into the living room and entertainment areas for an all encompassing seamless look,” Draper says.

 

Billi

Billi, which manufactures chilled and boiled water dispensers, has introduced new dual temperature dispensers with a cleaner and more stylish look. Clients have also been given greater control over the dispensers and can control levers, include a touch action or remote panel and choose from more colour finishes.

The changes are a result of feedback from consumers and designers, according to Jim Hornsey, marketing manager at Billi, who were no longer satisfied with the available options.

Like Angus, Hornsey says consumers are still after clean and uncluttered spaces, but also looking for more individuality in their kitchen, with stainless steel finishes on the way out.

“Everyone wants to have something a little bit unique. That said I think there has been a general trend away from glossy to more subtle finishes,” he says.

“Consumers and designers want designs that are clever and sophisticated but look minimal, and that trend is continuing.”

 

Hideaway Bins

Hideaway Bins are an innovative storage solution designed and manufactured in New Zealand.

The company’s general manager Jamie Bertelsen agrees with Angus that consumers like to put their own mark on their kitchens and select products that suit their individual lifestyles and needs.

“To meet this trend, Hideaway Bins have an extensive range of bins available, with each of the 37 models offering differing features for the consumer to select from, for example soft close tracks or friction fitted lids,” Bertelsen says.

The consumer can also choose between single or double bucket configurations as well as bucket sizes ranging from 15, 20, 40 & 50 Litres allowing a rubbish and recycling solution to be chosen that aligns with their disposal habits.

Consumers are looking for products that are practical and are easy to use. Bertelsen says, Hideaway Bins slide away under the bench and are completely hidden from sight until needed. She says, the bins are both ergonomic and functional as they are designed to be mounted at bench height and pull out towards the user, allowing easy disposal of waste without having to bend inside low cupboards.

At the end of 2012, Hideaway Bins released the largest double bin solution available to the Australasian market, the range designed to meet the market demand for a larger bin solution within the kitchen.