Honest use of noble materials. Natural materials are able to retain their own voices in today’s kitchens, rather than being muted by unnatural treatments. Wood cabinetry may be painted, but the preference is now for a hand-applied finish that allows brush marks and the material’s original grain to show through, for example. Stone’s natural veining is highly valued, and finish preferences have shifted toward honed rather than polished, to let the stone’s raw texture shine. A wider range of metals is being used, from stainless steel to polished nickel to bronzes and brasses with living finishes.
The natural beauty of materials such as stone will be highlighted with treatments and finishes that allow their qualities to shine through. Courtesy Sub-Zero and Wolf
Technological innovation dissolving the kitchen’s boundaries. As the separation between kitchens and living rooms continues to disappear, homeowners are showing a greater preference for integrating and concealing utilitarian elements such as appliances using the aforementioned natural materials, and the report predicts that designers’ ability to accomplish this will be supported by technological advances. Technology also will enable seamless aging-in-place design and the incorporation of electronic displays and control panels, as well as lighting, into kitchen surfaces—countertops in particular. Further product innovations and electronic advances will make wireless/plugless countertop appliance operation a reality.
Whether any or all of these possibilities fully develop into future design concepts for kitchens likely will vary—as many trends do—depending on regional influences and budgetary considerations. However, each design direction reflects a greater desire for control, ease, and environmental sensitivity within the home that appears to be increasingly common among a diverse range of homeowners.
For more about kitchen design:
Read about the 2010 Custom Home Design Awards Custom Kitchen Grand and Merit winners.
Peruse CUSTOM HOME’s 2010 Kitchen & Bath Design Guide.
