A friend of mine who lives in the West Midlands has just bought a new house. She loves spending time in the kitchen, cooking and experimenting with different foods and has always wanted a designer kitchen.
Now, with the help of a team of Solihull kitchen designers, her dream is about to come true. In this article, we look at 6 of the coolest kitchen design ideas.
kitchen-island
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The highly versatile kitchen island is probably one of the most important parts of any modern designer kitchen. Islands come in a wonderful array of shapes and sizes – the more unusual shapes like oval, semi-circular, or even completely round are very fashionable right now.
Islands are designed to house sleek fitted cabinets and smooth sliding drawers, but these highly adaptable giants can also come with dining extensions and even stylish breakfast nooks.
The trend for open shelving has transformed the humble kitchen island into an aesthetic delight. Apart from offering useful storage, you can also use the shelves to display some of your beautiful cookware and glassware.
The addition of breakfast zones as well as dining extensions, opens up a kitchen to more social and family-friendly activities, and helps create a smooth flow into your living areas.
Island countertops
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Marble and stone are ice cool and look great in any kitchen. In a move away from uniform Corian kitchen countertops, stone has once again been given a makeover to meet the demands of our fast-paced and functional urban lifestyles. Classic marble and polished black granite are the stars of today’s kitchens, and they’re here to stay.
Fabulous flooring
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Kitchen flooring comes in many variations; the right choice can make all the difference between a kitchen that looks fair to middling and one that’s positively sublime.
If you want a natural, environment friendly look, then bamboo is a great option. It’s elegant and aesthetically pleasing and blends perfectly with most interior décor designs. Colours of polished hazelnut brown, honey and wheat are just waiting to be walked on.
With its unique aesthetic that resembles natural stone when stained and pigmented, concrete flooring is another great option. There are a wide range of colours and some eye-popping texturing, staining and polishing alternatives. They’re also perfect for use with underfloor heating.
Organic wood tones
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There’s a wonderful diversity of not just design, but also materials used by the world-class kitchen makers. Stainless steel has become the undoubted star in metallic kitchens, and marble, granite and other new-age stone offer a range of aesthetic and practical benefits.
However, the hot new trend is wood – elegant wood, with its eco-friendly and nature-centric qualities. The warm tones and soft glow of wood cabinets that hint at a ‘Japanese vibe’ can rejuvenate minimalist kitchens.
So too can the rustic beauty of wooden surfaces used to add textural uniqueness and character. Although kitchens may be dominated by stainless steel and glass, the natural warmth and texture of hardwood cabinets provide a beautiful contrast.
Wood exhibits wonderful characteristics such as knots and mineral deposits that contribute to its charm, and these can be enhanced by different glazes and stains.
Colour, patterns and pizazz
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Kitchen inspiration need not be all serious business – colour, creativity, pizazz and extravagance abound. The super-cool kitchens of today have so much going for them, including unique backsplashes made from coins, pebbles, mosaic tiles or strips of stainless steel. Exclusive custom kitchen ranges add style and more than a splash of colour.
For something completely different, there are kitchens designed to look like minimalist office spaces, or kitchens bursting with colourful extravagance and custom-made solutions and even kitchens filled with dark sophistication and beautifully-patterned walls.