The kitchen is truly the heart of the home. More than for simply preparing and enjoying meals, the kitchen serves as a gathering place for family and guests. A room that was traditionally out of sight, tucked away behind a door, is now centrally located and proudly part of a larger open living space.
As the heart of the home, it’s important that our kitchen is a space we enjoy using and are proud of. Whether you’re renovating, building from scratch or looking for minor enhancements, we’ve put together some trends that we’re observing as we look towards 2024 that can help shape your dream kitchen.
Moving away from stainless steel
Stainless steel sinks have been a staple of Aussie kitchens for decades but there is an increasing trend to instead use warmer materials such as ceramics or composites, or bolder materials such as granite or marble. While stainless steel appliances took over from white in recent decades, kitchen creators are in search of new colours, with black and grey quite popular. Our new Granit Range of sinks comes in three colours: carbon, concrete and snow.
Additionally, there is a trend toward mixing metallics for appliances, tap handles. If you’re ready to embrace this trend, it’s recommended to use the 70/30 rule. Use one dominant metal finish for 70% of your kitchen’s use, accompanied by accent metal finishes (which could be more than one) for the remaining 30%.
Using high-contrast colours
Monochrome kitchens will never go out of style but there’s a shift towards a mixture of materials, complemented by high-contrast applications. For example, a kitchen full of light and warm tones might have a black composite sink. It can be as subtle as handles contrasting the rest of the kitchen’s colour palette or as bold as the use of a feature set of cupboard doors with a different colour or material. Fibr Range of sinks would most certainly hit that brief!
Black is back
It’s said that ‘black goes with everything’ and this year, black is back! Whether it’s cabinetry, bench-tops, appliances, sinks or handles, there’s now always a black option. While dark and moody kitchens are as popular as ever, it’s ideal to complement the bold colour palette with some contrast.
An increasing trend is the use of a complementing material to help pare back the intensity of a black kitchen. This could look like a marble benchtop on top of black cupboards or the use of wooden panels to break up the dark colours.
Statement lighting
The exclusive use of downlights might be on the way down, in favour of lighting fixtures as illuminating as the light it produces. Recessed lighting isn’t going anywhere but it can be complemented by a feature light above the main bench top.
Extending the kitchen
As kitchens have become more open plan in recent decades, we’ve had to try and balance their core function with aesthetics. The very place where you prepare a meal is one of the first rooms your guests will see.
To take the pressure off from having a picture-perfect kitchen at all times, new kitchen designs incorporate spaces such as a walk-in pantry or butler’s pantry. While walk-in pantries are simply more storage space with some space for appliances, a butler’s pantry will typically contain a second sink, counter space, and storage.
Sustainability
The use of sustainable materials is becoming increasingly important for many builders and renovators, as they seek to minimise the impact on the environment. Classic and timeless kitchen styles that use natural and durable materials such as stone, wood, and steel will help your kitchen stand the test of time.
There are other considerations for a sustainable kitchen design. There are increasingly more environmentally friendly delivery methods and packing options for materials and appliances.
Summary
While these might be the kitchen trends this year, it’s important that you ultimately love your kitchen, finding the right style for you.
If you are looking for a sink, we invite you to check out our website. Our modern and stylish sinks allow you to embrace many of the kitchen trends we see.
Our Fibr and Granit sinks come in multiple sizes and colours, so they’ll suit any kitchen and are delivered in an environmentally friendly way. To see and feel our sink materials and colours, order your Sample Pack today.