In modern households today, the kitchen is much more than just a room used to whip up culinary feasts, but more so the heart of the home and a social hub, where friends and family gather for special occasions. As far as home improvements go, remodelling your kitchen will go a long way in upgrading the luxurious feel to your home. With many elements to consider when designing and building a luxury custom kitchen, it is important to balance an injection of personality with a touch of practicality, in order to create the perfect social space to meet your affluent tastes.
When you’re set on making your vision a reality, and transforming your kitchen to the hub of your home, the following must have features will help you to take your kitchen to its peak functional and aesthetic form:
Bi-fold doors
The ultimate addition to any kitchen space, bi-fold doors, such as those from Quickslide Windows & Doors, are by far more than just aesthetically impressive. Their seamless folding opens the kitchen space and allows the garden to become a beautiful extension of the home, helping to transform the room into a new social hub. The sleek, unobtrusive profile of bi-folding designs shouldn’t only be limited to modern builds, as they’re a fantastic addition to update the look of more traditional homes in an instant.
Kitchen island
Kitchen islands have been rising in popularity over the past two decades. The design feature is synonymous with a high-end and sociable kitchen space and are a must-have for anyone with a love for dinner parties or weekend gatherings. Their presence creates a grand feel to the room, whilst also ideal to provide additional space for food preparation and to entertain guests with appetisers or pre-dinner drinks. When designing a bespoke island to complement the size, style and colour scheme of the room, opt for a marble top if possible – no two cuts of marble are ever the same, so this will bring an air of exclusivity to the kitchen.
Concealed storage
Multifunctional, hidden storage is essential when designing a luxury kitchen. Think ceiling height cupboards, divided drawers, refrigerated drawers or even integrated wine fridges. Maximum enjoyment will come from creating a kitchen space that can easily be hidden away to not impose on a luxe living space.
Smart tech
Installing intuitive technology that seamlessly integrates with the room will revolutionise how the kitchen is used. Smart technology will take your kitchen space to the next level, making life easier and more comfortable. Controlled by an app on your phone, guests are sure to be impressed when you’re able to remotely control the lighting to change the ambiance, switch the music over to a different artist or adjust the oven to monitor the cooking of your evening meal.
Double oven
A stylish double oven is a kitchen essential, especially if you enjoy entertaining on a regular basis. While the main oven is ideal for cooking your main meal, you can have appetisers gently warming in the other – the ability to simultaneously cook different dishes will drastically upgrade the cooking experience.
Banquet area
Even though traditional kitchens are evolving into social hubs, functional seating space is important, both to enjoy every day meals at, and to seat guests attending dinner parties. Kitchen islands and breakfast bars do provide suitable seating for much of the time, however, it is nice to have the option of being seated at a suitably sized dinner table – especially when serving a three-or-more course meal. Whether you want to channel a sleek, minimalist kitchen or a more rustic, textured space, search for a dinner table suitable for a banquet in line with the overall desired style.
On-trend colour schemes
Your kitchen should reflect your personality in places – for example, if champagne is your tipple of choice, install a dedicated champagne fridge to house your favourite drink. However, there’s no harm in consulting 2019’s trends for colour-scheme inspiration. Black kitchens are trending and are reflective of homeowners embracing darker colour palates and using monochrome schemes elsewhere in the house. That said, Navy still continues to remain popular, thanks to its versatility to easily adapt to traditional and modern surroundings. If the darker palettes aren’t quite to your taste, perhaps forest greens will be; bluey-greens are an emerging trend this year, thanks to the dramatic and luxurious feel that emerald greens give off, the colour is predicted to be popular for use in kitchen cabinetry and balanced out with smoky, soft metallics, taupe shades, brass finishing and marble worktops.
