One of the few benefits of all the extra time being spent at home this year is finally having time to get around to completing those smaller jobs around the house and planning for those bigger renovations.
Being indoors more affords you that time to take a look at the areas that still need work and also to discover how spaces are best utilised. With the kitchen being one of the busiest rooms in the house and also one that has to function well, this time has been hugely beneficial when considering either complete a re-design or a spruce up.
A room that takes a fair bit of planning with costs varying wildly depending on your budget and desires, a kitchen re-design always has to focus on maximising space and functionality, while providing a look that will last for years, after all, it isn’t a room you overhaul often.
“We are still getting lots of enquiries about kitchen renovations,” explains Josh Delane of The Wood Works. “People are spending more time at home and want to spruce up their kitchens, whether it is a total refurb, adding more seating space or making it more open plan with their living room.”
The Wood Works has been designing bespoke kitchens for over 70 years, so we asked them to reveal some of their leading requests and trends for kitchens going into 2021.
Breakfast bar and stools
For more casual dining, a breakfast bar with stylish stools has become a nice added feature in many homes. Perfect for sipping on a wine while the chef of the house prepares dinner; enjoying a quick bite to eat or a catch up and chat, the informal setting has almost beaten the formal arrangement of the dining room for social feasting.
A breakfast bar works as a functional and effective use of space, making use of the area underneath the table, which may have otherwise been empty or under-utilised. When not in use, the breakfast bar can be used as additional workspace for cooking too.
Hot and cold tap or coffee machine
The days of the kettle are soon becoming obsolete, along with manually getting tea or coffee out of the cupboard and making yourself an instant beverage. The UK has turned into a country of tea and coffee connoisseurs, preferring to use coffee machines for the perfect latte or cappuccino – and when they want hot water for a tea, they want it instantly.
The hot and cold tap has become a popular addition, especially from the likes of Quooker. The ability to switch from boiling hot to cold almost instantly from the same tap is hugely helpful and you only need a small unit underneath the sink to operate it. These are so useful and popular that we wouldn’t be surprised if the traditional kettle disappeared from the kitchen altogether in five to ten years.
Eco-friendly
In today’s world, being as eco-friendly as possible is essential and it has been a common theme in many households for a few years now. Not only are we creating areas which are easy for recycling and separating foods and plastics, we are also looking at appliances and equipment that save and minimise energy consumption, this includes everything from boilers, insulation, heat pumps, doors, windows and more.
Until March 2021, the UK government is giving Green Home Grants of £5,000 or £10,000 towards making your home more energy efficient and this is something that people have been inquiring about especially within such a well-used area of the house.
Open plan and integrated with the dining area
Open plan living is more popular than ever with homeowners looking to open up their spaces, let in as much natural light as possible and banish those awkward corners. Creating a natural flow, between areas and opening up the possibilities of being able to entertain more guests and family members, open-plan living is here to stay.
The main benefit is the ability to provide the feeling of more space within each area and this works especially well within a kitchen as an island can be incorporated to separate the space but still be open to converse and have that flow. Additionally the TV can be viewed from different areas and sofas are finding their ways into the kitchen area too, providing a more all-round relaxed and multi-functional living space.
