Three experts tell us what's hot in kitchens. If you are thinking of renovating it, don't miss their advice.
Materials, colors, finishes, textures. We have asked three experts about today's main trends in kitchen furniture design. They have given us an exhaustive review of everything in fashion and the latest innovations. With their advice, you'll make your kitchen look current and contemporary. Star materials. Ignacio, from Estudio Alegria, has no doubt: melamine or lacquered MDF in a matte finish and dyed in soft colors are the great protagonists today, to which Teresa, from Paglialonga Studio, adds that lacquers are synonymous with quality, price, and design: "For everyday kitchens, they are a safe bet."
However, solid wood is also the latest in kitchen materials. Regarding laminates, it is a bet that will never go out of fashion. And as María Jesús, director of Kansei, points out, "they offer infinite possibilities in terms of color, finish and resistance, and are also easy to maintain. It is, on the other hand, a material with a magnificent quality-price ratio". Finally, innovation. Imitation stone fronts are possibly the most innovative. Here we see a design by the Nimú studio in collaboration with Claudio Salvarani and manufactured by Murelli, featuring acts made with the compact sintered Neolith surface, specifically the Calacatta model in Silk finish, inspired by the vein of the marble of the same name.
This new material has extraordinary technical characteristics, such as high resistance to scratching, stains, chemicals, or high temperatures, so it can be used in furniture design and the countertop and backsplash, as we see in this project. In addition, it is a 100% natural and sustainable material.
On the other hand, Teresa Paglialonga points out that "metals such as steel or natural stone are not new materials, but they are in the kitchen world. Right now they enjoy a privileged position, and in this space of the house, they are even a trend". Likewise, resin-treated cement is another avant-garde material that has made an important place in the design of kitchen modules, especially when you want to recreate industrial environments. Details that make a big difference. Apart from aesthetics, the new kitchens offer great comfort in use due to small components such as, for example, the latest generation fittings, which allow an easy opening of the fronts of the furniture: with minimal effort, you can open and close a door or drawer smoothly. Or, as the director of Kansei says, "the cabinets equipped with LED lighting inside, which allow you to see everything that is stored more clearly."
Visual cleanliness. Today's cabinet fronts are visually light. To achieve this aesthetic, Teresa Paglialonga believes that the most important thing to consider is the height of the doors: the doors are more streamlined, but above all, it is advisable to avoid having too many of them. The larger the doors, the better it will look. And is that a wide front can hide behind it a compartmentalized space in several drawers or shelves.
Colors. Selecting the most appropriate color for the furniture will be decisive to bring light, warmth, joy, elegance, naturalness, and originality to the project. Ignacio Alegría tells us that pastel shades can get a lot of prominence and personality without overloading the scene. They are also very suitable if your favorite style is vintage.
Teresa Paglialonga points out, on the other hand, that both black and white are the most requested color ranges. "With white, we achieve neatness, a feeling of spaciousness, lightness, luminosity, cleanliness, and harmony. With black, we achieve a visual reduction of the environment". Our three experts also agree that gray is a must in contemporary kitchens. Secondly, there are handles to consider: an open-plan kitchen without handles is equally practical and efficient. An exciting option is to use Gola system handles, which are milled into the door itself, so they are entirely hidden, making it smooth.
María Jesús García also prefers handleless doors "because in this way we avoid unnecessary color mixtures and cleaning is made easier since it is a smooth surface without obstacles." But he adds: "This does not mean that, in certain cases, it is not possible to opt for furniture with a spectacular handle that provides added value to the design." Ignacio Alegría, for his part, thinks that handles can be a good resource, as they are an embellishing element: "I like to put them because they are a piece that can give a strong personality to the whole," he says.
White is a classic in the kitchen. Its timeless character makes it the star season after season, regardless of the decorative style of the space. According to María Jesús, "it does not go out of fashion because it has the great advantage of allowing you to renew the rest of the kitchen decoration after a while without being a conditioning factor, since white combines with everything." On the other hand, it is advisable to apply fronts in dark shades -black, chocolate brown, navy blue- only when you have ample space with a lot of light. We can also afford it if we have a good artificial lighting project," says Ignacio Alegria. The director of Kansei points out that "kitchens in integral black are a trend that the most daring tend to opt for, being an option that undoubtedly generates very modern spaces. The secret to subtracting sobriety is to combine it with metallic touches or decorative elements that provide a slight hint of color. For example, in the image project, that piece is the large format painting that we see on the wall on the right.