What are the ‘must-haves’ in modern kitchen design?

As part of a kitchen refit, extension or remodel, you’ll have a concept of the essentials that you require. There are the functional requirements that make a kitchen effective; fridge freezers, ovens, plumbing. A well designed modern kitchen, though, requires a foundation of more than essentials. Good modern kitchen designs hang on cohesion, clarity and efficiency. Look beyond the basic requirements and you’ll discover the ‘must-haves’ for your modern kitchen. 

Efficiency

Nowadays, efficiency means more than how well an appliance fulfils its task. Economic and environmental efficiency are both vital must-haves for the modern kitchen. If you’re refitting with new appliances, this is your chance to select machines with high energy ratings. Other features in your kitchen are important here too. Think about materials. Natural and durable worktop materials like granite and marble are mined in slabs and so have less manufacturing impact. Your worktop will last a lifetime, which means that these materials work to minimise waste.

Aesthetics

So many different design concepts are at play within modern kitchen design. From the retro to the minimalist, country to coastal, the key to aesthetic success is cohesion. Select your concept and carefully plan how different elements will work together in the finished room. Remember that you may want to update the aesthetic of your kitchen in future years. By selecting a neutral quartz worktop, this key element of your kitchen can remain constant while features such as cabinet fronts can be easily updated.

Function

A wide scope of function is central to enduring modern kitchen design. The modern kitchen is a multi-disciplined place. It is a space for cooking, entertaining, socialising, working, relaxing and living. For this reason, a popular must-have for your kitchen is living furniture. A range of seeing in your kitchen allows you to embrace all of the personalities of your kitchen. From a relaxed sofa area to seated dining to casual breakfast bar stools, your tables and worktops can easily shift in function.

Kitchen Island

Breakfast bars or kitchen islands have been around for a long time now, but they have become a real staple as modern kitchen design has evolved. If the space is available, this must have feature is extra wide and multi functional. You can include a hob, preparation sink, wine fridge or even waterfall layers to maximise the range of use in this area. When you chose a material like marble or granite, your kitchen island will look great and last like nothing else!

Worktops built to last

Durability, then, is so important in the modern kitchen. The design features that make a modern kitchen are durable in both style and strength. This is a result of consumer decisions becoming more prudent and environmentally conscious.  By selecting a worktop of granite, which lasts for your whole life in that home, the impact of your kitchen refit is minimised. Classic neutral marbles our sparkling quartz collaborate with any number of design concepts. So, tanks care of, these surfaces look spectacular even a decade on!

Larder pull out cupboard

For modern kitchen designs, there should be no more forgotten tins lurking at the back of food cupboards! Full height pull out pantry cupboards allow access to both sides of a shelf and optimise kitchen storage. Situated at the end of your worktop, or as part of floor to ceiling units, the pull out larder feature is a sure sign of a modern functional kitchen.

Mix fitted and freestanding

More and more, customers are choosing a mixture of fitted kitchen units and freestanding cabinets and preparation areas. This mix of styles brings a wonderful unique and personal aesthetic to a kitchen design concept. Look at mixing classic granite worktops over fitted units set against a fee standing dresser and range oven. This meeting of styles, done correctly, is striking and fresh.

Bespoke storage

For many homes, walls and corners are not perfectly right angled. In this way, bespoke storage is a key feature for modern kitchens. It’s also the only way you can ensure that your own personal lifestyle is fully reflected. You’ll be able top make use of every inch of space along both the length and height of your room to maximise storage and create the cleanest, smoothest line. 

Labour Saving kit

Although the most classic must haves don’t always require cutting edge technology, there are some really great pieces of kit out there. So if you’re redesigning a modern kitchen, you should aim to maximise the performance of your modern kitchen

Boiling taps

No more hovering over a boiling kettle! Boiling water taps have come on leaps and bounds recently, to ensure that you get a great pot of tea at the touch of a button.

Self cleaning ovens

It may only be an occasional job, but cleaning the oven is universally dreaded! So the next oven that you choose as you refit your kitchen, make sure it is self cleaning!

How to use deep drawers

Fridges and freezers set into deep drawers enable far easier access to your foods. You’ll be able to store more and plan more. This direct impact on lifestyle has helped many people to reduce their waste as they can see at a glance all of the food items in these places. 

Lighting 

The multi-purpose room that modern kitchen design aspires to needs to have complementary lighting. Must-have lighting works to alter the atmosphere of the room depending on how it is being used. Mix under cabinet LED with pendant lighting and control colour hue and brightness with your smart phone.

Handleless Units

The devil’s in the detail when it comes to modern design concepts. Most contemporary schemes choose handleless cabinet fronts to sit above and under quartz worktops. These features ensure uninterrupted smooth contours along the eye line through the kitchen. 

Flooring

Hardwearing a durable meets classically beautiful in modern kitchen flooring. Stone is a popular choice for this reason, with large slabs being the popular choice. The floor allows a design to either complement or contrast the surface of the worktop. As the different levels are parallel, it’s important to consider how they appear against each other. 

Granite, Marble and Quartz based worktops remain a leading material for those choosing the must-have kitchen surface. Their durability means that they look to be well placed in this spot for many more years to come. Just contact us to browse and find your perfect stone.