Overview

Photo: Wellmann

The fitted kitchen is undergoing a radical transformation. After decades of persisting in the same shape and the same place– usually as an L or U along the walls of an enclosed space – it is now unfolding its wings and presenting a new, magnificent face resplendent with manifold colours, patterns and shapes to the astonished audience.

The signs have been there for a while now, of course, as the dining counters, cooking islands and simple elegance of recent years go to show. But it is only now, with the simultaneous emergence of technical innovations and new design concepts, that the new kitchens are revealing their full potential. Far from conducting a demure courtship of the living room, they are thrusting deep into the heart of the home. And yet it isn’t even clear who is calling the shots in this new type of space: the kitchen or the living area? For the new kitchens are not exactly modest; they annex the dining area, create transitions to the seating ensemble, stow the multimedia technology and all but demote the rest of the living space to an appendage for the sofa to which the owner retires after some riotous and entertaining hours in the kitchen.

Topics:

• Title: From hearth to living room cabinet
• Introduction
• Style icons: simplicity is trumps
• Colour trends: white – always fresh, often elegant, and increasingly combined with black, wood and other materials
• Materials: gleaming mixtures of glass and wood
• Colour and material combinations: contrast rules
• Doors and surfaces: handle-free and hands-on
• Islands: building bridges into the living space
• Appliance design: white goes wild
• Kitchen architecture: the new openness