We spoke to interior designer Sara Cosgrove and appliance expert Eleanor Martin about how to approach a kitchen redesign and all the latest emerging trends. This is what we know …
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APPLIANCE WISE
Eleanor Martin, BSH Home Appliances Group Culinary and Showroom Manager, recommends a vented hob. The Siemens vented hob has a frying sensor, which means you can choose the temperature you want your hob to be. We have this function on our ovens, so why wouldn’t we want it on our hobs? It is also easy to clean and creates a cool, clean and crisp look in the kitchen.
Eleanor also loves the air fryer function in the Bosch oven. You get the benefits of an air fryer without having an extra appliance on your countertop. It cooks quickly and evenly, which can be an issue with other air fryers.
Steam ovens are also trendy at the moment. The Siemens selection has triple functions; baking, roasting and re-heating, so you can get three times as much out of them!
When it comes to combi-ovens, they are still all the rage. However, a lot of us rarely use the top oven, so Eleanor advises placing the two single ovens side by side instead. This means you get the dual function without the hassle of two operations running on top of each other.
Eleanor recommends choosing your appliances before you plan to your kitchen redesign as it’s best to have the machinery you know and like in place, in case your tastes change.
PLANNING
Planning is the most crucial part of the kitchen design process, according to interior designer Sara Cosgrove. “The most expensive thing you’ll ever do is not think about design,” she says. If you want to change your design, retro-fitting can become very costly, as can stripping the whole kitchen out. It is important to decide exactly what you want and don’t want before starting the layout design. www.blockhousebuild.co.uk
OPEN PLAN
In this open plan-era we live in, Sara says zoning is critical. It is important to be able to tuck yourself away in an open plan space. You don’t want to sit down and watch clutter instead of the television, says Sara, so make sure you separate the kitchen from the sitting room area. You can do this with half walls or sliding doors, while it is also possible to clearly divide the space by using different floor materials. www.rhatiganandhick.ie
PANTRIES
We have gone back to the traditional way of living and pantries are trending again. The pantry doesn’t have to be a room and can be a large cabinet instead, but the key is that you can see everything. As opposed to cupboards, a pantry has everything on display and easily within reach. www.herringbonehouse.com
SPLASHBACK
Gone are the days of grandiose splashbacks, according to Sara. People are looking for unique details like vintage mirrors or unusual tiles to add some personality to the space. Blotted and antique smoked mirrors are more forgiving for messier cooks! You could even add a shelf to display your favourite items or artwork. www.oconnorsofdrumleck.ie
NARROW KITCHEN
A top tip from Sara is to incorporate open shelving in a narrow kitchen to make the space look wider. www.bulthaup.com
PERSONAL TOUCHES
Add a curved arch space, a little point of interest, a rug under a seating area. Anything to spruce up the space and make it more personal and aesthetic to you. www.plainenglishdesign.co.uk
MAKE YOUR KITCHEN WORK HARD
An de-cluttered space makes a kitchen easy to use and seem bigger. Sara loves the slide and hide doors in Neff ovens, so you don’t have to worry about handles jutting out. She advises keeping everything on the back wall to avoid a cluttered island. Note: don’t put the sink on your kitchen island if you don’t want a clutter of sponges! www.mcnallyliving.ie
ISLAND
Sara loves the idea of having an end-table or a seating area for stools at the corner end of the island. It means you can sit and socialise, as opposed to sitting in a line. For couples who like to host, this is why she recommends mirror splashbacks. Guests can sit at the island while you prepare a meal, but you can see each other – smiling back at you, no doubt! www.oconnorsofdrumleck.ie
SUSTAINABLE CHOICES
Think sustainable from start to finish. There is no clear answer, but do your research. Try to incorporate more sustainable materials where possible, track the journey they will take and request less packaging if you know it is not needed. Countertop materials such as Dekton look like real stone, while Caesarstone and Quartzite are also more sustainable choices. The most sustainable route is to use the kitchen you have and refresh it, but sometimes out with the old is more energy efficient, so talk to the experts if you have questions. www.cosentino.com
HOSPITALITY INSPIRATION
According to Sara, hospitality often inspires what homeowners incorporate into domestic kitchens. We’re talking hotel and restaurant lighting, open shelves for wine bottles, mirrored splashbacks, decorative tiles and glazed units. www.saracosgrove.com
