There are pretty much two design styles in Australia at the moment with kitchens. Either ultra modern, or quite Hamptons/ English/ Old school style (speaking of, did anyone see K from "the blog a house built"'s stunning kitchen in its infancy, which she posted about here?).
The ultra modern white kitchen has been in for quite a long time, but I can see that there is a shift starting to happen, and I think that the shiny white kitchen will remain popular, but that there will also be other colours/ other styles and finishes happening as well. Certainly there is overseas, but it doesn't seem to have filtered through to Australia yet. I think that mostly the colours will be in neutrals (greys, very soft blue greys etc), but there are a few brave kitchens out there.....
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| Bright yellow |
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| green tile and cupboard pulls |
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| This one is brave... |
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| feature wall |
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| grey cabinets for the less adventurous (like me) |
Texture is important in interiors- so high gloss finishes will be making way for more honed, textural, imperfect finishes and mixing things up is also good.
Open shelving, or lack of upper cabinets is also making an appearance - the fully built in look is making way for a more "furniture" look, with either low cabinetry or full walls of cabinetry.
Source: vtinteriors.blogspot.com
Backsplashes that are more textured - subway tile is pretty ubiquitous now, but tiling in a chevron design, or imperfect wavy tiles will become more popular.
So the feel that I'm trying to create in my kitchen, is that of simplicity, and a modern style without it being clinical. The front (old) part of our house I have done in quite a traditional style, but the back extension, while complementary to the Victorian architecture, will have a more streamlined look to it. A little like a cross between these two:
Source: cottageandvine.blogspot.com
Did any of the kitchens take your fancy? I'm sure there's going to be a big vote of "no" for the coloured ones...... I think that the problem we all face is that it's a big financial investment, and we worry that we will be sick of it/ it will date/ it will be a mistake/ if we resell the house it won't appeal to others and we end up playing it safe (and boring). I can't say that what I'm designing is radically different, but with some textural contrast, emphasis on the house's Architecture, and not designing too big a kitchen (with too much storage) it will be (hopefully) functional and beautiful.