Plan Your Renovation Project Now with These Tips and Trends
Is your kitchen in desperate need of a face-lift? Maybe you just don’t find it aesthetically-pleasing, or perhaps your gripes are that it could be so much more functional and easy to move around in. Whatever your reason, you’re not happy with what you’ve got, and kitchen renovation seems to be the answer to achieving the space you’ve always wanted. What are the hottest design trends homeowners are going for in 2016, and are they right for your renovation project? Here are some of our favourites:
“Smart” Features
Technology is an amazing thing, isn’t it? Who would have thought when growing up, that in 2016 you could have the whole world-wide internet of cat videos and your high school friends’ baby pictures right there in your pocket? But playing with your smartphone isn’t all there is to tech—and there is a space for it in your kitchen. Imagine being able to wash raw meat from your hands with automated sensors on the tap and soap dispenser, keeping things hygienic while you read recipes from your tablet in its beautifully custom-made charging dock… the possibilities are endless.
Enhancing Cabinets
Sometimes the cabinets you have just aren’t doing their job right. They may lack space, not close properly, or even just be hideous. Kitchen renovation is a perfect excuse to replace them with cabinets that use up minimal space while maximizing storage, with doors that don’t get in the way, and even internal lighting—or strip-lighting underneath to brighten up your counter space.
Mixed Materials
Speaking of counter tops, the kitchen island has been a mainstay of new kitchens for some time. As a flexible space for both food prep and eating small meals or snacks, it sees a lot of use in many homes. Consider mixing the surface materials in your renovation project—a traditional counter top material in one section, with beautiful stained wood in another to create contrast, variation, and a distinction between where food is made (and drinks poured) and where you and your guests will sit and enjoy the space.
Metallic Highlights
In the right kitchen design, the brushed-silver colour of metal appliances doesn’t have to look cold and impersonal, when becoming a part of the rich and varied landscape that makes your kitchen a place you want to be. From commercial-grade appliances to decorative and functional elements such as range hoods and taps, metal can be blended seamlessly during your kitchen renovation to make it an integral part of the whole.
