New kitchens: increasingly integrated and with cutting-edge design
First, the food preparation area was integrated with the dining area. After the pandemic, the kitchen also became a workplace.
Integrating the kitchen into the rest of the home is a growing trend when designing or renovating spaces. The increased importance of this space as a meeting point is leading to its transformation into an area with a more avant-garde aesthetic , one that blends style and functionality.
Until a few years ago, kitchens were often relegated to secondary workspaces. Those responsible for cooking were sidelined and excluded from gatherings . But especially after the pandemic, this space became another environment for interacting, sharing, and enjoying oneself.
Remote work and the new lifestyle have led many to see the kitchen as a haven of peace and tranquility in their work routine. For this reason, bold colors are being set aside in favor of a more subdued and subtle palette , as well as the use of durable, practical materials that invite people to spend time in the kitchen.
Spaces are typically blended through a play of light, shadow, and color. When integrating the kitchen into the dining room, the aim is to achieve a seamless fusion of atmospheres through color and furniture. Neutrals (white, black, or beige), earth tones, and muted colors are essential.
The metallic details will give a sophisticated contrast to the kitchen, blending it seamlessly with the rest of the social areas.
Functionality is key: everything must be within easy reach. Furniture should have good hardware, and drawers and doors with soft-close mechanisms. And lighting will be used to create scenes and highlight workspaces.
Recommended wall coverings include wood, marble, granite, and quartz . Quartz is particularly popular due to its durability, non-absorbent properties, and scratch resistance. Combined with metal fixtures, these materials create a bold and modern contrast that exudes elegance, warmth, and sophistication.
Household appliances have also become more stylish and are worthy of being showcased as decorative objects. They are usually placed on shelves or countertops behind glass doors with internal lighting.
Often, when strategically placed and integrated with the tableware, they create a unique interplay of light and shadow. Many appliances, such as refrigerators, microwaves, and dishwashers, can be paneled and integrated into the rest of the cabinetry, allowing the same compartment to be used from the front and thus achieving a seamless blend with the rest of the space.
When starting a project, it’s essential to consider the source and quality of natural light and the placement of artificial lighting to achieve harmony. For workspaces, diffused light is most appropriate because it doesn’t create shadows.
This is why it is recommended to create a composition of effects generated by different types of lights , such as LED strips in gaps and shelves or lighting that focuses on spaces and highlights them.
The new star of the kitchen is the island. Adding an island to the kitchen seems like a good layout solution if you have a generous amount of space, and it can even become an integral part of the house, helping to visually separate the kitchen from the rest of the rooms.
It’s a multifunctional space that not only becomes the heart of family life but can also be used as a cooking area, laundry area, storage space, and work surface . Some models are also designed with a countertop extension for a breakfast bar.
An important aspect to highlight is the material used for the countertop surface. Natural stone is the most common choice due to its strength, durability, ease of cleaning, and aesthetic appeal . Alternatively, there is also the option of engineered stone with a high quartz content.
They have a low degree of porosity, making them easy to clean, highly antibacterial, and resistant to scratches , moisture, and impacts. Designing and distributing an open space requires considering many aspects, especially differentiating the areas to be integrated from the outset of a project: dining room, kitchen, and in many cases, the living room.
To achieve this, it is important to choose the same decorative style, textures, coverings and the same color range for everything; in this way, all the rooms will be organized and integrated into the same space.
Unifying the kitchen with the rest of the living spaces and giving it as much importance in design and aesthetics as the other rooms has become a trend in recent times . The challenge always lies in integrating the interior design as a whole and creating a sense of spaciousness.
The focus will be on enhancing the brightness so that the area becomes more social, the epicenter of shared moments between the family living in the house and also when guests are received
