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Over the last two years British homeowners have spent more money than ever before on home improvements.
This trend shows no signs of slowing down, as the lasting impact of lockdown and the experience of a pandemic makes us all so acutely aware of the importance of where we live and how we use our home.
One of the most common rooms for home improvements is the kitchen because it is the heart of the home.
It is the place we cook, spend time together, get homework done, have date nights, wake up for the day – it’s endlessly important and useful. For those reasons and more, it is a really great area to invest in for better functionality and aesthetics.
“Everything happens in the kitchen. Life happens in the kitchen.” – Andrew Zimmern
If you are looking to enhance your kitchen and you’re looking for inspiration, 2022 really does have you covered. The designs and renovation ideas on offer this year are beautiful, creative and transformational.
Even better, there is something for everyone, so whatever your budget, taste or type of kitchen use, there’s an idea to elevate your kitchen space perfectly.
Let’s take a look at the key kitchen design and renovation trends and ideas for 2022:
Antique Glass Chic
Antique splash backs and other classy, glassy nods to times gone by are a great way to add interest to practical aspects of the kitchen without having to be too ‘out there’ with colour schemes, if bold isn’t your thing.
A little smoked glass or antique mirror effect can be impactful, but tasteful, especially combined with timeless finishes and features across the whole room overall.
Marble
Stunning, unique, natural and strong, marble is everywhere in the home in 2022, particularly in bathrooms and kitchens. If you’re looking to invest big bucks in your kitchen’s looks, this could be the way to do it.
Glass Fronted Larders/ Pantries
If you have a section of the kitchen where you keep tins, jars, wine and other items that don’t require refrigeration, it’s common that it would be hidden away, until now.
An interesting trend this year turns this space into a feature instead by adding a glass front to it, whether that is with windows looking through, or a complete glass-fronted door.
It’s a great way to make the entire kitchen space look bigger with minimal renovation needed.
Repurposed Kitchens
Repurposed, refurbished, recycled and upcycled kitchens are popular in 2022, and they really are a great idea.
They are very budget-friendly, they are eco-friendly (construction waste accounts for over half of all waste in the UK), and often you can get phenomenal material and build quality at a pinch of the cost of a new kitchen.
Hook Strips
A simple idea, but one that hasn’t been seen so widely before is the kitchen hook strip.
It’s a strip of wood or metal that sits roughly where the top of a splash back would finish and goes across the wall all the way above any worktops and surfaces.
Then, hooks are added all the way along so that it can be used for hanging dried herbs, pans, mugs, utensils and even small planters.
It’s a simple but impactful improvement that looks great.
Kitchen Home Offices
As it stands in 2022, there are still at least 30% of people working from home at least once a week because of Covid-19. Moving forward, around a quarter of businesses intend to continue to offer home working going forward (up to 50% in some industries), and many people are also choosing a freelance/ digital nomad career for greater freedom and flexibility.
With that in mind, it is no surprise that the need for a home office is not only growing, but it’s also requiring a level of flexibility and creativity that enables any type of home to offer a suitable working space.
Not every home has a summerhouse or a spare room to utilise.
What a lot of homeowners are doing instead, is renovating so that large, central areas like the kitchen purposefully include a working space.
So, rather than working on the kitchen counter or dining table, there is a dedicated working space within or stemming off the kitchen.
It could be a clever pull out desk and screen, or even a converted pantry – it depends on your kitchen layout.
Beautiful Hanging Lighting
Hanging biophilic living racks combined with lights, coloured glass pendants, giant bulbs and other statement hanging lighting feature in 2022 kitchens to utilise the space above islands or dining tables.
Often, this space is either unused or there are hanging pan racks and other bulky additions. Instead, 2022 offers a more decorative and bright option to use this space.
Wallpaper
Wallpaper is not commonly used for the kitchen because wipeable and easily cleaned paint is thought to be easier to manage and maintain in an area with high levels of moisture and use.
However, wallpaper is making a comeback in the kitchen, namely because wallpaper manufacturers have started producing lines specifically for this area of the home. Expect kitchen-friendly paper to be non-woven and if it is combined with proper application and good ventilation, it really can last.
That means, if you are looking to add a beautiful, exciting pattern to your kitchen there is now a really easy and affordable way to do it. It’s time to express yourself!
Smart…Everything
Whether you have a boiling water tap, a dishwasher in a drawer, fridges that add items to your shopping list ,or voice activated devices – the kitchen is a great place to integrate the latest technology for a more convenient, eco-friendly and advanced way of living in 2022.
Metallic Touches
There are various metallic touches bringing elegance and edge to kitchen aesthetics in 2022. Mesh fronted cabinets are really popular, adding some decoration and interest to this overlooked aspect of a common storage component.
Gold is another metallic feature of the 2022 kitchen, something that can add opulence and a divine sense of occasion, especially in combination with rich jewel tones and expensive build materials like marble.
Eco-Friendly…Everything
As mentioned above, the smart kitchen is expected as you improve and enhance your home. Eco-friendly features and considerations are much the same, and realistically a combination of both is how you future-proof your kitchen.
This includes eco-friendly glues, decorative materials and build methods, as well as water-saving features, energy-saving features, eco-gadgets and more.
All of this is done in combination with the latest smart technologies and without compromising the aesthetic of the space. It’s the roots of a truly timeless kitchen that will save you money, boost your own environmental kudos and if you come to sell, could, according to a recent study, help you sell your home much faster too.
“The more you know, the more you can create. There’s no end to imagination in the kitchen.” – Julia Child
Are you feeling inspired to install marble? Add a kitchen office? Get daring with wallpaper? This is your kitchen’s time to shine!
The ideas above can help you to create the stunning, functional kitchen you have always dreamed of, truly elevating the heart of your home in 2022.
