54 | Customer Report: Kitchens
TAUPE TAKES TOP SPOT
Above: Egger’s Sand Gladstone Oak PHOTO MONIKA PIECHA ZIOLKOWSKA
Egger does not see the popularity of grey in products for the kitchen diminishing any time soon. But within this fashion it reports warm, neutral shades are increasingly prominent, with taupe “taking centre stage”. “Taupe shades’ ability to work with each other and other woodgrains and
natural materials, makes them suited to personalisation and the combination of materials and colours within a design,” said head of décor management UK and Ireland Elliott Fairlie. Egger is also finding black very popular, with charred woods, grained, black timbers and matt black finishes used “to create contrast and add interest to modern designs”. In textured finishes, the following for
matts continues to grow, particularly in solid colours, notably grey and dark shades, including again black. “This is where products such as our
PerfectSense Matt are effective, the perfect solution for marks which can be visible on darker finishes due to its anti-fingerprint finish,” said Mr Fairlie. Egger is also finding wood effects especially popular, “as people look to
add comfort and familiarity to their surroundings and continue to spend more time than ever in the home”. “In the Egger Decorative Collection,
we’re seeing classic finishes with a modern twist making a comeback,” said Mr Fairlie. “This includes classic wood species with a clean, linear appearance, such as walnut, used in accents to create a rich feel. This aesthetic is also achieved with Scandinavian timbers in classic and lighter shades, which mix well with popular, natural tones such as taupe, as well as accent colours, such as black, blue-grey and green tones.” Egger also reports demand for
“authentic” and rustic wood looks to create accents and statements “at a time when people are looking to surround themselves with natural elements and bring the outside in”. ■
◄ of islands to accommodate new demands placed on kitchens.
“They can provide space for home working and socialising,” said design director Jayne Everett. “We also expect to see them used increasingly as partitions to break rooms into zones, with multi-level designs further compartmentalising the space.”
In a similar vein, Stoneham adds cones or cylinders to islands as a separate space, using veneers, including exotics, for the body of the feature, topped with timber stave or end- grain work surfaces.
JKMR notes the terms biophilia, wellness and holistic design increasingly featuring in the kitchen design lexicon and makers anticipate these becoming more prevalent considerations following the experience of the pandemic and reported upsurge of keep fit and healthy eating triggered by the health crisis. As a natural, sustainable material and one with strong wellness credentials and biocidal properties, timber is increasingly finding favour, say manufacturers. “Oak and walnut in various guises are in particular demand,” said Mr Stoneham. “Customers also seek structure to painted doors – hence painted oak, increasingly with enhanced grain structures are popular. Timber and veneer flourishes also add accents, with zebrano, macassar, burr oak, and masur birch particularly popular.” Jamie Blake of Blakes of London reported a “shift to all things natural”, with use of solid timber and “strongly veined” veneers increasingly key, and he sees fluted and ribbed wood being big in 2021.
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He agrees too that Shaker-style kitchens are back in the spotlight in “treated, but untreated-looking timber for a spiced-up country look”. Naked Kitchens reports a trend toward “raw” materials.
“Exposed timbers are incorporated into designs, using timber throughout, or paired with earthy tones and natural colours,” said Ms Everett. She also cites oak and walnut as most popular choices, but finished in different ways, including limed grain and white- washed effects.
Birch is also increasingly prevalent, underlining a move to ‘Scandi style’. “And we find a lot of clients asking for birch ply to be showcased rather than covered up,” said Ms Everett . Naked Kitchens is seeing strong demand for solid wood worktops too, including ‘super stave’ types, with boards running the whole length, and butcher’s block end-grain styles. Andy Briggs, interior designer at Optiplan Kitchens, notes a trend to kitchens mixing colours and surface effects, with timber used as a contrast. “You can play with textures of wood grains, matt finishes or sleek laminates. Using them in juxtaposition creates interest,” he said.
While oak and walnut might be their mainstay, Naked Kitchens also reports customers exploring a wider palette of hardwoods. “Our parent company, Norfolk Oak, makes worktops and other kitchen furniture in iroko, sapele, mahogany, cherry, maple, ash and more,” said Ms Everett.
Naked agrees too that customers are “increasingly mindful of the environment”. Consequently it stresses its timber’s FSC- certification and its “holistic” supply chain policy, ensuring traceability from source. With the kitchen sector hit by renewed
lockdown in Q1 2021, JKMR forecasts volume sales this year unlikely to increase markedly. But it predicts per client spend continuing to rise, increasing market value 3-3.5%. It also maintains that longer term market indicators are positive. Kitchen spend will keep climbing as home-work practices seeded in the pandemic put down permanent roots, with 80% of respondents to a recent O2 survey expecting to work at least one day a week from home post-lockdown and a third three days.
Demographic change is also expected to have positive market impacts. Further growth in multi-generational households – of which there are already 5 million in the UK – is expected post-pandemic and into the future, says JKMR, with more of the younger generation unable to live independently and older people more reluctant to go into care. “This would drive demand for redesigned and larger kitchens to accommodate multiple users,” it concludes. ■
FURTHER INFORMATION
For more on JKMR reports: Jayne Barber,
jkbarber1965@live.co.uk
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