WORK SURFACES & SPLASHBACKS
Affordable Luxury Real Innovation in Kitchen Design
Comment by Neil Horton Commercial Director, Bushboard
ork surfaces in the kitchen are the most compelling part of kitchen design. With innovations in materials both natural and laminate, the array of decors, textures and finishing options, the choice is vast. Selection of surface or surfaces set the entire look feel, functionality and durability in today's modern kitchen. Consumers aspire to the kitchen designs and styles they see in dramas and reality TV programs the look is uncluttered with striking surfaces that must perform roles never considered in early built-in kitchen design. Central to 21st-century homes for dining, food-preparation of course but as consumers work increasingly from home, kitchens become workspaces, meeting areas and often the primary space for entertaining and socialising. Packed with technology, hi-style appliances, the huge, ubiquitous TV, as well as a boiling tap, water purifiers, charging points for gadgets, kitchens are, for the clear majority of UK consumers, the engine of the home. Worksurfaces are a vital area for designing for lifestyles, they can
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allow kitchen designers to zone, even the smallest kitchen area, to create elegant, tactile and hardwearing multipurpose areas. With many UK homes also becoming multigenerational there are opportunities to create spaces that are accessible for wheelchair users – but they key is working with a material that allows adaptability and flexibility of design. Stand out innovations in the surface market that allow this kind of flexibility, include solid-core super-slim laminates that convincingly mimic natural timbers, marbles, and stones allowing designers to create luxury looks at affordable prices. These materials offer the added advantage of being incredibly easy to work with on site – there is no need to template away from the kitchen, cut and then install. Instead, products like our own Evolve, can be installed by competent DIYers and can be used to create open shelving, tray spaces and can be drilled to accommodate drainer grooves for undermount sinks. At a fraction of the cost of solid marble or granite, the luxury kitchen is now far more affordable.
Innovation in Materials from Bushboard L
ooking Back: The last few years have seen consumers choosing chunky, thick work-surfaces featuring significant contrasts in colour and textures. Favourite combinations have been cream, white or ivory units teamed with dark wooden flooring and dark coloured tops perhaps with a splash of orange, copper, blue or red. Standard worktops are 40mm thick, but deeper materials gave tops the chunky look of being 60- 100mm or even 150mm thick.
The Future Is Here: This year customers want far thinner worktops, with empathetic textures that remind them of nature, in more subtle colours with marble-type veining and lightening details. There is still a significant demand for surfaces with sparkle, but natural veining that is less densely patterned than marble and in different shades of white, grey, and sepia browns are tipped as a top trend. Thickness is anything from 22mm to 12.5mm.
Manufacturers in the UK have responded to this demand with some fantastic and innovative materials, designs and colours including natural shades, ceramics, and incredibly realistic wood effects.
Financially unpredictable times bring conservative, classic choices to the fore as customers seek value and longevity. Woodgrains that look like, rustic just-sawn wood also feature species that separate its ranges from the rest of the market has been key to Bushboards success with Omega worktops. Examples like Graphite Oak and Stamford Oak with perfect end grain square edging that also offer ultra matt textures - meeting the demand for hipster rustic, an artisanal style that says country but not twee. Favoured colours in kitchen furniture are predicted to be soft greys, bluey greys, white and naturals with stainless steel continuing to lead in appliances.
Bushboard Stamford Oak from the Omega collection, relaunched this year includes remarkable end-grain detail on its clean square edges.
32 BKU JULY 2018
Consumer spending may show signs of weakening in kitchen furniture sales, but laminate worktops continue to do well through all channels
as they offer consumers a unique opportunity to enhance, update and prolong the working life of their kitchen at an affordable cost in a straightforward way.
01933 232 242
www.bushboard.co.uk
New for Summer 2018 Evolve super-slim solid core from Bushboard. Easy to work with on-site, double-sided décor with a coloured-core that allows for creating drainer grooves and can be used to create shelving, splashbacks, and end panels. Shown here in Lightning Greystone.
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