5 Kitchen Trends for 2022
When you think of a home, whether it’s an apartment or a house, what springs to mind? For most people, it’s the kitchen. As the heart of a home, more homeowners and tenants are investing time – and effort – into this living space. At the same time, discovering new design trends has never been easier and any individual can put their own stamp on a space.
In this blog, we look at new kitchen design trends in 2022 and how they’re shaping the wider property market.
Sustainability
As an eco-conscious nation, sustainability is becoming increasingly important in our day-to-day lives. From recycling to preserving energy, there’s a lot we can do around our homes to maximise its sustainability.
Understandably, this is a trend that will impact the kitchen just as much as the rest of the home.
It’s expected that many people will continue to put a focus on greenery and plants, bringing a little bit out of the outdoors inside while contrasting with the more popular neutral colours many homes are adopting.
Likewise, popular new appliances such as induction hobs reduce the amount of energy that is wasted as there’s no excess heat.
It’s likely we’ll see many more sustainable practices becoming prevalent where possible within the kitchen – especially in terms of smart lighting. This is a vital part of an eco-friendly home and sensored lights can minimise your energy costs at a time when energy bills are set to be higher than ever.
Related: 5 Ways to Have a More ‘Eco-Friendly’ Property
Smart Storage
As much as kitchens will continue to be design-savvy and will follow contemporary designs, a lot of the best kitchen trends for 2022 will be more practical. As a result, we’re expecting to see more ‘smart’ storage solutions in the coming months.
While the UK has officially returned to ‘post-pandemic’ life, many of the changes that occurred during the past two years are here to stay. With lockdowns and stringent social restrictions, more households made the decision to move in together – many of which are staying that way indefinitely.
Bigger households and more family members equals more demand for storage, driving this particular trend to new heights. Kitchens in 2022 will adopt more ‘clever’ storage solutions and will make use of every nook and cranny to make sure pots, pans and plates have their own place.
However, a minimalistic approach remains a key design trend for 2022, so this smart storage will focus on making better use of cupboard space with extra shelving, for example.
Feature Flooring
Alongside sustainability, one of the key kitchen trends for 2022 will be durability, especially when it comes to flooring. The kitchen has one of the highest footfalls in the home, which has caused hard flooring to become one of the most common – and practical – choices for the kitchen.
Hard flooring, such as wooden panels and tiles, will remain a firm choice amongst tenants and homebuyers in 2022. However, as more homeowners and tenants look to revamp their kitchens, we expect to see more statement flooring throughout properties.
Moving away from plain and dull kitchen flooring, it’s likely that we’ll see more patterned tiles and abstract colours in the coming months. Jayne Adamson, marketing manager at Verona, comments: ‘For homeowners who are boldly confident with their design choices, coloured patterned tiles span a spectrum of trend-led shades including inky blues and blush pinks.’
Related: What Do UK Tenants Really Look For in a Rental Property?
Designer Kitchens
If there’s any room that deserves more time, effort and money, it’s the kitchen. We already know that it’s the heart of the home and with endless family dinners and kitchen parties, there’s now more interest in quality features and quality brands.
As a result, one of the emerging kitchen trends for 2022 is the designer kitchen. ‘Buy cheap, buy twice’, it’s a common phrase we’ve all heard at one point or another, and while there are certain exceptions, the kitchen isn’t one of them.
Quality kitchen brands, such as Poggenpohl, not only specialise in precision and accuracy, they’re renowned for their unrivalled quality and seamless finishes. In today’s world, this is crucial.
Opting for a designer kitchen may seem like a big upfront cost but the opportunity to have a long-lasting, yet contemporary, kitchen is encouraging more homeowners – and investors – to take the plunge.
Our latest Birmingham development, Lockside Wharf, will feature Poggenpohl kitchens. With handleless cupboards and quartz worktops, the kitchen will be the main focal point of these apartments.
Find out more about Lockside Wharf.
Area Zoning
For many years, new build properties have come with open-plan living as a standard. Whether it’s a kitchen/diner or a kitchen/living area, these cohesive spaces have long been in high demand amongst tenants and homeowners.
However, a key kitchen trend for 2022 takes a different approach. While it’s safe to say we’ve overcome national lockdowns and ‘stay at home’ measures, many employers have moved to either part- or full-time remote working.
With significantly more demand for working from home spaces, ‘zoning’ is set to become more prevalent in kitchens across the UK. Of course, open-plan living will remain a priority for a lot of people, but we’ll see more homes making use of the nooks in their kitchens for permanent working from home spaces.
The kitchen is the centre of the home, and after the pandemic, this has never been more true. With a whole new appreciation for our homes, tenants, homeowners and investors are willing to invest more into a trend-led kitchen. From area zoning, to designer brands and sustainability, there are several new kitchen trends for 2022, with quick fixes and bigger projects offering a lot of food for thought.
