Taste-makers: new kitchens turn up the gas

Texto por Peter Smisek
04.09.19

As the trend for open-plan living/dining/cooking spaces continues apace, kitchen design becomes increasingly unfettered. It's a creative buffet where everyone's invited.

HØLTE, who have recently opened a showroom in Hackney, offer high quality and contemporary designs to those on a more limited budget. Photo: Nicholas Worley

Over the last century, kitchens have evolved from separated and efficient spaces for cooking, to social hubs where conversation, making food and entertaining meld together. And even though not everyone might have the space for a large, open-plan kitchen, architects and designers are ever more adventurous and the latest trends can be adapted to suit any taste, space and budget.

The pale wood kitchen cabinets in Studio Nauta's House on the Lake match the home's engineered timber structure, forming a contrast with the dark external cladding. Photos: Frank van der Salm

In the Dutch province of Friesland, architects from Studio Nauta connected two long, low-slung wings of the House on the Lake, a large multigenerational dwelling, with an open plan kitchen. Consisting of long concrete countertop with an integrated fireplace on either end, the kitchen becomes a literal heart and hearth of the house with panoramic views of the countryside.

The built-in kitchen in the YLAB Arquitectos-designed Argentona Apartment is laid out along the perimeter of the flat's main living space, but can be concealed for a more formal feel. Photos: YLAB Arquitectos

In Barcelona, YLAB Arquitectos had slightly less space to work with when remodelling the 90 square metre Argentona Apartment. There is no sight of the kitchen at first - it is only revealed by opening up a series of wooden doors situated along the walls of the large, bright living space, revealing countertops, a stove and all the necessary storage units within.

The kitchen as well as the rest of the interior of Luigi Rosselli-designed Peppertree Villa includes allusions to the Art Deco style - such as round corners and dark tones - which was popular when the house was originally built. Photos: © Prue Ruscoe

In suburban Sydney, Luigi Rosselli Architect renovated and extended the 1920s Peppertree Villa, and redesigned its kitchen to fit the new owners' requirements for a sophisticated informal space at the heart of the house. Centred around a large kitchen island with rounded edges, a bar area and a marble worktop, the space is connected with a dining room on one end and also features glass sliding doors that connect to a more formal sitting room on the other.

Combining the sturdy, adaptable and affordable IKEA kitchen cabinets with HØLTE's high quality products is a sure way to keep costs under control while maintaining a high standard of design. Photos: © Nicholas Worley

For those on more modest budgets, or perhaps those who feel their space just needs a little freshening up, Tom and Fi Gannett's HØLTE provides a much needed solution. Consisting of contemporary, high-quality fronts, worktops and fixtures made out of hard-wearing materials such as wood, quartz, granite or stainless steel, HØLTE's products can be used to liven up an ordinary IKEA kitchen and give it a more design-led edge.