3 Kitchen Trends for 2023
Here are three kitchen trends to be aware of, whether building from scratch or upgrading an existing space.
28/11/2022
As 2022 draws to a close, people are beginning to plan for 2023. And as designers look to what next year will hold, here are three kitchen trends to be aware of, whether building from scratch or upgrading an existing space.
1. Colours and combinations
“There’s also a move towards more
individuality than ever before in kitchens,”
says Jason Wells, Brand & Marketing Manager at
PG Bison. “There was a time when the trend in
kitchens was to do everything in white – doors,
carcasses and appliances. But over the years,
we’ve seen “white appliances” move to a
stainless-steel finish and now even matt black,
pastels and limited-edition designs in
partnership with fashion designers or artists.
Kitchen cabinets, carcasses and countertops have
also evolved, from the all-white approach
through one-tones into a more complex palette.
With the availability of fresh new colours and
designs to compliment modern spaces and
lifestyles, kitchen design is becoming more and
more sophisticated.”
He adds that pale
greens, blues and darker grey and carbon solid
colours are in vogue. “We’re seeing designers
mix and match solid colours and wood grains to
create visual interest through the combination
of tones and textures,” he says. “For example,
matt grey pairs beautifully with a textured
natural wood. Gloss white, which also remains
very popular, can be used with a solid colour
and a wood-texture as accents for a stylish
three-tone space. We’re definitely seeing
designers mixing more finishes, so using a
combination of matt, gloss and texture to create
a beautiful and tactile experience.”
Customers and designers are also upping the
sophistication and feeling of luxury in kitchens
by using coloured carcasses instead of the
traditional white “inners”.
International design shows, such as The Block
Australia, Grand Designs and Amazing Interiors,
have also popularised kitchens with character
and retro colour palettes.
2. All the shades of grey
“We’re seeing a huge trend towards kitchens
in darker colours, particularly in matt
finishes,” says Wells. “Shades of grey have
become so popular and trendy at the moment that
we, at PG Bison, have
expanded the selection of grey finishes on offer to
be able to meet clients' needs. We now have Folkstone
Grey, Dunblane Grey, Storm Grey and Kalapana, as
well as some textured designs with a grey
undertone.”
Wells explains that the
availability of matt surfaces has made the use
of darker tones in kitchens more fashionable.
Matt finishes react differently to high-gloss
finishes as they don’t reflect light and this subdues the
darker tones and prevents them from making a
space feel oppressive.
“Reducing
reflection, matt finishes scatter light randomly
and have the ability to calm the senses. They are therefore ideal for creating
calm in living and working spaces. In a modern
kitchen, matt finishes introduce a counterpoint to the
glare from the many digital devices we tend to
be surrounded with in our daily lives, and they
echo many natural, untouched materials, which
human beings tend to find soothing.”
Over and above that, matt products offer more
versatility in the kitchen with their ability to
be used in combination with much darker
colours either as a base or as an
accent feature. “Globally, kitchen designers are
choosing darker greys and charcoal hues in
matt finishes and accenting these with wood-grain
or stone-look design.”
For more
information, take a look at the PG Bison
premium matt MelaWood SupaMatt, to introduce a touch of elegance to any
kitchen with its
silky-smooth look.
3. Nature-inspired surfaces
Marble is enjoying a huge revival. However,
it remains too pricey for many people’s budgets.
Thankfully, Wells says, improvements in digital
scanning and printing, as well as in
manufacturing, mean that ultra-realistic
finishes are now available in high-pressure
laminates (HPL) and melamine-faced boards (MFB),
with options that capture the look of marble,
granite, stone and timber, in a diverse range to
suit every taste.
HPL is used for
countertops (in products such as PG Bison’s
Formica LifeSeal Worktops), while MFB is
typically used for cabinetry (products like PG
Bison’s MelaWood range, also available in
SupaMatt, SupaGloss and SupaTexture).
“These are not the options of old, which weren’t
necessarily a realistic reproduction of the
original material,” he says. “Nowadays, advanced products
look incredibly true-to-life and we’re seeing
kitchen designers adding touches of marble- or
timber-look into kitchens in all sorts of
interesting ways, from centre islands to
shelving and backing in cabinets with glass
doors and internal lighting. There’s a world of
possibilities available, without the hefty price
point.”
PG Bison’s Azzano and Caldera
designs mimic white marble with a black vein and
a dark marble with lighter texturing
respectively. Both are proving very popular in
the market.
“For homeowners who are
unsure about
where to start, PG Bison have loaded a range of kitchen
designs in different styles into the 360°
Showroom to help you narrow down what you like,”
says Wells. “Select a design that you like, edit
any details and even customise to fit into your
own space and requirements with the free Kitchen
Design Tool.