We are thankful to all our customers for their continued support and we feel extremely blessed to have been kept busy. We see this as a reflection of, not just our continued commitment to outstanding quality, design and service, but also of how people’s focus on their home has intensified.
With more time than ever spent in our houses throughout this situation, we understand the delight that comes from making a house a home. It has become crucial to utilise, enjoy and appreciate every room within.
We’ve repurposed box rooms into a calm and organised study for home working, transformed bedrooms with seamless built-in wardrobes to ensure people’s sleep space remains an uncluttered and tranquil haven, and of course, continued to make your dream kitchens a reality.
With no sign that this growing appreciation of home is slowing, and if you are in need of some inspiration, let’s look at what we can expect to see more of in 2021.
With David Attenborough’s stark warning ringing in our ears, we should all be more conscious of the life-cycle and sustainability of our purchases. In this throwaway age, an increased awareness of consumption and its devastating impact on the environment, customers are choosing to invest in timeless craftmanship instead. Our beautiful handmade or SieMatic kitchens are built to last 25-30 years and timeless quality is what we’re all about.
In the workshop we are proud to use only sustainable timber in all of our projects and SieMatic also boasts an impressive set of sustainable credentials (such as the international certificate from the Forest Stewardship Council).
With more of us working from home and no walk to work, or pop to the shops at lunchtime, you may find you are spending less time outside and miss seeing a little greenery. ‘Biophilic design’, (increasing our connection with nature in order to reduce stress) was predominantly used in architecture but we are already seeing a wider application in interior settings.
According to Pinterest, searches for garden rooms were up 104% in 2020 (‘plant lady’ is the new ‘cat lady’ or so I hear). SieMatic’s ‘Urban’ range perfectly caters to bringing the outside in by introducing natural materials, colours and textures. Their innovative use of herb gardens provide much more than fresh herbs for cooking. Plants help create a calming and inviting atmosphere.
Over the past year, our kitchens have been working harder than ever as bakeries, restaurants, offices and even classrooms. It can be hard to keep them tidy, which is where clever design solutions come in.
Imagine a place for everything, and everything in its place. Worktop larders or ‘breakfast cabinets’ have soared in popularity. Worktops running into the cabinets allows for easy access to small appliances such as toasters and coffee machines, which can then be hidden away again when not in use (including the inevitable crumbs!).
Not a breakfast person? Why not let us design something more tailored to your tastes, such as a designated baking area with doors to hide stand mixers and accessories, or, better still, a decadently mirrored drinks cabinet to show off (or hide) those special bottles (that one has my vote!).
While open plan living will continue to be popular in the modern home, lockdowns and working from home have shown it is important to allow ourselves some space away from one another too.
Distinct zones, such as study, play, cook and relax, can be created within a room by being creative with different floor finishes, furnishings such as wall paper and rugs, Crittal-style screens or clever partition furniture. Which could be bespoke bookcases and display shelves (without compromising on the spacious feel that open-plan living provides, but giving you some well-needed privacy!).
We’ve been singing the praises of downdraft extractors for years and are proud to be a ‘Gold’ standard showroom. But there are still some of you who are yet to be enlightened (and this is the year for it!).
Downdraft extractors work on the basis the closer the extractor to the source of cooking, the quicker odours and vapours can be drawn downwards before escaping into the room. Not only does the technology really work, but they are a dream for enabling great designs!
Bulky overhead models create a visual barrier, especially in an open plan space, whilst flush ceiling models can be ineffective. The streamlined BORA technology solves both issues. BORA also guarantees the same excellent extraction rate for both ducting and recirculating, and their extensive model range caters to all budgets and cooking styles.
In response to the soaring popularity of dark or black kitchens (which shows no sign of slowing yet) appliance manufacturers are getting in on the action.
From oven fascias (such as the Siemens StudioLine range) to fridge freezers (see this striking EZKleen black steel Fisher & Paykel French-style model in our showroom) and flawless fitting hobs (like the stunning new BORA Professional ‘All Black’). Black steel is everywhere and when used in combination with a luxuriously dark kitchen, the result is seamless sophistication.
The dark side still not your thing? Never fear, ‘Japandi’ is here! A steadily growing favourite with designers, this laid back style infuses Japanese minimalism with Scandi simplicity to offer a timeless and harmonious design aesthetic.
‘Japandi’ interiors combine elements of ‘hygge’ (Scandi coziness) with ‘wabi-sabi’ (finding beauty in imperfection) to create a clean, calm environment in which the user can truly unwind. Think white, light and neutral earthy tones for cabinets paired with contrasting rustic natural textures and minimal accessories.
Beyond this summary of both current and forecast trends for 2021 lie a thousand more possibilities that we cannot wait to explore with you. Give us a call or pop in to our showroom to discuss how we can take your ideas further.
