London Fashion Week recently burst onto September’s London scene in a final defiant flash of summer fun before of the muted tones of autumn and winter. Yet the presence of vibrant colours and exciting styles was certainly still noticeable. Forthcoming fashion trends for autumn and winter 2012 look set to focus on bold, geometric patterns and organic materials such as luxurious leathers. Details have not been ignored either, with many clothes sporting diamante or pretty embroidery.
So what has all this got to do with kitchen design? Quite a bit, actually. People increasingly see their homes and how they are designed as an extension of their own personal style. This is great news for kitchen designers currently, as the bold concepts dominating autumn and winter clothing lines translate easily into kitchens design to make a magnificent designer kitchen.
By their very nature, kitchens must be practical, logical and easy to navigate. Bold patterns, chunky accessories and an eye on the detail all enable highly effective designs that will not get in the way of day-to-day usage of the most essential room of the house.
Geometric patterns look fabulous in the wallpaper and tiling in a kitchen, while angular elements such as shelving, cupboards, wine racks and spice holders lend themselves perfectly to intricate symmetrical designs and vibrant colours.
As the weather gets colder and thoughts turn to warming meals like casseroles and hotpots, so the whole vibe of the kitchen becomes cosy and comfortable too, which echoes the tone set by the season’s luxurious leathers and wools used to create warmer, cosier clothing to keep out the chill.
Talking of the colder weather, the trend for winter coats this year looks like it is going to be big. The bigger the better, with flowing overcoats and trench coats coupled with larger, manly collars and accessories. Kitchen designers can have fun with this trend too, opting for oversized taps, clocks, light fittings and furniture. Christmas, with its non-stop parties and entertaining is not too far away, so having a large, flamboyant kitchen in which to prepare the food and drink can only be a good thing.
Finally, autumn and winter wear appears to be all about embracing the body you were born with – accentuating curves and highlighting the bits you love with large belts and statement hats. The biggest problem designers have when it comes to designer kitchens is fitting their ideas into a limited or awkward space. By coming at the problem from another angle looking for the quirks and highlights of the space– instead of bemoaning what is not there – a designer can make a feature of unusual or unwanted elements. Too dark? Install some fantastic lighting. Annoying alcove eating into the available space? Make it stand out with an unusual radiator or frosted glass effect.