Treasured kitchen island
KITCHEN fashions come and go. Dark blues and greens are vying with pale greys and sage as the colours of choice just now, with DIY store Magnet revealing midnight blue and dove grey are the two most popular shades for its Shaker-style Dunham range this year.
Marble is back, too, according to bespoke kitchen maker Smallbone of Devizes (020 7589 5998; smallbone.co. uk), which has seen a huge resurgence in popularity for marble work surfaces, splashbacks and wall covering.
Yet one kitchen fashion that goes from strength to strength is the kitchen island, which hardly even existed in British homes before the 1980s.
“Once just seen as a purely functional item where food could be prepped, islands are now the hub of the kitchen where people cook, wash and even eat,” explains Richard Delane, MD at The
Hub
Wood Works, which produces custommade kitchens (0208 806 5166; thewoodworks.com).
“We’re seeing more and more people choosing to have their cooker hob, sinks and other appliances installed within their kitchen island.”
Yet he adds anybody considering a kitchen island needs to think about where to put it: “Ensuring that the main traffic doesn’t pass between the island and the kitchen cabinets is crucial.”
Islands are also useful for introducing a secondary colour or a different style of furniture into the kitchen, another new trend that is likely to get stronger.
Yet if you don’t have the space for an island – or the cash – there are plenty of ways to brighten up your kitchen with inexpensive accessories such as oven gloves and even cake holders. CONTEMPORARY FLAIR: This Dunham Dove Grey kitchen is currently in the Magnet Spring Sale, with 12 units at £5,676 (01325 744093; magnet.co.uk) Wire hen egg holder, £5.99 (studio.co.uk) Fearne by Swan three-tier cake holder, £27.99 (0871 231 2000; jdwilliams.co.uk)