No matter what your personal tastes when it comes to kitchens, you’ll want one that matches both the style of your home and your lifestyle in general. If a kitchen isn’t matched to these two elements then it simply won’t have the impact you want.
There are three times when you may need to consider your kitchen.
Firstly, when you move into a new property. The last owner will have placed their stamp on things and it’s natural that you’ll want to make it your own. There may be some elements of the kitchen that you can reuse, but often you’ll be starting from a blank sheet of paper.
Secondly, your lifestyle may change. Perhaps you’ve just had the news you’re expecting twins or, at the other end of the scale, the kids have left for university. Major changes in the way you want to organise your life mean that changes may well be in order for the heart of your living space, the kitchen.
Lastly, you may be making some changes to your home, perhaps a conservatory or a total redecoration. If the kitchen is looking a little tired, or simply no longer works with the space, then a redesign is a way of making sure the kitchen continues to work for you and your family.
How to start thinking about your new luxury kitchen
We’ve written before about planning a kitchen renovation. A proper floorplan, budget, and list of ‘must-haves’ are all important elements. Do go into the process with your eyes open as to how expensive a true luxury kitchen is. A Papilio bespoke kitchen starts at £20k, but the resulting kitchen will be without compromise.
Once you start to talk to your designer, you’ll open up discussion on some of the things that will make all the difference in the end kitchen. Your design goals, and forming a good brief, is paramount to success. Sites such as Houzz and Pinterest can be really valuable in this respect. Getting a clear idea about what design ideas you want your kitchen to incorporate is really important.
Common styles of kitchen design are contemporary kitchens, Scandinavian kitchens, traditional or farmhouse, modern and ultra-modern, and shaker. While these prescribe a general design ethic, there are countless design ideas like seaside, colonial, and Mediterranean which can be added to the mix.
It’s perfectly OK to like multiple styles. A good kitchen designer will look at the elements you like from multiple styles and offer helpful advice and ideas about how to incorporate these into your new kitchen. It’s here the difference between a true designer kitchen and a showroom model becomes most apparent. A designer kitchen will match your personality and space to produce a kitchen that is 100% ‘you’.
An in-depth look at styles
As we mentioned above, there are some primary kitchen styles that a designer can use to create a specific look.
Contemporary kitchens
Meaning ‘of the moment’ this is what is currently popular today. Because of this you can reference contemporary design from other eras, 60’s contemporary design for example. The current contemporary look today is copper, reclaimed wooden features and bolder colours. In general you can expect contemporary designs to seek functional solutions with excellent ‘liveability’. There are very few examples of homes where a contemporary design cannot be made to work.
Traditional kitchens
As it sounds, traditional kitchen design will aim to envoke classic elements from historical kitchens. A style that works well in buildings with older features like beamed ceilings. For this reason, the design works well in farmhouses. This design allows for a great deal of personalisation on every surface. Corbels, crown mouldings, and other embellishments will treat the eye to splendour where ever you look.
Scandinavian kitchens
A really popular style that originates from, you won’t be surprised to hear, designers from Nordic Scandinavia. The cleaner lines and minimal nature are offset with vibrant splashes of colour. This is a style that can be used to great effect in every or any room of the house. The Scandinavian style allows a designer to really show off space to its full potential with custom shapes not constrained by symmetry.
Modern and Ultra Modern
Often used interchangeably with ‘Contemporary’ but this isn’t completely correct. Modern is actually referencing an older style than contemporary. Modern design is based on the early to mid 20th century, as design cues from the industrial revolution were being thrown off. Think flat panels, frameless cabinets and simple hardware. This lack of embellishments and ornamentation means you can let light play from surfaces and offer a mix of materials but with a lack of pattern or veining.
Shaker kitchen design
The most minimal design statements can sometimes have the most impact. Stemming from furniture built by the Shaker religious community it captures their maxim of simplicity, utility and honesty. Bespoke Papilio Shaker kitchens live up to this with square framed designs with inset flat centre panel. A large range of colours and finishes can be used, with cream and white being especially popular. The versatility here means you can see Shaker designs anywhere from city lofts to a country house.
You’ll see from the above that most kitchen designs can be made to work in a range of spaces. The important thing is that it works for you.
Our designers can expertly weave their magic into your design and help select appliances and accessories to ensure matchless functionality with your lifestyle.
Be it a new design, or a re-design, we are Papilio and finding the perfect bespoke kitchen design for you is our mission. Talk to us today to start designing a bespoke kitchen perfect for your unique style.
