Updating your kitchen: Keeping it on trend for 2013

Kitchens have taken on a whole new social life recently, changing from a designated “behind the scenes” work area to a room often more lived in than our lounges or dining rooms. Modern styles have come to reflect that, using contemporary designs and appliance integration to create a clutter-free living space that’s suitable for dining and entertaining as well as cooking. While there are a number of practical ways in which we can achieve this new trend, we’re going to focus on some of the easier design aspects, giving you the opportunity to give your kitchen a refresher without having to spend a fortune.

Changing the colour scheme of the walls and floor is one of the fastest and most effective ways to update your kitchen. Modern designs tend to go for minimalist look, so pale hues with bold contrasting features are definitely the way forward. White or off-white with a border of black tiles definitely gives this effect, creating a bright yet stylised design.

Backsplashes over the counters are traditionally created with tiles, but the grouting can sometimes be difficult to keep clean. Glass backsplashes are the latest trend, reducing workload by only requiring a quick wipe-down once in a while. The extra bonus is that you can place an intricate design or tile pattern behind the glass front, keeping your creation clean and beautiful!

Updating the flooring in your kitchen can take a little more work, but makes a huge difference to the look and feel of the room. Your choices are almost endless, but make sure you go for something that matches the rest of the room. Wood or bamboo looks impressive and is bang on trend right now, but if the rest of your kitchen is already very bright or is particularly large, it can give it a washed-out look. If this is the case, large dark tiles create a heavier base to the room, and as a bonus they’re also incredibly durable.