If you were to ask people what the most important room in their home is, many of them would say it’s the kitchen. That’s because we spend so much time in the kitchen cooking, relaxing, socialising and catching up on our days. It’s also the room of the home that adds the most value to a property, and is one of the most important places for a prospective buyer to fall in love with.
So, how can you keep your kitchen cool this summer? (We mean keeping your kitchen cool in the trendy sense, of course, rather than the temperature—though some of the top-quality appliances detailed below will certainly do a good job of keeping your food and drink cool too!) Here are some ideas:
Embrace industrial textures
Inspired by urban apartments and warehouses, the industrial look is perhaps the trendiest style of 2017. It’s easy to maintain and keep clean, and because it’s fairly minimalist, you’ll find it feels light and airy—perfect for the hot summer months. Knock off your plaster and expose a beautiful brick wall (if you do indeed have a beautiful brick wall!), expose architectural elements, fit aluminium-coated cabinets or hang pendant lighting. All these elements nod to the industrial trend, and you can take it a step further with brushed brass handles or a polished concrete floor.
Of course, you can soften the look a little if you’d like to make it more ‘liveable’ for a residential property, such as by showing distressed timber, adding a rug, dressing your dining table in a linen table cloth or creating a splash-back with metro tiles.
Go dark
Another way to stay on trend is to paint your kitchen dark. This is a huge departure from the Scandinavian trend for all-white rooms that has gripped Pinterest for the last few years, but it’s a very welcome one for colour lovers and those who want their interiors to feel bold and dramatic. If you’re not comfortable with the idea of painting your kitchen in shades of grey or black, opt for Dulux’s colour of the year for 2017: Denim Drift.
Invest in the best gadgets
The highest quality, most ergonomic technology will do a great job of making your kitchen look cool, as well as helping you keep your cool when you’re entertaining a crowd. For instance, Fisher & Paykel’s cool drawer (available online at www.fisherpaykel.com) doubles up as an extra fridge, as well as a freezer, pantry, chiller or wine store—all you have to do is press a button to switch between modes.
Other must-haves for a cool, practical kitchen this summer include a fridge freezer with an ice and water dispenser and perhaps even a stylish wine cabinet to house your collection of reds and whites.
Add greenery
Finally, 2017 has seen a rise in the number of people adding house plants to their homes, including their kitchens. Cheaper, more long-lasting and hardier than flowers, house plants are a great way of breathing life into a room, as well as serving as a great styling detail. Style your open shelving with pots of herbs—you can pull off a handful at a time while you’re cooking and enjoy how fresh your kitchen looks at the same time.
So, which of these ideas for keeping your kitchen cool will you be trying this summer?
