Kitchen
Kick into touch Use every inch of your kitchen, like these homeowners, by putting crafty drawers in at the bottom of units, where you might normally just have a wasted gap behind a kickboard. These plinth drawers will provide a handy home for baking trays and other flattish items you don’t need to access every day. If you’re handy with a screwdriver, buy DIY plinth drawer packs or look for Ikea hacks online to help you create them yourself.
Decide whether to top-mount or under-mount Traditionally, sinks are fitted so they sit on top of the worktop; this is called a top-mount or inset sink. These sinks have a rim or lip that protrudes above the height of the work surface and are beneficial as they usually come with a drainer. Alternatively, the sink can be recessed or mounted below the worktop for a seamless fit without a visible rim, as seen in this space. This style is called an under-mount sink. Under-mounts are beneficial, as they free up more worktop space and can be easier to keep clean – there’s no exposed rim, so you can wipe any crumbs or spills straight into the sink. You can take this one step further by choosing a moulded sink in a solid surface material such as Corian.
Pick pint-sized appliances Don’t assume that big is better when it comes to kitchen appliances. It’s possible to find smart styles designed for small spaces – and you don’t have to sacrifice precious storage to shoehorn them in. For example, this electric Aga is just 60cm wide, meaning the cosy cottage kitchen you’ve been hankering after is (quite literally) within reach.
Concrete evolves This kitchen, by French company Concrete LCDA, popped up earlier in the year at Clerkenwell Design Week, but it signalled a move forwards for concrete into something sleeker, softer and less industrial. At 100% Design there were colourful concrete bathroom basins by Kast Concrete Basins in a rainbow of shades (could a return to coloured bathrooms be another trend brewing?). Room 9 had concrete so smooth, pale and highly polished it looked like soapstone, and Polish company Concreate used it as a material for its wall panelling
Hidden kitchen at the back
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