Irish kitchen experts share the trends we can expect in 2023

Kitchens are without a doubt one of the most hardworking spaces in our homes. As well as a space to cook and eat, they have become the place where we gather with friends and family, catch-up after a long day, and even act as a workspace for many. 

As a result, kitchen designers are always innovating and coming up with ways to make this space more efficient, and enjoyable to spend time in. 

The team at Kube Kitchens have shared the kitchen trends that they predict we’ll see becoming popular next year. 

Black Green

Black Green is the most popular colour emerging for kitchens in 2023. This dark green with undertones of black adds warmth to a kitchen and is an easy, soothing palette to live with.

Dark greens also complement timber finishes on breakfast bars, islands and open shelving particularly well. At Kube these new black green and dark green colours are available in all price groups.

Dark worktops

In recent years, white and pale shades have been the most common for kitchen worktops. However, this season sees the resurgence of natural stone worktops in dark grey and black. 

These dark worktops create sophistication in the kitchen. Black is timeless so it won’t date and will work with any other colour in the room.

Home office space

Many people will continue to work from home as hybrid working is here to stay. As a result, people are seeking home offices that integrate into their kitchen and don’t look out of place when not in use. 

These areas need to include a good quality desk or workstation, lighting and sockets. When office work is over for the day the desks and cubby hole areas can double up as storage, display or prep areas.

Utility room storage

New solutions are being designed all the time for utility rooms in order to make laundry and storage easier. Laundry chutes are now very popular along with pull out laundry baskets for sorting. 

Eye level appliances and storage are easier to access, and long cupboards for storing coats and jackets can have the addition of shoe holder inserts on doors and an abundance of shelving to optimise storage options.

Drawer front sockets

Sockets with plug and wires can be unsightly on an island or worktop. A new trend is to mount plug and charger sockets on the outside of drawers. These sockets are flush with the drawer front and will keep plugs and wires tidily out of view.

Lighting

Lighting is key in the kitchen with bright light required when preparing and cooking food, and more subtle, ambient lighting for dining.

A new location for emotion lighting is in the handle track in the island and wall units, all controlled by a remote or a phone app. This lighting creates a lovely atmosphere in the evening and can be brightened and dimmed as required.

Matching slab splashback

As an alternative to tiles the slab splashback is a large continuous solid surface used to make a stunning, sophisticated backdrop in the kitchen. It follows directly from the worktop to the splashback creating a seamless look. The lack of grout also makes these easier to clean so they are a great low maintenance option.

Quiet appliances

With open plan living spaces the kitchen is now so often located right beside the living area. New energy ratings have meant that dishwashers run for longer cycles (typically 2.5 hours) in order to use less energy. 

People don’t want to sit and relax in their living room with the noise of an appliance in the background so dishwashers with low decibel levels are now in demand. Quooker taps are also quieter than the noise of a boiling kettle.

Downdraft hob

A growing trend to place hobs on a kitchen island instead of against a wall means that there is growing demand for downdraft extractors, rather than overhead ones. Kube is a stockist of Bora, specialists in recirculation systems which means there is no need to install ducting in the ceiling or floor and also removes the need to an island extractor fan hanging from the ceiling. 

With the motor located under the worktop, the Bora downdraft hob creates a more social kitchen with no noisy extractor protruding from the ceiling. This allows for the installation of a pendant light above the hob area. The downdraft hob also sucks all the steam and grease into the unit.

Industrial materials

Materials such as Corten steel are becoming more popular. These are materials that are used for external cladding and traditionally would never have been seen in the kitchen. 

People are now taking inspiration from the contemporary interiors they see in offices, retail and hospitality spaces and are choosing interesting finishes to create a stylish wow factor in their homes.