The kitchen has long been a place that brings households together. Now more than ever as we start the year firmly embracing home life and spending quality time together, we see a continued and greater demand for open-plan living. This goes hand in hand with a rise in kitchen design that promotes social gathering, embraces homely, traditional values, and plenty of personality.

There’s no better time than now to reflect on what matters most to us in our homes. So, as we all immerse ourselves in the latest inspiration and gather our thoughts and ideas – ready and waiting to be explored when the time is right – the team here at Life invite you to delve into the key 2021 kitchen trends that this year has in store.

Open Plan, Social Living

Open-plan kitchens have risen in popularity over the last few years and this popularity is only set to continue in 2021. As a concept that often creates a kitchen-living-dining space for the household to gather and spend more precious time together, we’re also seeing a steady rise in the re-introduction of dining tables into the heart of the kitchen – harking back to more traditional times when everything centred around the table.

Alongside social seating around an island or peninsular, workstations, reading nooks, sofa and television corners, it’s all about creating a multifunctional, inclusive space that encourages family members to prepare food, work and relax all in one space.

Kitchen Living Furniture

As the lines continue to blur between kitchen and living spaces, we’re seeing a change in the style of typical kitchen furniture. No longer always fully fitted, we’re seeing beautiful, stand-alone pieces enter the kitchen space - such as glass dressers, drinks cabinets and shelving features. Offering a practical yet decorative element, they also offer you a chance to create a unique look through an accent colour, or a mix of materials – and to display your treasured items for a soft, homely feel.

A Tactile Finish

As the kitchen becomes an ever more personal design space in the home, we see textures and materials becoming bolder as homeowners look to embrace individuality. 2021 will see more metallics in varying tones, textured doors featuring heavy wood grains, as well as marble-effect, concrete and stone finishes. Adding tactile sophistication instantly creates an exciting space with an inviting, softer side – perfect for retreating to at the end of a hard day.

Metal Framing

Often associated with industrial kitchens or very contemporary spaces, metal framing is also growing in popularity in a variety of settings. Framing can be a great option for open shelving, balanced with the softness of displaying your personal items, cookbooks, favourite crockery or glassware. It’s also easy to carry the metal finish through to other fixtures and features in the kitchen such as taps, handles, pendants, and even island legs or bar stools.

Warm, Homely Hues

There’s no doubt that white and grey have been in the spotlight for a fair while. However, 2021 sees more heritage shades at the darker end of the palette becoming ever stronger. Jewel-like greens such as Life’s ‘Copse Green’ took the lead over blue last year, and this beautiful green is only set to grow in popularity this year. Its warmth and timeless feel brings a rich characterful dimension to the kitchen space. It can be enjoyed equally as one shade, or in conjunction with lighter accent shades, such as paler neutrals or a pop of Life’s ‘Dry Rose’.

Alternatively, softer, muted, mid-tone greens - such as Life’s ‘Regiment’ - offer a lighter fresher approach to designing with green. As demand for rich colours and a homely environment grows, kitchen colour palettes are certainly set to become warmer and even more grounded this year.

Enjoy a Virtual Design Consultation

We’d love to hear what you feel 2021 has in store for your kitchen, and we hope to inspire you a little along the way!

Although our showroom may be closed at the moment, we’re still very much here for you and offering virtual design consultations for all our customers - simply enter your details here.

Our team of expert designers are ready to help you explore your new kitchen ideas and interpret Life in your home – with the perfect design prepared for when restrictions ease. We will also be delaying our January sale until you can visit us again.

In the meantime, you are very welcome to take a stroll around our 3D virtual showroom here, and should you have any questions we’re only a phone call or an email away.