Another year dawns, and word in the specialist press is that kitchen trends are moving towards texture and warmth as the economic climate continues to blow cool. After a few seasons of 70’s-inspired kitchens and homewares, buyers are beginning to favour products made of natural materials such as wood and ceramics, and hand-worked textiles echoing the make-do-and mend ethos of harder times.

The kitchen industry expects to see a resurgence of interest in wooden kitchens, to provide warmth and comfort as the recession lingers, albeit in high gloss finishes. Exotic wood veneers continue to become more accessible and more beautiful as new manufacturing methods produce real wood imitations of rare veneers previously only available to the super-rich. These manufactured veneer products make book-matched doors more readily available and more consistent in colour and finish.

Add warmth to your finished room with fabric blinds and softly textured worksurfaces such as flamed or honed granite, especially when your kitchen doubles as a dining/entertaining area and you want to deaden the ringing echoes created by hard surfaces.

One final design tip as we enter 2010 is candy-coloured accessories for a splash of colour and cheer in an otherwise grey climate. For more inspiration visit our Kitchen Styles pages, and speak to one of our design consultants.