Bathrooms and kitchens can often be amongst the smallest rooms in the house, but they have fast become the most important. The kitchen in particular is arguably the biggest selling feature of any home!
That’s why taking the time to get the design elements right, whether you are building or renovating. Good, solid design features never go out of style, although there are always new and exciting trends springing up to tempt us. So let’s look at some of them and whether they are worth even considering …
Modern Kitchens are About Convenience
The style of your kitchen is probably going to be dependent on the style of your home. If you live in an old or traditional style home, then you probably won’t be putting in a super modern sleek kitchen.
However, there are still some modern conveniences that you might want to consider:
1. The Zip Tap
This is fast becoming the thing to include in your kitchen. The latest versions of these offer you filtered water, with chilled, boiling and sparkling all being dispensed from the one tap at a click of a button. You’ll never have to wait for a kettle to boil again! You’ll need a licensed plumber to install it but it’s probably worth the cost for the convenience.
2. The Pot Tap
This one comes straight from America, where pot taps are used in many homes as a convenient way to fill a pot right from the stove top. No more carrying heavy pots filled with water across the kitchen.
While it all sounds good, it can be a costly inclusion if you are renovating and what happens when something goes wrong? You could end up with water flooding your oven/range, which is both dangerous and an expensive repair!
When it comes to colour schemes, white has been right for so long that it’s starting to fall out of favour. Instead we are starting to see darker, moodier cabinetry in both kitchens and bathrooms, with black and dark teal quickly rising in popularity.
Likewise, the old faithful white subway tile is being replaced with patterned tiles – usually in a restricted colour palette, like monochrome - to introduce interest, without being overwhelming.
What’s Beautiful in Bathrooms?
The bathroom is one place where trends are always changing, so it pays to remember that plumbing is expensive and requires licensed tradespeople, so once you decide on something – changing it will never be easy or cheap.
1. Taps on the Wall
If you decide on a sleek and modern style in the bathroom, you might want to install wall mounted taps. One caution however – while they might look clean and stylish, remember that all those plumbing pipes are now hidden behind a beautifully tiled wall. Hidden plumbing can mean hidden leaks and potentially messy and expensive repairs.
2. Invisible Toilet Cisterns
In the same way, toilet cisterns are also disappearing behind what are often fully tiled walls – a great style statement, but not so great if your sewer pipes are blocked and in need of repairs!
3. Floating Vanities
They held to make a confined bathroom look more spacious, however we’ll let you in on a little secret – most floating vanities (ie ones that appear to be wall mounted with no supports underneath), actually aren’t. At the very least there will be an extended kickboard underneath to hide unsightly plumbing and pipes.
4. Wooden Details
One of the latest trends is to incorporate natural elements into the bathroom, such as stone and timber. Wooden ceilings, shelves and decorative elements might help to bring the outdoors indoors, however moisture and wood aren’t necessarily the best combination. Being constantly exposed to water, heat and steam may cause the wood to warp or split, or even worse, it could encourage mould growth. It is definitely worth consider whether the designer look is worth the risk – and making sure you have a well-ventilated bathroom to discourage mould!
5. The No Threshold Shower
These are popular for a reason – they provide good accessibility, are easy to clean and their seamless design perfectly suits the streamlined modern aesthetic. However, you must ensure that the drainage has been set up correctly or else you will spend your life with a permanent ‘wet room’ - water all over your bathroom floor every time you have a shower.
At the end of the day, the best way to ensure super stylish, functional and safe bathrooms and kitchens, is to make sure you consult with your local plumber first.
