Inspired by the recent EuroCucina in Milan, Freedom Kitchens have been quick to introduce new kitchen products to the Australian market, taking on these global trends but with an Aussie spin!
“A major source of inspiration for our team is EuroCucina,” says Jenny O’Connell, Freedom Kitchens store planning and design manager. “It’s the largest kitchen trade fair of its kind, showcasing global trends in kitchen design. With our factory located locally here in Australia, Freedom Kitchens has the advantage of quickly turning concepts into reality, keeping Australian homes on-trend with the rest of the world.”
For Freedom Kitchens, the first trend you’ll be seeing is their matt cabinetry; something with has proved extremely popular in Europe for its timeless, sophisticated finish. “Advancements in technology mean that fingerprints, often associated with matt cabinetry, may now be a thing of the past,” says Jenny. “Our new range is available in a stunning colour palette and will suit those seeking a contemporary, high-end designer look.”
Timber is also proving very on-trend, with its application extending far beyond cabinet doors. “No part of the kitchen is immune to timber at the moment with shelving, benchtops, doors and drawers all receiving a timber makeover. The options are endless when you start to play around with various timber, texture and colour combinations.”
Moody colours and metallic accents are similarly getting a mention, with the moody palette of black, dark greys and blues juxtaposed with shiny accents dominating European catwalks and homewares – a sure-fire sign, suggests Jenny, that kitchens will follow suit. “The new range of classic bold colours provide a neutral base that works well with glamorous metallic accents, such as handles and lighting in silver and copper.”
Clean lines and quartz surfaces round-up Freedom Kicthen’s trends for the second half of 2014, with streamlined, handle-less cabinetry and easy to maintain Ceasarstone benchtops becoming the must-haves in modern kitchens.
To view the latest product range and kitchen displays, visit your local Freedom Kitchens showroom. For a free, in-home kitchen design appointment, head to their website or call 1800 113 733.
Purchase a MyFreedom membership for $99 and it would more than pay for itself with a $254.85 discount (15%) off this Copenhagen sofa, then 15% off everything full priced for two years!
I’m normally a little sceptical of loyalty/membership programs you have to pay to join, but Freedom’s MyFreedom, which costs $99 for two years, really does have some great benefits worth shouting about.
Members receive:
15% off all full price products every day in store
A further 5% off sale and promotional items
5% off selected products from Freedom Kitchens
$50 birthday gift credit
1 x Freedom Decorator in-store consultation
Advance knowledge of limited edition products
Invitations to special events.
You only need to buy something like a new sofa for your membership to more than pay for itself, so in my book, this is great value for 15% discount all year round for two whole years!
Purchase a MyFreedom membership for $99 and it would more than pay for itself with a $254.85 discount (15%) off this Copenhagen sofa, then 15% off everything full priced for two years!
Last week saw THE event of the interiors calendar Salone Internazionale del Mobile (the international furniture fair) in Milan, and I was lucky enough to go for the first time. Within this mega fair sits Eurocucina, a kitchens-only showcase bigger than most Aussie trade fairs and full of beautiful things (read about the top trends I spotted here).
A display at Eurocucina in Milan
Freedom Kitchens sent a team of 10 of their designers to Milan to be inspired by Europe’s latest trends, innovations and materials in kitchens. Because they have their own Australian factory, this inspiration can become reality in customers’ kitchen within months — weeks even. This flexibility and freedom to move fast is what keeps their kitchens cutting edge and fashionable, as you may have seen on The Block Sky High.
Matt and Kim’s Freedom Kitchen from The Block Sky High
At the fair, Freedom Kitchens’ national sales director Susan Hasler said the kitchens at Milan were darker and moodier than last year with a lot of highlights in timber veneers and more matt than gloss finishes. “Some of the Dekton surfaces were very interesting and there was a lot of the concrete look and feel. It’s all a lot about texture. Touch and feel is really important.”
Cabinetry was perhaps more vertical than horizontal with taller pull-out drawers containing several internal drawers. Another trend she noticed was for integrated handles rather than a completely handle-less look.
Large drawer storage seen at Eurocucina
Freedom Kitchens will be able to translate these innovations and trends to the local Australian market very quickly, while remembering that not everything will be popular or appropriate to our lifestyle. “We will be able to update some of our designs within a couple of months due to us manufacturing in Australia. We can do smaller runs, move quickly and see if things work and are popular,” Susan says. “It’s really important for us to come here to things like Eurocucina. Australia is sometimes thought of as being behind the times. You’re going to have a kitchen for a very long time so it’s important we’re ahead of the game. You don’t want to invest in something which is already a couple of years out of date. We have 10 kitchen designers here which is a big investment but it’s worth it for what we can bring back and the level of credibility it gives us. It’s about us bringing that fashion look at a value price.”
It’s not as simple as copying a load of ideas and expecting Australians to accept them as the latest and greatest, by any means. “It’s about adapting ideas to the Australian market and our way of life,” Susan says. “In terms of the differences between Europe and Australia, we entertain outside a lot, with kitchens often leading out onto decks or yards, or other entertaining areas. This lends itself well to the single wall and island design of kitchen.”
Kitchens were moodier, with more timber veneers and matt surfaces at Eurocucina
While people are often tempted to play it safe on a room which costs a lot of money and they hope to keep for years, Susan says a good kitchen designer can help them to be braver without wasting money or making an unwise investment. Her advice for a ‘safe’ yet fashionable kitchen is to stick to neutral cabinets and be bold with things you can change every couple of years (if desired) like wall colours (wallpaper even!), pendant lights and even splashbacks. You can make a real difference with how you accessorise (the great thing about Freedom Kitchens being that you can pick up Freedom homewares in store too). “We love being able to show customers how to accessorise and style their kitchens with our examples in our showrooms,” Susan says.
In terms of the strong presence of timber veneer at Milan, Susan doesn’t think many Australians will opt for that look in a big way. They may, for example though, choose to do their base cabinets in timber veneer and top cabinets in white, or just their end panels for example. These are all flexible options Freedom Kitchens can offer. “We also have to bear in mind that something that looks great here in Europe may not translate well in Australian light. It’s very different.”
Timber veneers seen at Eurocucina in Milan
The previous snobbery about veneer is disappearing these days, due to the huge advances in quality. “The new ones are so good you can’t even tell they’re not solid timber. They’re also more durable and hygienic which makes them a smart choice for kitchens.”
Look out for more expert tips on kitchen storage and how to get the most out of working with a kitchen designer on the blog next week.
I’ve spent many hours at Eurocucina today, the kitchen section (I say section, but it’s bigger than most standalone trade fairs) of Salone del Mobile in Milan. I thought I’d share the top trends I noticed and some photos from day one.
I should preface this by saying the combination of swarms of super-keen visitors and lighting designed to create atmosphere and mood, don’t make for the best photos I’ve ever taken!
Timber and timber veneer were everywhere, mostly muted cool greige tones which I found surprisingly warm and interesting. For me, this was the most obvious and overarching kitchen design trend at the fair.
The new timber kitchen is modern and sleek and just a touch industrial. Although the timber finishes tend to be pale, the look isn’t Scandi as you might expect.
I love the texture and warmth in these kitchens.
Timber and stainless steel was a popular combo.
There’s also very little gloss. It’s all about the matt surfaces on cabinetry.
Many kitchens incorporated some kind of open shelving. This makes the kitchen feel like more of a dressed room than ever before and not just a functional space. Seeing as it’s the heart of most homes these days, this makes absolute sense!
Large pullout drawers for storage, replacing cupboards, are still big, with many featuring lights which automatically come on when opened.
Touch-open cabinet doors are here to stay with very few doors with handles seen.
I saw a lot of glass fronted cabinets (and poor staff constantly polishing fingerprints off them!).
Cabinet doors folded up or back on themselves. I loved some of these smart features.
This looks like a splashback until it lifts up to reveal the storage behind. Neat.
Low hanging multiple interesting pendant lights over kitchen benches and dining tables were popular; another way to dress the kitchen, as mentioned above.
Where I saw a few pops of colour against the timber it was almost always red.
Bench tops were super slim in many cases; just a few mm.
I spotted many gloss white appliances, like ovens, and some black ones too, making a change from steel. Isn’t it funny how appliances (and electricals like TVs) go through colour trends like this? The white works well with the timber, I must say.
This is my first ever trip to Salone del Mobile and Eurocucina. It is huge and rather mad, especially on opening day. You can feel the buzz of excitement around and there are people from all over the world everywhere. There is a lot of ground to cover. Literally! It was an exciting day, getting a look at what will no doubt become common trends in Aussie kitchens in the not too distant future. Tomorrow, I’ll be chatting to two experts from Freedom Kitchens to get their take on what’s going to be big.
Known for contemporary, European-inspired style, Freedom Kitchens is showcasing the latest in Australian kitchen design at the Brisbane Home Show, and you could win tickets!
Dropping in next Sunday 2 March from 12 noon – 2pm are reality TV stars Trixie & Johnno, whose winning kitchen scored perfect points on the last season of The Block.
Here are their top five ‘tips and trix’ to a winning kitchen desigm
Last week, I spoke to Guy Sebastian’s wife Jules about the décor in their Gerroa holiday home. This week, we talk about the kitchen – the main focus of the house– with Guy himself.
Q: What was most important to you when you were designing your kitchen?
A: Definitely keeping the view as the number one focal point. We had to work the design around two structural poles so it had to have some kind of convenient workflow when it came to cooking too. Of course it had to look modern and slick too — tick, tick, tick!
Q: What were the benefits of working with a professional kitchen designer?
Whatever your decorative tastes, a carefully considered kitchen colour palette will enhance the overall style. Timber grain and blocks of colour are on trend, and whilst there are no hard and fast rules regarding “proper” colour usage, there are certain combinations and ways of using it that promise success.
Balance is the key. Here are Freedom Kitchens’ 4 colour trends to consider when developing your own new kitchen’s palette:
Grey
The new modern neutral, grey has a chameleon-like effect, depending on the style and decorative elements in the room. Warm shades provide a base for classic elegance and can be grounded with blacks, whites and browns. Cool greys, paired with crisp white for instance, are contemporary and edgy (as seen in Madi & Jarrod’s kitchen on The Block All Stars). As a neutral base, pops of bright colour such as orange and yellow also work well. Whichever way you go, grey is here to stay.
Last night was the most impressive room reveal so far if you ask me. What did you think of the couples’ kitchens? If you liked what you saw, read on to find out which products and finishes the contestants chose from Freedom Kitchens, so you can shop the look yourselves. I don’t think the photos do them justice as much as seeing them on the TV. You can watch videos on The Block website.
Trixie and Johnno’s winning kitchen
Seems the viewing public weren’t happy with the choice of winner, with some serious bitching and calls of a fix on The Block’s Facebook page (it can get pretty vicious over there!) last night. Trixie upset many viewers by saying she’d like to dress the twins up as pigs (on account of them police officers) which many said was disrespectful.
Trixie and Johnno featured Newbury Satin Heartwood Laminex, Alaskan Gloss Crème Brulee and Caesarstone Frosty Carrina with 40mm edge.
Judges’ verdict? Designed exactly for the way people live their lives, perfect for the penthouse!
Jen’s verdict: I thought it was safe and neutral in a classy way, but not very exciting. I’m a bit over vertical gardens too. LOVED the lights though.
Timber and stainless steel was a popular combo.
