Practical, welcoming kitchen designs which touch on 2017’s style trends will guide the four local specialists in this year’s Decorex Joburg Franke Kitchen Design Project (August 9 - 13).
Themed ‘Simplicity in Design’, each of the kitchen installations will showcase a range of Franke SA’s leading kitchen appliances with the overall assessment of the final piece performed by representatives from Franke SA.
The kitchen designs will be critiqued on a number of elements including overall appeal, utilisation of space, kitchen flow, user-friendliness and quality of materials used.
Once the final decision has been made, the winner will be awarded R10 000 worth of Franke SA products as well as invaluable ongoing support following the event.
This year will see Eurofit Kitchens and Cupboards, Unique Kitchens, Micah Kitchens, and Universal Kitchens and Granite bringing their individual style to the installation.
On trend
Carina Szabo, responsible for Sales and Marketing at Eurofit, said these elements, along with European influences and a hint of South African style, would be evident at the exhibition this year.
Touching on some of the prevailing trends working their way through the kitchen world, Ludi Szabo, director of Eurofit Kitchens and Cupboards said: “From a colour and finish point of view, matt and satin finishes are becoming increasingly popular, particularly in hues of greys and whites. The softer shades of colour remain popular, matched with wood grain finishes.”
He said that, in terms of style, the industrial kitchen is this season’s trend. “Blended with stainless steel and concrete finishes, this minimalistic look is both practical and functional yet aesthetically pleasing on the eye.”
As first-time participants in the Franke Kitchen Design Project, Micah Kitchens will showcase exactly why the kitchen is the ‘heart of the home’.
“This is where families get together, where memories are made,” explained Matthew Dodd, Micah Kitchens’ general manager. “It’s more than just a space to prepare a meal. The kitchen is no longer tucked away in its own separate room of the house, it has now become an extension of the living and entertainment areas.”
He said the urban loft feel is being reinvented to suite the more practical needs of homeowners, incorporating key elements such as steel beams, bare-brick walls, reclaimed lighting, combined with touches of copper or gold to create a practical cooking space.
“Unpolished concrete is also coming through, whether used as a flooring material, countertop surface or even a splash back. You now also have an abundance of choices when it comes to choosing a practical worktop for your kitchen, with 2017 opting for a sleeker, more streamlined quartz surface, as opposed to the heavy looking granite surfaces of yester-year.”
Not giving too much away for their upcoming installation, Louis Kies of The Universal Kitchens Sales Team said they would be setting trends for the upcoming year with ‘innovative ideas’, however, he did emphasise the kitchen’s importance.
“The old saying that the kitchen is the heart of the home still rings so true,” he said. “A gathering place for family and friends needs to fit in perfectly with your needs and personality. More waking hours are spent in the kitchen than any other room so it should be your favourite room in the home.”
Commenting on some current preferences, Kies said the two-tone, high-gloss, handle-less kitchens were very favourable, although new trends were leaning towards the industrial and minimalist look.
Gloss and wood grain combinations have also been featuring as well as thin, 12mm tops or large 60mm build ups replacing the regular 20-30mm worktops.