It’s not just a new year but a new decade! And, what better way to launch into 2020 than to talk kitchens, the heart and hub of the home.

Before the end of each year, the team at Balnei & Colina are hard at work researching trends for the year ahead. It's not uncommon to see trend posts at the beginning of each year describing ‘what’s in’, ’what’s out’, with lists of predictions on the direction of kitchen design for the year ahead, and 2020 is no different. 

Without the help of an expert kitchen designer, like the team at Balnei & Colina, kitchen renovating can be a stressful process. You want to have a kitchen that looks unique and creative, but not dated. And this is where some forward thinking and design expertise can help. 

Part of why we love renovating homes is the fact that it is so personal. We get to help create the spaces our clients spend the most time in. With every kitchen renovation we undertake, it’s all about balancing our clients style preferences and unique needs, with new ideas and lasting design. 

At Balnei & Colina we choose to incorporate those trends that can be substantiated in terms of functionality and that aesthetically, will stand the test of time. There are of course definitely trends we identify each year but it’s important that we keep true to the nature of a home’s constant - designing spaces in an intentional and lasting way. 

The team at Balnei & Colina have pulled together a full proof list of trends to consider incorporating into your 2020 kitchen renovation.  Here are our top picks for kitchen trends in 2020. Enjoy!

Robert Fonti

Director, Balnei & Colina

 

Balnei & Colina kitchen renovation

1. The Backsplash Shelf 

If you’re looking for a creative way to add additional storage space to your kitchen renovation, this is a great option. You can incorporate a shallow shelf as part of your backsplash taking up minimal space and doubling as functional storage. The backsplash Shallow Shelf is ideal for decorative or everyday use items like coffee mugs, glasses, salt, olive oil etc. It works perfectly when located on the long wall of a kitchen renovation, ideally above the stove top where there are no kitchen wall cupboards.

The Balnei & Colina expert design team suggest using the same material for countertops and backsplash shelves for a more consistent and seamless kitchen design scheme.

Balnei & Colina Kitchen Renovation

Balnei & Colina kitchen renovation

2. Handless Minimalism

The latest contemporary kitchen designs are all about a multi-tasking, free-flowing design with a paired-back look. Supporting this are handleless kitchen cabinets, which are one of the biggest kitchen trends for 2020. Handless kitchens provide a streamlined look that’s simple, allowing the focus on kitchen cabinetry detail.

Technological advances in push-to-open and close doors has meant that it is now possible to dispense with handles in both wall and base kitchen cabinets altogether. If you prefer not to have push-open cupboards, Balnei & Colina offer recessed kitchen handles that provide the same sleek look and can be lined with contrasting colours and materials to add interest.

Design Tip: Long slim handles with the same colour and texture as your kitchen cabinet doors are the latest in modern kitchen design trends for 2020. They blend in easily with the background kitchen cabinetry and support a more minimal, sleek look.

Image credit: Design by We are Huntly

Image credit: Photo by Tom Roe

3. Eco-Friendly Kitchens

Australian homeowners have taken to incorporating sustainable solutions when renovating their homes. Balnei & Colina clients often ask for affordable ways to make their properties more eco-friendly. 2020 trends predict natural materials like bamboo, cork, and sustainable wood choices will continue to be used in a significant way in kitchen renovations. They look organic, sophisticated, and clean, which fits well with a modern aesthetic.

Matte finishes will be preferred over high-gloss polishes as they give a more sophisticated, understated look to your kitchen cabinetry. Combining these materials with stone countertops made from granite, marble, or quartz will provide the best effect.

Image credit: Caesarstone

Image credit: Mh-L Design

4) Timeless Timber 

ASH

Finishes that mimic the look and feel of timber are now enjoying a revival. Try subtle-grained ash, paler than oak or walnut, and pair it with a reconstituted stone with warm tones to complete the look.

WALNUT

There has a rise in the demand for dark wood cabinetry particularly walnut. It’s rich, dark colour, fine grain and natural warmth are popular with high-end kitchen renovations as it helps create a sense of luxury. 

Balnei & Colina Custom Joinery Project

Image credit: Blakes of London

5. A Splash of Colour

2020 is the year of colour, with kitchen trends steering away from monotone and all white kitchen renovations in favour of colour. There is plenty of opportunity to explore colour in kitchens, from your splashback to appliances, walls and flooring, to window treatments and kitchen cabinets. If you are feeling adventurous, use colour in unexpected places like appliances and hoods. This is a unique way to incorporate colour in your kitchen renovation, giving your appliance centre stage. This works particularly well in more traditional style kitchen renovations featuring more detailed appliances and millwork.

Start by deciding how much of a permanent commitment you are willing to make. One of easiest and least expensive options, is to paint a wall that can be easily updated if and when you tire of it. Choosing colour is such a personal experience, so the rule of thumb at Balnei & Colina is that a kitchen colour should last for at least five years, so it’s important to look beyond immediate trends and choose a colour that you will enjoy in the longer term.

Balnei & Colina 2020 - Colours for your kitchen renovation

Navy, Black, Blue-Grey, Emerald Green & Grey Plum

Design Tip: You can use black to add a sense of drama to your kitchen renovation. Often overlooked as purely an ‘accent’ colour, black walls, cabinetry and work surfaces are having something of a moment. Black is livable, sophisticated and inviting, and by adding textured wood tones you can give your kitchen space a more rustic/industrial feel.

Photo by Angelita Bonetti

Balnei & Colina Kitchen Renovation

Image via Pintrest

Image credit: Clear Cut Construction

Image credit: Blakes London

6. Enduring Stone 

Stone has been used for years in kitchen design and renovation and is set to remain one of the more popular choices for kitchen benchtops in 2020.

More strongly veined marble, the busier the better, for upmarket luxury and next-level kitchen renovation finishes. If there’s one thing this year that will continue to dominate the kitchen style charts, it’s stone.

Image credit: Marie Flannagan Interiors

Image credit: Harvey Jones Interiors

7.  Cook's Larder

No room for a kitchen utility or butler's pantry? Larder cupboards, have been part of kitchen renovation for years and recently, have established themselves as one of the must-have items in modern homes.

An extension of the well-known pantry, the larder includes all food goods, wines, kitchen linen and small electrical appliances (appliance cupboard items) in the one place. Instead of being divided amongst numerous kitchen wall and floor cupboards, the larder cupboard allowa easier access for your kitchen items as well as a more efficient kitchen work-flow.

Balnei & Colina Kitchen Renovation

8. Butler's is Back

Functional and thoughtfully considered utility rooms, like the kitchen butler’s pantries are here to stay for 2020. They provide the perfect space in which to house everyday essentials away from the main kitchen and living. The butler’s pantry has become a staple in today’s modern open plan homes. Our changing lifestyles and the need for neat and tidy spaces are making the butlers’ pantry no.1 on the kitchen renovation wish list.

Still unsure how to incorporate the latest kitchen design trends for your kitchen renovation? Leave it to the experts at Balnei & Colina. Book a consultation with a kitchen design expert today on 1300 450 320 or drop us an email info@balneiandcolina.com.au. You can also visit us at balneiandcolina.com.au or connect with us via Facebook or Instagram. To stay up to date with the latest kitchen design trends sign-up to our newsletter.

Photo by Nicholas Watt

Photo by Chris Warnes