Staying on the cutting-edge of interiors design is one of our top priorities here at Kitchen Design Centre, and we make sure we’ve always got an extensive knowledge of current industry trends. Creative service sectors like ours are always amongst the fastest-moving industries by far, and by keeping our finger on the pulse, we can guarantee that we’ve got an excellent working knowledge of design trends, appliances and technologies that will make busy lives that little bit easier – and that we’re able to deliver them all to you, our customers!
This commitment is one of the main reasons that every year, our team of award-winning designers hops across the water to Germany to visit the factory of Hacker, exclusive kitchen supplier and amongst the most prestigious kitchen brands on the market. Hacker kitchens are renowned for the quality, simplicity and efficiency of their designs. At Kitchen Design Centre, those qualities fit perfectly with the value of our brand, which is why we exclusively use Hacker-style kitchens as templates for our designs.
During each of our annual visits, our team aims to get a feel for the latest trends in the world of kitchen design, and start thinking about how we can incorporate these into our own designs for customers. There are always a fantastic range of displays and materials on show, and this year, there was a notable focus on tactile surfaces.
Tactile surfaces are a pivotal element in kitchen design, as they have the fascinating ability to provoke different emotional responses, drastically altering the feel of a space. Rich wood textures, for example (another key focus this year), can give a kitchen the sense of warmth and cosiness, going some way to explain its popularity in a whole range of modern and traditional kitchen designs.
On the other hand, stone and similar textures tend to give a kitchen a rugged, rough-around-the-edges feel. On that note, here’s what one of our designers, Simon, had to say about this year’s Hacker visit:
One of the ideas I took from the visit concerned the use of texture and patterns in the kitchen. I saw lots of fascinating retro-patterned splashbacks that were mixed with brickwork and industrial-look concrete textures. Add that to the eclectic mix of familiar and innovative new styles, and it all made this year’s Hacker visit another one to remember!
These visits provide fantastic opportunities for us to collect new ideas and technologies to incorporate into our kitchens for you, and 2017 was no different; we came back refreshed, eager and buzzing with inspiration on how to create the most innovative and stylish customer kitchens yet!
Want to find out how we’re putting our knowledge to good use? You can visit your nearest designer kitchen showroom in Manchester, Blackburn or Colne, where you can have a quick chat with one of our designers on how to make your dream kitchen a reality!
