New trends: 2018 kitchens according to Salone del Mobile

Wondering what the new trends for your favorite part of the house are? After thoroughly exploring the Salone del Mobile, we’re ready to spill all the tea you want!

Take a look at your kitchen: does it look and feel old? Well then, there are two ways you can go. If you don’t particularly feel like investing months into a complete re-styling of your kitchen -- or if your budget is a bit tight, then a simple refresh might do. However, what if you want your kitchen to be in line with the latest trends? Luckily for you, we explored every single corner of Eurocucine, the enormous kitchen section at the 2018 edition of Milan’s Salone del Mobile. After seeing countless amazing (and less amazing) kitchen designs, we’ve rounded up the main trends that will be shortly dominating the heart of our homes. Ready to discover what’s hot? Read the article and find out!

Greenery

Mind you, we’ve been seeing more and more greenery in every room of the house, not just the kitchen. And in fact, a visit to the Salone only reinforced our belief that this trend is here to stay. But what are the advantages of keeping a small forest in your kitchen? Well, the main purpose of keeping planters and pots in the kitchen is functional, of course! You’ll just have to reach out your hand for your personal, homegrown herb garden. Wouldn’t it be nice to have fresh basil within a hand’s reach, like in the kitchen pictured below? Then, don’t forget that taking care of plants, or even just the sight of them, are excellent stress relievers. Finally, a bit of extra oxygen never hurts!

This is just an example by Noblessa of how much greenery is key for a great kitchen

Mixing textures

Our 2018 kitchen will be a composite little world: we’re going to have to combine a myriad of different textures, and the results will leave us breathless. So for instance, take a look at this picture: it’s an arrangement for a kitchen countertop. How many different textures can you count? We count four! First of all, the white marble top, a timeless classic. Then, speaking about classics, there is traditional copper cookware; the shiny surfaces of the pots and pans capture and reflect the light coming from a large table lamp: a sort of gigantic version of those hipster nude bulbs we've been getting used to seeing so often lately. Finally, all these shiny surfaces are balanced by the presence of those bottles; we’d expect a bottle to be sleek and shiny as well, but these ones have an intriguingly matte surface.

Do you like this composition by Marchi Cucine? You can find more here!

Kitchen peninsulas

Remember kitchen islands? Well they still exist, but in truth, they’re not the hottest trend anymore; peninsulas are all the rage now. Basically, the idea behind the new models of kitchen peninsulas we’ve been seeing is that they should really act as complementary tables. The result is that, instead of having your traditional, isolated kitchen island, you’re going to have a perfectly regular, rectangular kitchen counter with burners, a sink, and all the room you need to prep your food. Then, attached to one end of the counter, you’ll have a lower, irregular table that will act as your breakfast or quick lunch/dinner spot. This lower table, surrounded by regular dinner chairs, is taking the place of the high kitchen island and counter equipped with stools that we’ve been used to seeing so far.

This is a kitchen design by Stosa; click here for more!

Heavy duty, cast iron range tops

To our surprise, the vast majority of burners and range tops were quite heavy-duty and traditional. Take a look at the picture below, for instance: it’s pretty hard not to notice those burners, right? No matter how refined your kitchen is, this seems to be a super hot trends when it comes to the decision of what type of burners to get. Still, as much as we love this industrial, almost aggressive look for our range tops, keep in mind that you need to consider functionality too. You know how you cook; if you already have a preference towards a specific kind of burners that work best for you, don’t let this new trend stop you!

Recognize the style? Of course, it's unmistakable Lube!

Induction hobs are still with us

Don’t worry, if you happen to have an induction hob, you won’t have to throw it out of the window! Because of their sleek, black appearance, induction hobs are destined to stay in our kitchens. However, we still maintain that huge, industrial-looking range tops will look ultra cool even in the chicest, most minimal environment!

Another design by Noblessa

Open shelving

We’ve been saying this for a while now: open shelves are life, this year! After all, pros like Jamie Oliver have been styling their kitchens like this for years. Why choose open shelves? There are various reasons. First of all, they’re actually a lot handier than cabinets: there are no handles to pull, which means that if you’re cooking, you won’t have to constantly wipe your hands before grabbing something. As a result, this also means you’ll have fewer surfaces to clean! Then finally, open shelving gives you the chance to really own the style and design of your kitchen; you can decide if you want it to look minimal, bohemian, shabby chic, just by choosing what kind of items to put on them. One drawback: it’s super easy for open shelves to look messy!

An example of trendy open shelves by Lube

High-arched, sleek faucets

Would you believe us if we told you that this style of faucets is the only one that was present at the Salone? Well, it’s the truth. This was by far the most popular model, which tells us it’s soon going to be in every kitchen around the globe. After all, we think we can understand the reason why. Its tall, arched shape makes it appear elegant and classy, while at the same time the sleek material and the horizontal rod add an air of functionality. Also, its considerable height creates a striking contrast with the pure flatness that characterizes the rest of the kitchen countertops.

Yet another beautiful design by Lube!

Mix of old and new

Tradition and innovation come together in the 2018 kitchen! We’ve snapped this picture to give you an idea. Sleek surfaces, Carrara marble wall tiles, open shelves, handleless cabinets and a contemporary sink place this kitchen in 2018. However, please notice the items on the countertops: wooden cutting boards and cutlery, white embroideries and traditional glass jars for salt, sugar and flour add a cozy, country atmosphere to this kitchen; we bet our grandmother would have a great time here as well as we would!

Like this kitchen by Marchi Cucine? Click here!

Matte

What can we say? The years go by but apparently, matte textures are here to stay. Of course, you don’t have to have a completely matte kitchen! Our suggestion, based on what we’ve been seeing, is to employ a matte finish on warmly colored items: they’ll make your kitchen appear even cozier and more welcoming. Also, create a pattern throughout the room! Don’t just have one décor piece with a matte finish, but rather, try scattering a few around. Need some inspo? Take a look at the kitchen design below!

Would you like to see more by Nolte? Click here!