Furniture from the catwalk – with flying doors

Kitchen furniture “works” in extreme conditions. After all, in this room there is always something going on: water is poured, dough is kneaded, boiled, steamed, cleaned and chopped. The furniture doesn’t need to suffer or deteriorate as a result of these many manipulations. On the contrary, its main task is to be as inconspicuous and comfortable as possible, to make all operations easy and pleasant, so that everything is at hand.

In Pursuit of Fashion

The concept of fashion is somehow strange to apply to such large purchases as kitchens, especially when they are purchased for a very long time. But despite this, there are fashions, or rather currents, visually and technologically changing kitchen furniture.

Fashion in recent years has given us a clear idea of what kitchen furniture will look like in the coming years. It must be said that here the fashion is mainly driven not by aesthetic considerations, but by the practical side. That’s how a few years ago a new look for the kitchen arose – wide and low wall units and horizontally elongated floor units.

Be in shape

Established in recent years, the ideas about the form of cabinets and cabinets in general, judging by the new collections, are not undergoing major changes.

The point here, above all, is that they are simply more convenient to use. But designers can’t leave everything as it is, since it’s their findings that create the impetuosity of fashion. Maybe that’s why the new kitchens began to feature elements that now peacefully coexist with the already familiar.

One of them is rounded elements, which were already used in some middle-class kitchen collections, but as the current form is now. These are cabinets with curved doors and “round” sides, countertops with a smooth edge line.

The practical value of such innovations is not great – the internal volume of furniture is significantly reduced, there is a restriction on the use of drawers, “round” furniture does not always look logical in conventional rooms with “square” corners.

Although the rounded countertops are more ergonomic, it is more convenient to work with them, including the movement from one area, such as cutting, to another. Interest in such complex surfaces arose primarily because of the emergence of new technologies that make it possible to obtain such unusual forms.

In addition, from an aesthetic point of view, the fronts are becoming more interesting – the highlights “play” differently on the curved surface, and this means that the materials look different too, such as wood veneer with a pronounced linear structure.

The novelty of these solutions is that they are used on a par with the usual “regular”, strictly geometric shapes. This dissonance is striking and often doesn’t seem very logical.

The matter of taste

The formation of the notion of what should be the furniture, happening in every factory, somewhere decide that the columns should be dominant, they are made deliberately large and high.

So that on the stands and pages of catalogs we can see a construction in the wall up to the ceiling. Such sets look impressive, and the capacity is simply “dizzying”.

Only not every kitchen can accommodate such huge elements. These giants will look advantageous in large empty rooms.

But the rest of the kitchen elements can be “unloaded”, putting their “warehouse” properties into the background and giving them a more aesthetic role for example, choosing shelves or racks instead of cabinets .

Designers from other companies prefer a “golden” middle ground – the development of all the elements takes place evenly.

In such kitchens they use a large number of wall cabinets, columns of more modest size. Kitchens of this type are oriented to any volume, in fact, they are more universal and give more opportunities to arrange a set according to your taste, rather than according to the idea of fashion somewhere in distant Italy or Germany.

The modern kitchen is characterized by clear lines and even some angularity. There are big elements, and a lot of emphasis is placed on columns and island structures.

An inhabited island

The islands are not left out of the developers’ attention. This sector often bears a double load – here they place a cooking zone with a hob or a cutting area with a sink, and also part of the table is used for eating.

In case of using high bar stools the height of table top will be quite acceptable it is standard – 850 mm . If you plan to use regular chairs, it has to be lowered a little.

This “play” of heights, when one half of the countertop is higher than the other half, can give the kitchen an unusual look. And to separate one area from another special partitions can be used, for example, made of glass.

On islands began to place entire blocks for built-in ovens and microwave ovens – large boxes installed on the table. They give the island the semblance of a large solid cabinet, while at the same time, by cutting off part of the countertop, they create intimate corners, suitable even for creating small offices.

By the shelves

The modern kitchen language is restrained and cold, especially it gravitates to the most familiar and simple shelves. Their form is the best way to emphasize the aloofness of the interior, which is why they are so eagerly used by designers. But just choosing shelves, without solving the practical side of the case, is now impossible.

Floor cabinet drawers with drawer systems have evolved into sophisticated and highly spacious storage systems, helped by taller column cabinets, in the depths of which even the supplies can be stored.

Against this background, depriving the set of a pair of hinged cabinets is almost painless. And so shelves reappear in interiors. They make it more elegant and less confined to function.

Without legs

Elegance for the kitchen is not an alien concept, especially now that it is possible to deprive some floor drawers of legs. It’s as if they’re floating in the air, although they don’t look at all lightweight. Such elements can be attached directly to the wall, emphasizing the illusion of flight. In other cases, the legs are simply reduced, for example by reinforcing the supporting frame along the edges.

Careful, the doors are closing! Flying doors

We’ve already said that the modern kitchen gravitates toward wide horizontal elements. And it all started with the fact that the developers came to the understanding that hinged cabinets are not always convenient, especially floor cabinets. They are quite difficult to find the necessary things.

But replacing normal cupboard shelves with pull-out drawers changes everything. The contents are in one glance, so the search time is significantly reduced, and the drawers are always in perfect order. The usual small chests of drawers were gradually replaced with huge boxes.

The organization of the drawer space is decided during the design phase of the kitchen, so in the showroom you can choose a set of inlays for cutlery, plates, pots, utensils.

Every item will occupy its proper place, so the dream of constant “inner harmony” will be easy to achieve.

At a recent furniture show we had the opportunity to see unusual pull-out baskets-columns. At first sight it’s already familiar design, where the baskets are mounted at different height to the front, the front pulls on itself, baskets are pulled out forward.

The inconvenience of this solution was that they were only accessible from the side. Now all this stuff can be unwrapped, so that the contents of the baskets are right in front of the eyes.

“Flying doors

Horizontal hinged cabinets are also firmly established in the collections of kitchen manufacturers.

The cupboard doors can be opened upwards, so that the whole cupboard contents are in full view of the hostess. The doors are hinged by means of a special piston or spring system.

But the design of these elements is constantly being improved. For example, the doors, which form a monolithic construction with a panel on top, look interesting.

When you open the door, it “flies up” and locks in position, keeping the door at a safe height for the user.

Withdrawable systems became bigger, which means that the fittings have changed too – now such boxes can easily bear weight up to 80 kg, and drawers slide out fully or almost fully and slide smoothly back in at your light touch. The width of such a design in some manufacturers has long “crossed” a meter, the depth remains standard – 60 cm.

Technometamorphosis

But the designers haven’t forgotten about the usual hinged doors. Their great disadvantage was that the doors interfered with the hostess.

They can now swing 180 degrees without cluttering the space or view. Hinged doors for convenience after opening can “sink” into special slits on the sides, remaining completely hidden there as long as the hostess needs it. The design of the door may be folding, smoothly “departing” to the side, or acting on the principle of a compartment door.

More and more often we can see in the collections of cabinets with louvered closing. They work by rising or lowering to the desired height, taking up no space at all in front of or in the cabinets.

In German kitchens, we noted another interesting novelty: the doors of hinged cabinets are not opened in the usual sense, they just “slide” up or down from the desired shelf, opening several cabinets at once.

Handles

The handles did not pass by the changes. Their purpose has always been purely utilitarian, but they become an interesting detail that allows you to emphasize the style of furniture.

1. The fashion of recent years has given the handles a more concise, restrained geometry, while in some sets they have been transformed into long, railing shapes. On the one hand, they support the idea of keeping the kitchen horizontal, but on the other hand, such handles are easier to grip, there is no need to “aim”.

– So there were mortise designs, which can not always be called a handle. In most cases, they are U-shaped profiles integrated into the entire width of the front. This “novelty” is certainly decades old. I remember that our Soviet kitchen had exactly the same aluminum handles. They’ve come into fashion now!

– The role of the handle can be performed by a longitudinal notch, which also supports the horizontal texture of the natural wood.

2. In new collections of kitchens, handles “disappear” altogether. The designers’ desire for greater aesthetic appeal is reflected in the fact that the surface has become completely flat. Handles would only spoil the picture, depriving the door of the intended elegance. The easiest way to deprive hinged fronts of handles, so the doors have acquired various clever gadgets that began to fulfill their role.

– The lower part of the door is not rectangular, but slightly rounded, just enough to grasp with the fingers.

– The most striking thing is the solution, when there really are no handles as such, and the opening of the door is made by pressing on any corner of the facade, after which the drawer itself slides forward. This finding is used only in expensive kitchens, the prices of which are commensurate with the prices of apartments in New York.

The face of the kitchen

In most cases the first thing we pay attention to is the kitchen fronts, their color, texture and material. The stuffing in the kitchen is always second nature to us.

It’s no accident, because kitchens have to be practical in the first place. It’s also important to us that it brings beauty to the home. We gathered our impressions of innovations in this matter at the autumn furniture fair in New York.

With glass

We noticed some unanimity in the use of glass. This material has reached the peak of fashion, and its use

is becoming more common and unexpected.

Glass facades appeared a few years ago, they struck the imagination with solemnity, glamour and lightness.

Now you can see them in more than one kitchen collection. Glass is usually framed in aluminum frames. The construction is thin but strong.

– In the facades, glass is dyed on the inside in several layers, giving the color depth. In combination with the transparent surface the effect of incredible brilliance and luster is obtained.

The material seems to glow from within. The fronts are practically indestructible and are not afraid of daily turmoil in the kitchen, but you have to wipe them down to a shine to keep them clean, otherwise fingerprints and water marks will be very visible.

– The usual stained glass facades also have not lost their purpose, but they began to be used not only for hinged systems, but also in the manufacture of floor units and columns. In the past, preference was given to simple frosted glass, now it is given new interesting shades, such as orange or blue, covered with horizontal or vertical stripes. Cabinet showcases equipped with stained glass doors are often decorated with their own internal lighting system, which gives the furniture a mysterious and can serve as a light background light in the evenings.

– Glass has transcended traditional frames and is now used for aprons and countertops. Ordinary “bottle” glass of greenish hue looks very attractive, especially if its thickness exceeds a few centimeters.

– Glass began to be used as a composite material, consisting of “pieces” of different colors, such “mosaic” countertops have a fun rich color, which together with the inherent glass glitter changes the overall impression of the furniture and interior. At the same time, glass countertops do not differ in size and “endurance” from their counterparts.

Chic and shiny

Another common technique is the use of super-glossy glass finishes on the fronts. It’s difficult to distinguish these enamels from the glass, and the lack of frames gives them away.

Designers are interested in supergloss because it gives a sense of festivity and novelty.

Coating facades is carried out in several stages – the prepared facade is applied with a color of your choice, let dry. Then they lacquer it in 6-8 layers.

By the way, it was the fashion for lacquered kitchens to finish the fronts equally on the outside and inside, so that the thing has no “underside.

Sometimes, to emphasize the quality and attractiveness of the glossy finish, the fronts are combined, using matte finish or wood veneer. Under the glossy coating choose beautiful bright colors: festive black, luxurious red and burgundy, ultramarine blue, bright yellow and orange, unusual lilac, austere white.

Of course, like the bright glass fronts, glossy furniture requires volume, in a small room all the beauty and quality of work is simply not visible.

On glossy surfaces there is a constant play of light, which visually enlarges the space…

Only tradition

Bright, garish beauty does not attract everyone, not by chance that many collections of kitchen furniture often seem deliberately dull.

Designers are trying to show a sense of proportion, as fashion is changing rapidly, changing our ideas about beauty, but the kitchen remains the same. That’s why classic kitchens never stop being made and bought.

For many everyday people, the kitchen is a place where only traditional, many times tried-and-true forms and techniques “work”.

Knowing this, designers are trying to use the best of what is available in the kitchen of different styles, combining them with classic materials, the main of which are natural wood species.

Exotic and fresh look facades under the teak – oak with a bright orange pattern or mahogany. The leader – the natural oak, with its characteristic structure and a slightly grayish hue.

This color logically combines with the now accepted forms of cabinets and the whole style of a detached and restrained kitchen. It retains the warmth of a real plant, imbued with sun and rain, the ecology of a true work of nature.

The structure of oak is easily recognized, simple and linear and it is often placed horizontally to create an elongated effect. Facades can be covered with additional milling horizontal strips, playing in the same vein.

In addition to oak other species are also used, one of the most popular, of course, cherry, its familiar shade is reddish and warm, but you can also meet an unexpected variant – silver cherry, the wood in color resembles natural oak, only the texture is more contrasting. Beech, Canadian poplar and dark chestnut can also be used.

Exotics are not ignored either. Modern technology allows you to get the finest veneer sheets of almost any tree. It makes it possible to widely apply veneer for the fronts by the way, even wallpaper began to be made of veneer . So exotics, which came from Africa and South America, will excite us for a long time with their unusual patterns – linear and knotty, and colors: red, orange, pinkish, yellow and black.

But it’s not always advisable to use veneer directly, and in order to show the intricate textures of exotics you can transfer them to plastic. These fronts look beautiful, but are also more affordable and practical. In addition, the plastic coating can be both matt and glossy, which gives you an even wider choice.

At the exhibition we noticed that most manufacturers are interested in one of the “classics” – oak. It is used in natural, stained, almost black, very similar to vegne, and in a very beautiful grey version.