New display in Barrowford

Led by showroom manager Simon Thomas, our talented designers have put their heads together to produce a beautifully sleek and modern contemporary kitchen design. This new display invokes a real sense of freshness with a white backdrop that’s subtly broken up by fantastic injections of dark, wooden features, as well as a set of luxuriously dark blue fabric chairs. This display comes complete with a classy wine cooler, rounded off by one of the latest innovations from this world-class manufacturer – the brand-new Neff Glass Draft Cooker Hood!

New displays in Blackburn

Our Blackburn showroom is the official new home of three new displays to provide the perfect inspiration for your new kitchen! The first of these displays is an intriguing design comprising of a beautiful taupe and basalt grey colour scheme, with tobacco oak panels, and finished off with gorgeous 20mm quartz Yarra worktops. This particular display features subtle additions of faux plants and ceramics to add layers of character to this luxurious scheme.

Or if you’re looking for something a bit different, our second display might be just up your street! This particular display builds an atmosphere around dark grey panel boards, anchored by a beautiful island which serves as both the cooking station and a stylish breakfast bar. This kitchen also features the latest in Neff’s range of quality kitchen appliances, as well as a welcoming wine fridge – which always makes for a fantastic conversation starter!

Our third display is a brand new Shaker inspired design, featuring a stunning Hampton ocean blue and crystal white island, Ontario oak panels and bar, and exquisite quartz Indus river worktops that are sure to leave an impression. It beautifully epitomises the reasons why Shaker kitchens are still such a highly sought-after option for homeowners up and down the country – and that enthusiasm shows no signs of abating.

Sound intriguing? Why not come pay our new displays a visit in person at our Barrowford and Blackburn designer kitchen showrooms? Our designers will be happy to answer any and all questions you might have, and of course, if you’ve already formed some ideas about what you’d like for your own dream kitchen, we’re here to help you turn them into reality.

In need of some extra inspiration? We’ve also got designer kitchen showrooms in Liverpool, and Urmston, Manchester. So wherever you’re based, you can always count on the same stunning displays to help you create your perfect kitchen vision.

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Above all, it’s a design that focuses on flow, and helps to create a more functional living space – and one that we have more than 35 years of experience with here at Kitchen Design Centre. Whether you’re looking for a more versatile space that allows for both cooking and socialising, more freedom of movement between your kitchen and dining area, or you simply want a greater space to put a more personal touch on your kitchen design, our designers are here to help.

Why would an open-plan kitchen suit you?

When considering what an open-plan kitchen can offer, it’s important to keep in mind what you want from it. We design kitchens that are uniquely suited to you and your lifestyle, whatever that might entail. For example, if you’re a keen cook who enjoys whipping up a storm in your kitchen, we can offer specific styles that focus on practical elements like easily accessible appliances and plenty of counter space.

If you’re more of a social butterfly, we can provide you with a space that gives you a fantastic blend of open-plan practicality and social space, where you can enjoy the company of your friends and family. Perfect for dinner parties and Christmas get togethers!

The point is; the way you choose to use your kitchen will have a direct impact on its design. For example, our customers Sarah and Heath were in need of a contemporary family kitchen for a narrow space, so we gave them exactly what they needed to suit their busy, family orientated life.

Open-plan kitchens let in the light

Natural light is a key element when it comes to improving the brightness and feel of your designer kitchen, and open-plan designs are much better suited for taking advantage of this. By opting for an open-plan kitchen, you can really maximise the amount of natural light that flows through the space, giving it a more welcoming, breezy feel that’s sure to lift the mood of the room.

Why is this important? Well, we’ll spare you the detailed science lesson, but basically humans are daylight creatures. That means we’ve evolved to be happier, more energetic, and healthier in direct sunlight. It’s why small, windowless rooms can make us feel quite so uncomfortable, and equally it’s why natural light is such an important factor of your kitchen to ensure that you’re able to maximise your enjoyment of the space.

If your kitchen backs on to your garden for example, consider adding some sliding, or bi-fold doors to give you easy access to it. These doors add so much more light to your space that it’ll appear more roomy than it actually is. If roof lights are a practical option for your space, you may find them a great way to achieve the same effect.

They provide options for clever design possibilities

We understand that a small kitchen space can present challenges when it comes to having ample room for all your equipment, appliances and so on. Open-plan kitchens are all about making the most out of the space in your home. Here at Kitchen Design Centre, we do this by incorporating a range of clever design ideas like integrated appliances, and hidden storage, ultimately helping you make the most out of your designer kitchen.

We have plenty of open-plan designs for you to peruse in our customer case studies, where you’ll find kitchens with sleek, contemporary looks from things like handleless pull-out units, as well as integrated appliances like Neff multi-function ovens. These cutting-edge appliances possess a stunning versatility to match their intuitive controls, and our status as a Neff Master Partner means we’ve got a great depth of expertise when it comes to smoothly integrating it into your kitchen design.

The options are endless, and depending on your specific requests, we can tailor these design features into any kitchen style, so it’s completely up to you to decide what you’d like!

Open-plan kitchens utilise islands in a fantastic way

Open plan kitchens are perfect spaces for the much-coveted kitchen island. In an open-plan kitchen, the island plays a vital role in separating the kitchen from the living room, while also connecting the two spaces. It does this by creating a place for the cook to interact with the rest of the room, providing an engaging, social atmosphere.

Of course, you’ll need to keep in mind what you’ll spend the most time doing on your island! If it’s cooking, consider placing a hob on top of it. If you’re thinking of it as a cleaning space, maybe install a sink, or think about integrating a dishwasher. The balance between practicality and aesthetic pleasure is really what makes an open-plan kitchen worthwhile. For us, they’re the quintessential option for anyone who wants to create the perfect kitchen-diner combination.

With 35 years of experience behind us here at Kitchen Design Centre, our designers are passionate about helping you get the kitchen of your dreams. If you’re in need of some extra inspiration though – drop by our Blackburn kitchen showroom (or our other designer kitchen showrooms in Manchester or Barrowford) where you can sit down for a chat to let us know exactly what sort of requirements you have. We’re here to help!

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Now, the tricky part comes when you don’t exactly know what you want. But that’s fine too – that’s what our designers are here for. We can help you with designing the entire kitchen from inspiration to installation, or if you’ve already got plenty of detailed ideas and a vision in mind for your kitchen, we can simply help you make it a reality.

So how do you start building your vision for your kitchen? Well a good place to start is by taking a look around your existing space and thinking making a list of everything you like and dislike about it. As you’re doing so, you can start asking yourself key questions like…

What do you want the space to be?

Traditionally, kitchens were simply a place to prepare food, but these days they’re often considered the heart of the home – not just a place for cooking, but for eating, socialising, and spending time together as a family. So one of the first questions you’ll need to ask yourself about your dream kitchen is what it means to you. If it’s a purely functional space that’s purely devoted to the art and science of cooking, then you can put all your energy into making it as ergonomic and efficient as possible.

And if you’re also planning to use it as a place to socialise with family, you can start thinking about where everyone’s going to be seated. You might prefer something like a simple breakfast bar, so you can chat while you’re preparing breakfast, lunch or dinner, or even more comfortable seating around a larger table.

Sometimes this decision might be made for you – for example if you have a relatively narrow space, you might decide that it’s best utilised as a cooking area only. But then again, we’ve created some quite impressive designs in areas where space is at a premium – just take a look at this contemporary family kitchen for a narrow space!

What will you be cooking?

One of the biggest questions you need to ask yourself about your kitchen is, of course, what you plan to be cooking in it. If you have a preference for a certain type of food, this is a great time to incorporate it into the design. One kitchen we designed in Barrowford was created for a pair of keen bakers, so we made sure the new design remained as efficient as possible, while giving it a visually striking appearance.

It’s a good idea to think about practicalities like workspace. If you love spending time cooking in the kitchen, having lots of workspace will probably be one of your core priorities. This is why kitchen islands are so popular, as they provide an effective way to separate your preparation and cooking areas. And if you’re a big fan of particularly ambitious meals – or even just the traditional Sunday roast – it’s definitely worth making sure that you’re giving yourself enough space to work.

Who’s going to be using it?

Now, the obvious answer to this includes you and your family. That means it’s important to consider not just what you want from the space, but what everyone else will want from it too. Does your partner have a different cooking style to you, or are they passionate about any different types of cuisine? Will your children be looking for opportunities to get involved in the kitchen too? (We recently created a particularly clever design which allowed a keen junior baker to store her ingredients and easily cook alongside Mum.)

This is also a good time to think about accessibility. Is there anyone in your family who might struggle to use the kitchen in any way? We’re not necessarily talking about things like wheelchair accessibility – it could be something as simple as reaching up to a high shelf.

It’s also worth thinking about the maximum number of people your kitchen can comfortably accommodate. If you have a large family or you’re regularly hosting large meals, now is an excellent time to think about whether you can alter the space to accommodate all the extra foot traffic – making it much less stressful for you to be cooking and entertaining at the same time.

How could it be more efficient?

Closely related to our last point, the efficiency and ease of movement are perhaps two of the most important elements in any designer kitchen. That means it’s always a big priority for our own kitchen designers, and over the years we’ve produced some particularly ergonomic designs – just take a look at this recent stunning contemporary kitchen!

To maximise the efficiency in your kitchen, you can start thinking about all the appliances and accessories that you use the most, and how you can rearrange them so that they’re always within an arm’s reach of where you work. As part of this, make sure to take a note of where the sockets are in your kitchen, and what you’d like to dedicate them to. (Here’s a quick tip – wherever you decide to locate your sink in your new dream kitchen, it’s generally a good idea to install the washing machine and the dishwasher nearby.)

Storage is also a key issue when it comes to efficiency, as it has a big impact on how you can access everything in your kitchen. You can start by having a good clear out of all your current drawers, cabinetry and cupboards, so that you can be sure you’re not factoring in items or gadgetry that you’ve not used in years. Again, consider the items that you use the most – or you spend the most time looking for – and how you can ensure that they’re never too far away.

As well as ensuring ease of use, optimising your storage is also an excellent way to achieve a minimalist look, which is a particularly popular aesthetic that so many of our customers love for their kitchens. There are lots of specialised or creative storage solutions that you can incorporate into your kitchen – cabinetry set into kitchen islands or peninsulas are amongst some of the simplest, and highly effective at that.

This is a good point to think about the lighting, too. It has a huge effect on the practicalities of the space. You might want to reposition or revamp the main lighting so that you’re not blocking your own light when looking down at your workspace, for example. Soft, recessed ceiling lighting tends to be one of the most popular solutions for our customers here at Kitchen Design Centre. Plus, it’s always a great bonus to incorporate modular lighting so that you can light up certain areas in your kitchen independently of one another. And lighting can tie into another important point…

Are you changing the style of your kitchen?

Maybe you like the function and layout of your kitchen just fine the way it is, but you’re just looking to refresh its style. This is where your written list will come in handy, as it can help you identify exactly what you like about the way it looks and feels as it is, and what you’d like to change about it.

If you’re planning on changing anything, what are you trying to achieve with that change? Are you planning on matching it with the aesthetic of the rest of your home? Or maybe even contrasting it? Or are there just certain individual elements that you want to refresh? Another recent kitchen we created was specifically designed to be contemporary in look and feel, in contrast to the original building.

Don’t forget that well-selected appliances and stylish kitchen gadgetry can serve the dual purposes of updating your kitchen’s look, while still opening up a fascinating new range of hi-tech functionality – we’re talking about things like Quooker’s boiling water tap, or a cutting-edge downdraft extractor.

If you’re still forming ideas, it can help to collect images from magazines, and put together a personal scrap book or mood board to show your personal kitchen designer. As we mentioned above, even the smallest things can end up inspiring some of the most fascinating designs – a colourful chair was the basis for this quirky social space quite unlike any other!

And of course, if you ever need any help, our award-winning designers are always here to help put the finishing touches on your ideas, or even add a little creative flair of our own! At the time of writing, our showrooms are open by appointment only – so if you’d like to book an appointment, you can find your nearest showroom here. We’d love to see you!

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We’ve got decades of design expertise behind us, and so personally one of the first things we’d suggest is to first decide exactly what sort of Christmas aesthetic you want for your kitchen. Are you partial to a lavish Christmas, or something a little understated? Here are a few of our suggestions for both!

Get creative with greenery and floral elements

A lovely wreath is of course one of the most traditional and beautiful Christmas decorations, and best of all you can use them in all sorts of ways to express your personal festive style. You can keep it simple and modest with a plain green wreath with just a hessian ribbon, or you can dress it up with dashes of silver, gold and red to give it a more luxurious appearance.

The same goes for your floral centrepieces – you can add dashes of colour with vibrant seasonal blooms and berries, or keep things chic and understated with something like a miniature fraser fir. Whatever suits your style best!

And when you’re looking at festive greenery, don’t forget your windows. If you just can’t find the right ribbons or sashes in which to dress them up, a ribbon of greenery can serve as a wonderfully tactile, natural complement to the energising natural light flooding through them.

See the light

It’s a universal truth that lighting is always crucial to properly setting the mood, and it’s as true on Christmas as it is on Valentine’s Day and other major celebrations of the year. Understandably, the soft golden glow of festive lights and candles is always one of the most popular options, and it’s an especially great way to make your kitchen feel particularly inviting.

A quick word of advice regarding candles though – while scented candles can be a great way to further enhance that Christmas feeling in other rooms, in your kitchen they can often clash with the aromas of your cooking, so we’d suggest keeping your candles simple! Tea lights are a favourite for many of our customers – they’re attractive, unobtrusive, and cheap to pick up. On a similar note, you can opt for lanterns for a particularly distinctive Victorian vibe for your kitchen – perfect if you love the feeling of a traditional white Christmas!

Alternatively, if your kitchen has a muted colour scheme or minimalist style, strategically-placed fairy lights can give it an excellent dash of colourful sparkle for the festive season.

Think about the smaller touches

Don’t hesitate to think a bit outside the box when it comes to Christmas touches for your kitchen either – some of the most distinctive ones aren’t always the most obvious ones! In the short term, you can even use the results of your own baking or cooking to add a tasty decorative touch – Christmas cookies are a popular choice, for example. And although it’s looking like we’ll all have to be very selective about who we invite round this year, at least that means the family will certainly appreciate them!

Another good way to get an extra touch of Christmas in your kitchen is to think about things like crockery and appliances. Red, green, gold and silver are all traditionally thought of as the colours of the festive season, so you can temporarily switch out your toasters, kettles, plates and similar elements of your kitchen for alternatives in those shades. You’ll probably find they’re brilliant at really helping your kitchen to get into the Christmas spirit – even if they’re not explicitly Christmas themed themselves.

These are just a few of our suggestions, of course – you’ve probably got plenty more of your own! And if you still need a bit of guidance or inspiration, our award winning designers are only too happy to oblige.

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1. Vibrant splashbacks or accent walls

We’ve spoken plenty before about the incredible level of influence that colour has on a space – blue is naturally calming, for example, whereas using a bold red is a great way to energise an area. If you feel your space could be elevated further by a healthy dose of colour, a splashback is an easy and effective way to achieve it. You can opt for a single, solid colour to get the look you want, or get creative with patterned tiles and similar design pieces. If you want, you can go even bigger with an entire accent wall – but it’s a big job, so make sure you’re certain of the colour you want before you go ahead!

2. Beautiful artwork or happy memories

Another wonderful way to express your creative side is through some beautiful artwork, which can be carefully chosen to match the mood and aesthetic of your kitchen. A restrained contemporary style kitchen can be enhanced by a quietly beautiful monochome piece, for example, whereas a more vibrant space might demand something bursting with colour and energy.

On the other hand, you could take the same approach as some of our customers did in Rochdale, in their traditional kitchen with a sophisticated style. A happy family picture has pride of place above the hobs, emphasising the kitchen’s function as a family space. If the idea of placing it above the hobs appeals to you though, it’s worth making sure that the picture and frame are sufficiently protected against moisture, as steam can wreak havoc otherwise!

3. Open shelving for elegant displays

Open shelving is a particularly versatile addition to a kitchen, used as a practical home for crockery just as much as a proud display area. Floating shelves in particular can help emphasise the pared-back appearance of a minimalist contemporary kitchen. If you’re thinking about using open shelving, it’s worth thinking about your favourite items that you’ll want to display, and how often you’ll likely want to access them. Family heirlooms can be ideal for this sort of thing, whereas the salt and pepper shakers perhaps less so!

4. Spruce up your kitchen island

Perhaps one of the more unorthodox ideas, some customers have enjoyed fantastic results from painting their kitchen island in a different shade to the rest of the units. As it’s quite a self-contained area of the kitchen, you can often afford to choose a bolder shade than you’d normally be able to elsewhere in the kitchen. The result is a functional, beautiful space which makes a stunning impression on your visitors – the perfect space to entertain!

These are just a few ideas of course – you might well have plenty of your own! Whatever your vision for your dream kitchen, our talented designers have the skills, experience and the passion to help you achieve it. If you’re looking for inspiration, you can take a trip to your nearest designer kitchen showroom in Manchester, Blackburn or Barrowford, where one of our designers will be only too happy to sit down for a coffee and a chat!

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Key reasons for an early start

Creating a design you like can be done in minutes, but creating a space you want to live in takes far longer. There are the functional aspects to consider, as to what you want to do with your space and how you want it to work. You might have your own little niggles about your current kitchen, and while sometimes these are easily solved, other times it takes time to find a solution – even for our talented designers! Then, of course, there’s the fact that you may have your perfect design already mapped out in your head, but your partner or family may have other ideas. It’s key to get a space that suits everyone – after all, they’ll be using it too.

For these reasons alone, it’s important not to rush the planning process, so getting yourself organised as early as you can is always helpful. And if you’re lucky enough to be ready in time for the warmer spring or summer months, this time of year is always more pleasant and convenient for home renovation. Springtime brings extra rays of sunlight, and a more conducive daytime temperature. Also, if any window frames and double-glazing are being changed along with the kitchen renovation – perhaps to incorporate more natural light – then it’s always nice for the weather to be as bright and warm as it possibly can be during that process!

Plus, if you’re planning on going on holiday abroad for a few weeks, it makes life even easier for both you and your fitters. It’s worth keeping in mind, though, that you may need to schedule in extra time for any special orders for certain custom fittings or unusual requested materials.

Creating unique spaces tailored to suit you

If all that sounds a little daunting, rest assured we’re here to help. At Kitchen Design Centre, our focus is on designing a space that’s uniquely tailored to you, reflecting your lifestyle down to the very last detail. To do that, we work hard to get to know you, so that our final designs accurately reflect the style and functional aspects you desire for your space. As you might imagine, this takes a fair amount of time too, although it takes longer for some customers than others! Some wander into our showrooms and find the design they want almost immediately, whereas others want their space designing almost completely from scratch.

No matter your personal tastes or style, you can rest assured that here at Kitchen Design Centre, we can design a kitchen to suit you. This is true even for small spaces or kitchens with similarly challenging factors – in just the past few weeks, our wonderful designer Maxine won “Best Use of Small Space” in the Neff Master Partner awards! You can get some design inspiration from the beautiful copper kitchen she created, or alternatively browse more of our customer kitchens to see what we can do for you!

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What are the Neff Master Partner Excellence Awards?

This hugely prestigious event is held every year by Neff, one of the world’s leading manufacturers of innovative kitchen appliances. As the name suggests, these Awards are only open to Neff Master partners, and only a select number of kitchen showrooms in the UK are chosen for this honour. As a result, the Awards brings together some of the most outstanding examples of kitchen design from some of the country’s most talented designers. We’re honoured to be counted amongst them here at Kitchen Design Centre – and obviously, it means that we’re going up against some very stiff competition!

What does it mean to be a Neff Master Partner?

In short, it means that you can expect each of our designer kitchen showrooms to be home to a fantastic selection of powerful, efficient and innovative Neff appliances. What’s more, our expert designers are well-versed in the capabilities, functions and styles of each product, so you can trust them to know exactly which ones will be best suited for your space. Your vision for your dream kitchen matters to us, and we’re passionate about quality. Our status as a Neff Master Partner is just one more reflection of that.

What awards have we been nominated for?

Kitchen Design Centre is actually in the running for several awards this year – four of our kitchens have been shortlisted, and the Barrowford showroom is up in a category all of its own! Our nominations include:

Best Showroom

Barrowford

Best Kitchen Design Under £25,000

Maxine Hutchinson

Simon Thomas

Best Use of Small Space

Suzanne Carter

Maxine Hutchison

Wish us luck! And remember, as well as Barrowford, we’ve also got two other amazing designer kitchen showrooms in the North West, in Blackburn and Manchester. Whichever one you choose to stop by, our designers will be only too happy to discuss your plans for your own dream kitchen – and work out exactly how to bring them to life.

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Let there be light

You may already know that lighting is one of the most important elements when it comes to designing your kitchen, and it makes all the difference to your photographs, too. If you have any photography experience – or know someone who does – you may well have heard of what photographers call the “golden hour”. Essentially, it’s the time just after sunrise or before sunset when the daylight takes on a beautiful golden quality. If you time it right, you can use this principle to take some truly stunning pictures of your kitchen. We’d tend to choose early in the morning, especially at this time of year, but you can get some great results by waiting until about 3pm to 4pm in the afternoon, too.

Of course, the way your kitchen faces will also affect the amount and quality of light that gets through to it. If your kitchen windows face in a westerly direction, for example, you’ll probably find it’s better to wait until later in the afternoon, as your kitchen will get more light then. On the other hand, if your kitchen faces East, sunrise will probably look best. Another quick tip for you – it’s a good idea not to take pictures directly facing the window, as your camera might focus too much on the light and make the rest of the room look darker by comparison.

Come at it from a different angle

It can be surprising to see how much difference a new angle can make to the feel and look of the finished photograph, especially when it comes to designer kitchens. If your pictures aren’t quite capturing the feel you want, a new angle might be the answer! Taking your photo head-on from a standing position can sometimes make a space look a bit flat and lifeless. On the other hand, a new angle can add depth and a bit of imaginative visual flair. Low angles can be tricky when it comes to designer kitchens (as things like kitchen islands can often get in the way!) But taking your photo from a high angle – for example atop a chair – can be an excellent way to show off all the elements of your kitchen. If you feel like it, you can even carefully crop things out to leave a bit to the imagination, too! 

Don’t stop to reflect

You might not appreciate it usually, but many kitchens are full of shiny reflective surfaces, and these can play havoc when you’re trying to take the perfect picture for picture or Instagram. Thankfully, if you’re taking your picture at the golden hour, these should be relatively easy to spot. Sometimes you can shift your position to reflect them away, but if that’s not possible you can always get creative with another solution. A carefully placed tea-towel or temporarily repositioned toaster can head off that annoying glare, allowing you to get the light just how you want it. And of course, if you don’t spot them while you’re taking it, there’s nothing to stop you trying again tomorrow!

Make sure your kitchen embodies your own style

Of course, speaking of reflecting, there’s one golden rule it’s important never to forget; your kitchen should always be a reflection of you. You’ve spent so much time and hard work getting it looking and feeling exactly how you want, so ideally you’ll want a picture that does a good job of projecting that sense, too. It’s the smallest touches that can work the biggest wonders; an artfully placed fruit bowl, a framed picture or two, or some beautiful cutlery and crockery can really help to ‘place’ your viewers in your kitchen, bringing them closer to a sleek modern finish or letting them revel in its wonderfully cosy warmth. And since it’s Christmas, you can further express yourself with a few touches of festive glamour – as we’ve explored in a recent post!

And once you’ve taken your perfect picture, we’d love to see it! You can share it with us on Twitter or Instagram, or take a look at some of our own beautifully inspiring kitchens. If you’re already forming ideas on how to transform your kitchen in the New Year, why not head on over to your nearest designer kitchen showroom? We’ve got locations in Manchester, Blackburn and Barrowford, where one of our designers will be only too happy to sit down with you and talk through how to bring your ideas to life.

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Think up some inspiring centrepieces

Whether it’s for your dining table or an ever-popular kitchen island, there are all sorts of ways to glamorise your kitchen surfaces with a few well-considered decorations. One of the easiest ways to do this is by swapping out the fruit bowl for a stunning centrepiece. A time-honoured traditional option is a classic scented candle, surrounded by a beautiful Christmas wreath. On the other hand, if you feel like a more contemporary approach, you can select a few baubles and candy canes to match your existing colour scheme, and place them in a large glass vase to place in the centre of your kitchen island. You can also experiment in the same way with Christmas lights – we’ll leave that one to your imagination! 

Get some festive spirit for your worktops!

Miniature Christmas trees are a particularly popular way to decorate your worktop space. It’s no secret why – they’re pretty and practical in equal measure, and sticking with something small means you can capture some of that Christmas spirit without having it get too much in the way when you’re cooking. But if you’re going for glamour, you might want something a bit more subtle. An attractive snow-globe on your worktops can make a wonderfully understated touch, as can a few artfully placed nutcracker soldiers. 

Alternatively, you might want to skip the decorations altogether, and focus simply on expressing your festive charm through bringing fresh colour to your space. Red and green are obviously both traditional Christmas favourites, but for that real Christmas glamour you’ll probably want to look more at the silvers and golds. There’s no shortage of ways to experiment – you can switch out your existing utensils for alternatives in a more festive shade, such as a kettle or toaster in a smart metallic red. You could also choose some beautiful cutlery in flawless silver or gold finishes, wowing your guests at Christmas dinner!

Looking around the room

Beyond your table surfaces and worktops, you’ve also got plenty of options for other decorations. We often find that garlands are a classic festive decoration fitting for the mantlepiece, the table runner and the top of kitchen cupboards or windows. A garland with Christmas lights will create a magical atmosphere on cosy winter nights around the kitchen table, and you can decorate it with colourful accessories such as frosted winter berries or miniature baubles to make it stand out even more!

Meanwhile, strings of beads or ribbon can be attached to hanging light fittings and chandeliers, or from the ceiling hang giant glass baubles for Christmas decoration with a contemporary twist. We’re also huge fans of a luxury wreath, which will look good anywhere in your kitchen. To really make an impact with your decor though, a large wreath placed high on a feature wall creates a particularly distinctive impression. A wreath with gold ribbon will be the perfect complement if you’re going for a more neutral colour scheme, while if you’ve got a white kitchen, we’d recommend a wreath with red elements like ribbons, berries or beads, which will stand out wonderfully against its pristine surroundings. 

Who knows, all these experiments with Christmas colour and style can also give you some great ideas for a complete redesign! If you’re thinking of updating your kitchen in 2019, why not pay a visit to one of our North West showrooms for some helpful advice and design inspiration? Drop into any of our stunning showrooms in Manchester, Blackburn and Barrowford to have a sit down with one of our friendly designers, who will be only too happy to discuss the ideas you’ve got in mind for your dream kitchen. 

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Luxurious finishes and dark, opulent colours

If you’ve ever taken the opportunity to visit us in one of our designer kitchen showrooms across the North West, you’ll probably have heard of Häcker. The company is one of the most prestigious manufacturers of kitchen furniture in the world, and a key supplier of ours at Kitchen Design Centre. Häcker’s two ranges include ‘Classic’ and ‘systemat’, and our designers have overseen their installation in some truly stunning customer kitchens.

Since our designers make this pilgrimage every year, we’ve naturally come to expect big things, and we’re pleased to say we weren’t disappointed! In the tranquil little town of Rödinghausen, home of Häcker kitchens, there were some fantastic new displays for our designers to explore. Some of the most recent emerging trends were defined by high-quality materials such as glass and ceramic, which were used to create opulent and brilliantly moody designs. We have to say, we were most taken with the use of glass in particular. The material conveys a beautifully luxurious sense on almost everything it touches.

In fact, black was another common trend amongst the designs we saw. Whether it was being used to create a classy, contemporary effect, or being used to create striking dramatic contrasts, we found ourselves falling in love with black all over again. We particularly loved the most creative uses of it – there were lots of overlays in texture for us to explore, which gave many of the displays a wonderfully tactile feel.

The newest innovation: TOUCH-free anti-fingerprint surfaces

Many of the new designs also showcased the cutting-edge TOUCHfree surface sealing. Essentially, it’s a highly-effective anti-fingerprint coating which ensures that their stunning textured designs always stay pristine – even with all the daily usage it would endure from the busiest of family kitchens. Personally, we think it’s likely to be very popular with our customers here at Kitchen Design Centre. As any parent or pet owner knows, one of the biggest challenges with contemporary kitchens can often be to keep them clean!

There’s lots more from Germany, of course, but if we went into exhaustive detail you’d be here forever! As always, we got plenty of inspiration from our Häcker visit, so if you want to find out how we’re putting it into practice, why not pay a visit to one of our designer kitchen showrooms? We’ve got locations in Blackburn, Manchester and Barrowford, so wherever you live in the North West you’ve never got far to go before you can sit down and have a chat with one of our friendly, talented designers, every one of whom is deeply passionate about helping you to make your dream kitchen a reality!

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