ROOM DECOR
TREND TALK
PINTEREST’S HEAD OF HOME MATT SIBERRY GIVES US THE LOWDOWN ON THE KITCHEN TRENDS GROWING IN POPULARITY FOR 2023
Growing up, one of my most vivid memories of kitchens is of not having one! After moving into a kitchenless house, my mother, who worked full time while taking care of my two brothers and I, didn’t have the resources or time to quickly whip up a new kitchen. So two pieces of equipment became the staple of the room – aSunbeam electric frying pan and a three-tier electric steamer.
In those moments, it wasn’t the intricacies of the kitchen’s aesthetic design which made it enjoyable, but the experience of cooking together. What I’ve come to realise is that kitchens are so many things beyond simply a place where food is made – they take on a bigger meaning depending on the person who inhabits them. They’re a place for creativity, self-expression and a space to connect with family or friends. And in my life so far, kitchens have been all of the above and more, but mainly a destination for community and shared experiences. So while the kitchen has been traditionally associated with family, I’m enjoying seeing people’s desire for the kitchens of 2023 to be a social space to welcome friends and people of all ages. Explicitly expressed through design and décor choices, and even the food cooked within it.
COUNTERTOP COMEBACK
Open-plan rooms are the result of a push to create a blended social space, but that’s also led to people sacrificing countertop for floor space. Countertops are not only a good spot for our ever-growing reliance on kitchen gadgets, with ‘air fryer’ searches on Pinterest close to tripling in the last six months*, but also a key element to making it easier for people to perch and socialise. Across the platform we’re seeing kitchen islands trending alongside transoms or ‘kitchen windows’ as people look to break up the space between the kitchen and the living room without losing the ability to chat while cooking. Islands can be updated by building them in geometrical shapes, incorporating sinks and hidden plug points for swapping about those extra appliances, and having design-led pendant lights hanging over them.
CHEAT SHEET…
No space for an island? Try a small workbench or butcher’s block. A kitchen trolley on wheels is a versatile option, as it can be wheeled away when not in use.
Introduce colour in creative ways. Bright and cheerful wall art is one, or a vivid rug adds a large splash of colour (check out Ruggable for rugs you can chuck in the wash – perfect for kitchens)
The finishing details make all the d
