Eurocucina, Europe’s largest kitchen and furniture show is the epicentre of design, attracting thousands of companies, journalists, architects, designers, retail buyers and visitors who meet up to see the latest developments and innovations. Thomas Johansson, Electrolux Design Director, Major Appliances Europe, shares the most striking trends from the fair.

Eco-sense
Sustainability and green issues were a hot topic with a number of manufacturers taking a greener approach by addressing issues like sustainable materials, energy saving, carbon footprint and manufacturing practices.

Reveal and Conceal
A number of kitchens were based on concealment, with generous worktops alongside spacious tall units. Sliding fronts revealed kitchen appliances, shelving and well-planned storage options.

These kitchens had a sleek and subtle design allowing homeowners to reduce, or even eliminate, hanging wall units and handles, transforming the kitchen in to a refined extension of the living room. There was also a shift from a completely minimalistic design to softer aesthetics.

Living Spaces

Authenticity
The revival of authentic wood is still evident, and is cleverly combined with stainless steel, glass quartz, marble, Corian and laminate. The wood provides a premium feeling, being veined and either dark or very light. There were also a lot of rough structured surfaces providing authentic beauty.

Glass
Glass was also widely used on countertops, door fronts, drawers and shelves with etched, satin and silver mirror finishes and colored tints.

Colour
An abundance of whites, off-whites, brown/greys and dark brown tones were seen. There were also some vivid primary hues – the continued use of red and emerging mid-tones such as turquoise, acidic yellow, fuchsia and violet.

Light
White and colored LED lighting was used extensively: semi-visable on tabletops; under shelves; or hidden inside door fronts and drawers.

The Kitchen as the Heart of the Home
Today’s kitchen is a place for socializing, interacting, entertaining and cooking and plays a truly important role in modern homes. Many kitchen layouts shown at Eurocucina were based on a central working island combined with tall wall units and had a layout that allow the kitchen to be used in different ways.