Almost without realizing it, the year is coming to an end. As always when a cycle ends, it is time to pause and reflect. We do this not only to analyze what we have experienced, but also to look into the future and try to anticipate what lies ahead.
At OB Cocinas, we didn't want to be left out, and that's why we've prepared a list of "omens" for the coming year (related to decorating the kitchen, of course). So here are some details we think will be trending in 2024 without further ado.
Sustainability
This is a bit of an obvious one. More and more people, including those involved in interior design, have become aware of the importance of sustainability in recent years.
This means choosing quality furniture and materials that last over time (thus reducing their environmental impact), designed, and manufactured by companies committed to preserving their natural and social environment.
It has also influenced the incorporation of efficient appliances that use minimal natural resources and incorporate water-filtering systems.
“Discreet" household appliances
Moving on to home appliances, our second forecast takes a more aesthetic approach.
By 2024, we will say goodbye to bulky and cumbersome devices forever. Minimalist lines dominate the design of these devices. In many projects, they are already integrated "hidden". For example, cooker hoods are no longer decorative but are integrated into furniture or the cooktop; refrigerators are paneled; ovens and microwaves are built into columns; and induction cooktops continue to gain ground over gas stoves.
Indirect Lighting
When lighting goes unnoticed, it is because it is well planned. Write that down and don't forget it when you're designing your next kitchen.
As with appliances, we are beginning to say goodbye to the large central lights that dominate our kitchens. Instead, we welcome more subtle and functional lighting. Lighting that creates a cozy atmosphere without sacrificing utility.
As a result, more and more people are choosing to install wall sconces instead of ceiling fixtures, as well as those who opt for lighting systems integrated into furniture. If you would like to know more about this topic, be sure to read our article on “The Art of Kitchen Lighting".
Intense Colors
By now you may be wondering if there is one element that should not go unnoticed in the kitchens of 2024... And the answer is quite simple and goes right to the heart of the matter: the kitchen furniture.
While white kitchens will never disappear, new trends point to more impactful and dramatic shades. If 2023 was the year of the unstoppable infiltration of intense blues and greens into our kitchens, 2024 is the year of warm, bold colors. We have already made a tentative advance with the incorporation of terracotta in our kitchens, and now we are beginning to glimpse colors with even more personality, such as burgundy and brown.
Matte blacks, especially when combined with the warmth and neutrality of wood, will continue to be a hit.
A Natural Style
This new furniture trend is about creating environments with greater depth and charm, where the outside world is a source of comfort. It is not surprising, therefore, that they are in combination with natural materials.
Wood is just an example. Here to stay for a good season are materials with a stone or marble effect, used in worktops, on countertops and even completely covering kitchen islands. There is an incomparable harmony in the naturalness and movement of its veins and patterns.
Designs for a Livelier Kitchen
More than just a way of being in the world, our latest bet for 2024 is already reality. The kitchen is no longer just a workspace.
On the one hand, we are increasingly coming to see the act of preparing food as something pleasurable, onto which we can pour all our creativity. On the other hand, our understanding of the kitchen is as a collective space, not an individual space.
We want to make the kitchen a hybrid place where everyday life can flow freely: preparing food or basic tasks, listening to music, eating, having a drink with friends, sharing how our day went... All this now fits into the kitchen.
This is why it is opening more and more to the rest of the house in the search for an open and unique space. We believe that in 2024 life in the kitchen will grow and grow.