Your Decorating Hotline

You’ve probably heard the adage “the kitchen is the heart of the home.” Today we welcome a guest post from Second Nature, an English company that’s all about kitchens. They offer a little food for thought today about kitchens of the future.

Technology will be Hot in Kitchens

Photo sncollection.co.uk

Decorating trends for kitchens are subject to the same cycles as interior styling elsewhere in the home and while some people prefer a more modern or minimal look, there are equally those who like to take inspiration from days gone by when it comes to their fixtures and fittings.

Other than decorating trends, one thing that has the power to significantly change kitchen design is technology. The introduction of the fridge and freezer into homes signalled modification to kitchen layouts, which no longer needed the pantry areas that had previously been vital to keep goods fresh. Technology changed the style of modern kitchens; designs like these modern fitted kitchens would have not even existed. With this in mind, it could be that the kitchens of the future look distinctly different than those of today.

It’s hard to forecast where technology may impact on the social hub of the home, but looking to science fiction can help. It’s possible that maid robots as seen in the Hanna-Barbera cartoon The Jetsons may one day be a reality, though we are far more likely to see improvements to existing technology used to enhance ease of use of kitchen appliances. For example, instead of remote controls being used to operate our home entertainment systems we may find that we are using remote controls to switch on our kettle, toaster or grill ready for those TV ad breaks. Those hard to open fridge or freezer drawers could also be opened with the push of a button, or by touching sensors.

And if you enjoy the benefits of your home entertainment system in the living room, why not transfer them to the kitchen sphere? Nowadays you can have flat screen televisions fitted in your shower, so in years to come you may well decide to have a flat screen fitted into your oven splashback, or even on to the door of your fridge. Your ability to control the appliances in the kitchen at the touch of a button may not even require you to be in the home at all. With an app on your smartphone, you might be able to turn on the oven at home in order to cook to perfection the lasagne lying in wait for your return. The slow cooker will be a tired old ancestor in comparison.

In addition to efficiency measures such as remote operating being provided for appliances, chances are you could reap the rewards of white goods that are good for more than chilling or cooking. Popular appliance brand Samsung already sell a refrigerator that incorporates a computer screen allowing you to record your shopping list – the next step would be a fridge or freezer that notes itself when you remove goods from it, carrying out a helpful stock check along the way.

Cool Ideas?

How would you like to see technology incorporated into your kitchen in the future? Remotes? Flat screens? Computers? Share your input by clicking on the Comment link at the end of this post. As always, we’d love to hear from you!