A new survey by German kitchen retailer, Kutchenhaus, has uncovered early 2023 kitchen trends after reviewing recent customer demands with its professionals.  

Kutchenhaus asked its franchise partners, who own and manage kitchen showrooms across the UK, to share their learnings on customer behaviour so far this year. Posting questions to showroom owners who design and deliver bespoke solutions, the research aimed to explore the most popular kitchen styles, colour, layout and most sought-after appliances.  

Kitchen blues

When asked about the colours new customers were seeking for their kitchens this year, the survey found that blue, followed closely by green were the colours of choice. 83% of showroom respondents cited either one or both of the colours when asked: ‘have you noticed any specific colour grow in popularity?’

Black was the next most popular with 26% mentioning this either on its own or alongside other tones such as blue, green or gold. Interestingly only 17% referenced the colour grey, which has been a kitchen staple for some time.

Islands still in the sun

An overwhelming 70% of surveyed showrooms said that in the kitchen solutions they produce, more than 50% feature an island. Open plan remains very popular too, with 74% of those asked working on open plan designs for customers.  

“Everyone wants an island”, said Barry Reed, owner of Kutchenhaus Huddersfield. “There is a clear demand for this to be the centrepiece of the room and they’re one of the first things customers discuss when planning their space. Their versatility makes them so appealing and, when featured in an open-plan kitchen, they’re perfect for cooking big meals but also hosting friends and family.”        

Handleless style kitchens were also cited by 43% of respondents when asked: ‘what has been the most popular style of kitchen your customers have chosen recently?’    

2023’s must-have appliances

Exploring ‘must-have’ appliances, the Quooker boiling water tap led the way with 57% of showroom respondents noting its popularity, closely followed by an increasing trend for integrated downdraft hobs from the likes of AEG and BORA. Ideal for island designs as they allow lighting features and are much quieter than regular extractors, integrated downdraft hobs are only expected to rise further in popularity.  

Nadine Kimani, marketing manager for Kutchenhaus commented: “It’s always interesting for us to gauge what appliances our customers are looking for as trends emerge, and boiling water taps are certainly very desired based on the responses received.”

Nadine continued: “Although perhaps a little too early to come out in the survey, one to watch for the future we believe also is the Kaelo open bottle host, which will keep your drink chilled to within a degree of the original temperature. From speaking to showrooms, we know that there is great potential in this appliance and predict this is something customers will look to include in kitchens of the near future.”  

Kutchenhaus is a Trustpilot ‘Excellent’-rated business with showrooms across the UK. The recent survey’s results are based on responses from 23 franchise partners who took part. To locate your nearest showroom and book a consultation, visit: https://uk.kutchenhaus.com/store-finder