Formica Group releases the next phase of its UK consumer report regarding kitchen design preferences.

• Women are more likely to entertain guests (24%) vs men (14%) or consider the kitchen a place to spend time with family (27% vs 16%) as well as work (13% vs 6%)
• Addressing wear and tear is the most common reason for a kitchen update (54%)
• Overall kitchen studios topped social media as the most popular place to seek design inspiration (36%)

Fondly referred to as the heart of the home, kitchens in today’s society have come a long way from being a space purely dedicated to cooking. These multipurpose spaces reveal the personality of the household through design. The study revealed interesting findings regarding regional differences in design preferences across the UK.

Design Preferences

When it comes to design, regionally the data study shows different areas of the UK have varying design preferences. Contemporary kitchen designs proved to be popular with Londoners (43%), slightly above the UK average (35%). Whereas shaker kitchens are preferred in more rural parts of the UK including East Anglia (28%) and the North East (24%) vs London (13%). Space limitations in London kitchens may be the reasoning behind these results. Despite these differences, Brits appear united in their preferences for neutral colour palettes, only 1.5% selected colour as a design preference.

Kitchen Renovations

The research shows that most Brits will wait over 8 years to update their kitchen (35%). Perhaps unsurprising considering that on average kitchen refurbishments cost £10,000, according to a recent study by Houzz.

Regionally, London homeowners are partial to more regular kitchen renovations. 12% redesign their kitchen every 2-3 years and one in five (22%) opt for a refresh every four years, highlighting that Londoners are more likely to buy into new kitchen trends.

Over half of Brits (54%) embark on a renovation due to wear and tear (54%), and when it comes to getting the work done, 80% of us admit we would seek professional input to assist with the project.

Overall the most popular place to seek inspiration are kitchen studios (36%), here the customer can experience the look and feel fully in situ. Magazines (24%) are also a popular source of inspiration and social media proved to be the go-to place for 15% of us, particularly 18-25-year-olds (55%).

Gender Differences 

This data study also identifies key differences between men and women’s priorities when it comes to the design and practicality of their kitchen.

Women are particularly concerned with the practical aspects, with 80% of women dissatisfied by the functionality of their kitchen compared to 70% of men. Furthermore, 22% of women were concerned with keeping their kitchen spaces clean and tidy compared to only 17% of men. Perhaps this can be explained by women choosing to use the kitchen as a more versatile space and not just for cooking and eating.

Nina Bailey, UK Design Manager at Formica Group commented; “Kitchen trends are becoming increasingly more individual as we seek unique designs to make our homes more personal. The dominant trend now is a strong rejection of ornamentation in favour of simplistic sophisticated monochrome palettes. Consumers are choosing plain and practical kitchen designs that are easy to maintain and durable enough to stand the test of time.”

Nina continues “These discoveries are particularly useful to kitchen sales teams who can use the results to help design their showrooms to suit their customers. Consumers are drawn to simple aesthetics and a design that will blend form with function. Innovative storage solutions are being utilised to create a minimalist impression while maximising storage capabilities where space is tight. There is also a growing nod to nature and the idea of bringing the outside in with an increased interest in textured realistic wood grain laminates and stone-like finishes without the colossal price tag.”

Nina concludes: “Formica have created their own approach to new minimalism with Aria, an innovative surface available in white, grey and black, which creates a genuine alternative to natural and engineered stone.”

Read the full kitchen report here.

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