Japandi in the spotlight. Lighter and increasingly durable kitchens

The kitchen is also subject to trends, especially now that it has become the most important room in the home. This is where literally everything happens, from eating and drinking to working, chatting and playing games with the kids. So it goes without saying that the kitchen should embody exactly the atmosphere we want.

Once a year, the kitchen industry heads for a friendly little town in the German state of North Rhine-Westphalia. Within a radius of a few dozen kilometers of Löhne, there are a whole host of German kitchen manufacturers, who organize their annual open days there at the same time. With many fringe activities and thus additional exhibitors, Löhne is the place to spot trends and innovations at the end of September. What stood out during the previous edition? Lighter and increasingly durable kitchens are on the rise. The Japandi style, which focuses on the use of natural materials and a calm, subdued color scheme, is well on its way to becoming a classic.

Peace a simplicity

A timeless design by combining earthy colors (beige, soft gray, moss green) with high-quality materials (light wood and ceramic). That successful combination may well be the key factor why Japandi is not a hype that disappears again within a few years but really is a keeper. The tranquility and simplicity of the design is in stark contrast to the jiggery-pokery outside, which is exactly why it is so hard to please. Also frequently spotted, the open shelves that turn the kitchen into an exhibition space, so to speak. Ideal for displaying, for example, beautiful handmade tableware or other handsome yet functional items.

Sustainable kitchen design

The topic of discussion par excellence was and is sustainability. The awareness that we can all make a positive contribution is growing noticeably. And manufacturers of all kinds are responding beautifully to this trend. These range from refrigerators with specific zones to keep vegetables fresh for longer, for example, to a large number of kitchen appliances that are (partly) produced from recycled materials. And these materials are in turn reusable. The entire production chain is looked at in the process. How do we make the dream kitchen we all want with the least possible use of electricity, gas, water and other natural materials? And how do we minimize the use of harmful products? Not hype, but bitter seriousness!

Light kitchens, light appliances

In terms of colors, we slowly want something different. A white or black kitchen has been around for years. Other colors are available, but as the (crazy) exception rather than the rule. Cautiously, we see some news on the horizon. At a number of manufacturers, different shades of green as an additional standard color are turning up their noses. But device manufacturers are also already stepping away from traditional colors. We discovered shades of gray and beige as additional color variations, colors that do not look out of place in the light and neutral colors in the kitchen. And we saw these colors in built-in lines but also in induction hobs. Or how kitchen appliances also sailed along on the color trends.