How isolation has led to a new-found appreciation of kitchens

Australians are a few weeks into spending a lot of time at home and many have quickly discovered the room that’s getting the biggest workout is the kitchen.

We’re cooking almost every meal in it, except for when we treat ourselves to no-contact takeout, light a few candles, and pretend for a moment we’re eating dinner in a bougie restaurant for a night. And don’t even get us started on the endless trips to the fridge to forage for snacks during the work day.

The kitchen offers us comfort and nutrients in a way no other room in the house does.

Interior designer Suzanne Gorman of Studio Gorman thinks we’re going to come out the other side of home isolation with a greater appreciation for our kitchens.

“I think people will find greater comfort in their home and see them as an expression of themselves,” she says. “I think there’ll be a greater lean towards simplicity and purity in kitchen design.”

For Gorman, the era of the white kitchen is making a bold return. “For a while there was a lot of colour but I think people are feeling it’s OK to use white again and the way I’m seeing it used is with a lot of texture.”

If you’re considering a white culinary wonderland of your own, Gorman suggests layering up and using different textures and applications in a connective tone.

“From a distance it might look white but on closer inspection you’ll notice the finer details,” she says.

“We’ve used oak and timber for bench tops but stained them white so the grain of the wood is visible and we’ll use interesting curves, ribbing and panelling in the cabinetry to add interest.”

Similarly interior designer Sarah-Jane Pyke of Arent & Pyke is seeing timber used in greater proportions overall in kitchen design. “Timber’s still being used but we’re also seeing a mix of materials on benchtops, especially natural stone because it’s so classic.”

As for splashbacks, they’re not just an annoying surface we’re forced to wipe down every time we’re slow cooking bolognese, they can add character to the kitchen.

“We always think of them as a vertical surface,” says Pyke. “A splashback is a real visual anchor of the kitchen and something you notice the most, so it’s worth giving them some special consideration.”

While Pyke says there’s really only three choices when it comes to splashbacks – tiles, stone and stainless – she’s a fan of using natural stone or granite paired with a stainless steel benchtop for contrast.

The vertical surface will always be more prominent than the horizontal surface (benchtop), so if you can, make it worth its visual weight in the kitchen.

Gorman has also observed a rise in door hardware and joinery pulls in bronze, brass and even rope and wicker fittings.

“I’m into keeping overall lines in the kitchen simple but adding some beautiful details to drawers and doors is exciting,” she says.

Lighting serves the kitchen in two major ways: functionality and atmosphere. In the cooking and preparation areas, you really want to introduce directional lighting like downward lights because no one wants to cut vegetables in the dark.

“In an open space you’re balancing where your key lighting element is and while we’ve all picked up the pendant above the island look, we’d rather see hero pendant hang over the dining table and more functional lighting over the bench top,” says Pyke.

It’s true but we all know the best light in the kitchen is the one that comes from the fridge every time we open it up in search of our next quarantine snack.