To be quite honest, I’m glad that the super-hot weather is over, it means we can look forward to autumn colours, cosy living rooms and of course, some Halloween and bonfire night parties and celebrations. It’s also nice to be looking at darker colour schemes, instead of screaming pinks, neon yellows and lime greens!

Open Drawer island elements from Rational

I loved the new kitchen from Rational, the new Edition 55 Luna has been launched to celebrate 55 (yes, 55!) year of Rational design. Doors are in new Acrylux, which is an acrylic veneer with metallic finish. New design features include illuminated light panels for splashbacks, open metal box storage units to install behind a sink, an 1800mm drawer pull-out and open drawer options to make a stunning island feature. Fittings are by Blum …

Luna 1800mm wide pull out storage drawer from Rational

A super design feature – 1800mm wide drawer options to streamline a run of three built-in ovens. Make it easy to keep all utensils and cutlery to hand.

Behind sink storage units from Rational

Another clever idea for storage – and particularly useful for island designs …. These behind-sink recessed storage units can keep condiments, utensils etc in order and un-knock-down-able! Rational kitchens are from around £12,000 and these new designs are going to be available from January 2019. So you can start planning your new kitchen now! For more inspirational planning and kitchen design ideas, take a look at our case studies section here.

One of the on-going big trends for kitchens is the ‘feature wall’ concept, it’s been around for a few years now, and actually makes it fairly easy to change or update a kitchen colour scheme. If taking the step of buying bright green or sapphire blue cabinetry seems like just too much of a statement, try painting a single wall instead (or, the inside of a pantry or choosing colourful shelves). There are lots of ways of introducing colour to a low-key cabinet scheme. Grey, of course, has been over-popular in recent years, so it’s interesting to spot the new warmer browns, golds and tans coming back. Dulux announced Spiced Honey as their colour of the year for 2019, and we’ve taken a shine to some of the bolder neutrals from Benjamin Moore paints. Shown above, French Press for the walls, and Ice Mist for the cabinets.

Fine-tune your accent colours with these suggestions, also from the Benjamin Moore range. From left, Saddle Soap, Smoked Oyster and Elk Horn. All are shades that have enough depth of colour to be a good contrast with either light (ivory, cream etc) or dark (black, dark wood) cabinetry and work surfaces.

Whether your kitchen space is open plan or broken plan (broken plan is the latest term for kitchen-living spaces with a very clear delineation, usually in the form of a grand-scale island unit separating the kitchen from the social/dining space), it may need a heating boost, especially if you’re trying to keep radiators to a minimum. Underfloor heating is a great solution, but if you want something that can be a focal point as well, consider a stove or log burner. Fuel of course depends on what’s available, and whether you’re in a smoke control area. We like the Farringdon, shown here in Chestnut, from Arada Stoves. It’s highly efficient, with log and solid fuel options, a rear heat shield for more positioning options, and an airwash system to keep the glass clean.

Rear or top flue, as shown

For a highly contemporary look, try the new 4340 wood burner from MORSØ

. This model has a 4.7kW output, has a rear flue, and a highly crisp, clean and angular look. Find out more here.

All this discussion of colours, accent colours, brights and neutrals has drawn my attention to the Eames fibreglass side chairs, and the delightful colours available. So your dining room can be classic, colourful, modern and spot-on, design-wise, all at the same time. Designed by Charles & Ray Eames in 1950, the shell seat can now be re-created using the original fibreglass material, and it’s available from Vitra. More details here.

Hmmm, this week it looks like I’ve been focussing on very ‘spendy’ items, from new kitchens to log burners and designer chairs!! So, for a little bit of light relief and pocket money prices, take a look at these delicious new Game Birds kitchen textiles from Emma Bridgewater! From £9.95, from chefscollection.co.uk.

And finally, some Halloween bits and bob to decorate your Halloween table (or windowsill!). If you’re thinking of painting pumpkins, get those tester pots out and go creative with metallics and glitter … but make sure the pumpkin stands on a table mat or platter. I got caught out last year and the pumpkin looked perfectly OK from the top, all nicely painted. However it went rotten very quickly underneath and left a horrible smear on the surface! From left; Colourful and intricate iced Day of the Dead biscuits, from The Biscuiteers. Table decorations, from George Home at Asda. Wonderful party plates and gold party cutlery, Talking Tables.