Speaking to friends and colleagues in the last few weeks it seems that there is a huge amount forward planning going on regarding new kitchens and bathrooms. So, we’re back with a few brand-new ideas for those forthcoming projects…

As mentioned, we’ve seen quite a few new designs in the last few weeks, and this one features the brand new exclusive Art Deco door front with plain Navy Eolis doors and brass trim, from the comprehensive range at Schmidt. The Eolis handleless cabinets have a soft-touch ultra-matt lacquered surface, come in five colours and can be teamed with the Print door, as shown above with the gold digitally printed front. Shown with Scala laminate work surface in pale grey – available in 34 colours and 20mm, 400mm and 78mm thickness. The full-height wall units have a push and lift mechanism for easy, unobtrusive access. For a closer look at this design, click here.

The new Formalia collection of furniture for the kitchen, living areas and bathrooms is designed to add fluency and coherence to a home. ‘If you treat each room as a new canvas for completely new idea it can create a disjointed look’ says Fabiana Scavolini, CEO of Scavolini. ‘Making sure a house works as a whole, where one space flows effortlessly into the next is always more visually appealing’.  Above, Formalia in a home working setting, using the Status Wall system in Rust with open shelves that are configured to match individual owner’s needs, and which can also become a room divider, allowing for a flow of light and space without the necessity for a solid walls. Desk is Botticino-coloured Unicolor laminate.

The doors and drawers of Formalia by Scavolini, designed in partnership with Vittore Niolu, are shaped, with the top handles, positioned on the top edge, available in black and titanium. Here, the cabinets are raised off the floor, creating a sense of space. Cabinets are in Rust and Light Grey matt lacquer.

Formalia by Scavolini translates beautifully into the living room, providing storage solutions for tech and the TV, as well as blending into open fronted storage Status Wall system shelving modules. Base units in Teal Green with Teal Green matt glass top. Status Wall System with Black frame and Iron Grey matt lacquer wall panels and shelves.

The collection also segues into the bathroom, providing basin cabinetry and storage options that look perfectly at home in an en-suite bedroom-bathroom combination or an individual bathroom. Find more ideas here at Scavolini Bathrooms

The latest bathtubs from Kaldewei feature duo-colour permutations, adding a new design dimension to the bathroom. The Classic Duo Oval tubs. The panels themselves are available in alpine white matt or gloss, or black matt or gloss. The steel enamelled tubs are available in freestanding, corner, or wall formats.

Metallic finishes have been introduced to the eclectic collections at Ledbury Studio, with an entire Metallics Collection embracing the theme. Founder and Designer Charlie Smallbone says ‘Metals bring a unique quality to a kitchen, particularly when you work with real metals rather than metallic finishes sprayed onto wood that lack the integrity and natural beauty of the real thing’. The cabinets above feature pewter fronts, using hand-textured sheet metal that has been given an aged patina using acid. The surface is then sealed to ensure it stands up to everyday use.

One of the latest engineered stone designs from Konigstone is the new Konigstone Saint Moritz, just one of a collection of 27 colour options, made of 90% quartz and with impressive scratch, heat and stain resistance.  Take a look at the other 26 options, there’s something to suit virtually any kitchen or bathroom installation, Black Nova and Concrete Fossil are particularly impressive.

Dark cabinetry and lighter colours for work surfaces and splashbacks are still completely on-trend, and we love the latest cabinet colours from Caple , which features the new Oaten in Indigo as shown above. The other new shades are Cashmere, Dust Grey, Graphite, Light Grey and Porcelain. There’s a fresh new influence with the slimline 68mm frame, and a choice of H299 handles with a brushed satin finish. Caple’s Furniture Manager, Doug Haswell, says ‘We have hand-picked door colours we predict will be highly popular for the hub of the home this year with modern neutral and dark options, such as graphite and indigo, for versatility’.

We’re always extremely interested to hear about the latest colours, designs and innovations from Silestone by Cosentino, and the latest Sunlit Days colour collection has not disappointed! Shown above is the delicious Arcilla Red, described as ‘A deep and earthy red that creates cozy and warm spaces’. Read the story behind the story here.  It’s the first carbon neutral series from Silestone, featuring the sustainable HYBRIQ+ technology.

And to whet your appetite for colourful surfaces even more, here’s another option from Sunlit Days, this time it’s Cala Blue, described as ‘A deep, modern blue that simulates the balance between the depth and the surface of the sea when interacting with light’.

Ahh, don’t we all love a gadget! It doesn’t have to be all-controlling with random trailing wires or adding complexity that’s not particularly needed, it just has to the job it’s meant to. So, here’s some news of the Kit Qi Wall Charger, designed with UK kitchens in mind. It’s a wireless wall-mounted charging point enabling one or two phones at a time to rest on the shelf whilst being charged. All wires are hidden behind the ‘shelf’ which has a white satin finish. Suited to all phones which have Qi charging (the international standard used by all major mobile phone manufacturers). Definitely a step in the right direction if you’re trying to streamline the kitchen! Find it here  on Kit’s Amazon Store.

We’ve been trying to cut down on the number of times we switch the washing machine on, ideally to save water and energy, so only running the machine on full loads. What’s made the process a little more exciting is getting the opportunity to try out some of the delightful Eco Laundry Detergents and Conditioners from Kinn vegan home products. The plant-based vegan formulations are fragranced with neroli essential and perform well, leaving a delicate lingering scent which was simply wonderful when we dried all the bed sheets in the sunshine. Top marks, do try it! Oh, and there are home cleaning products too…