The construction industry makes up 8% of the Australian economy, according to the Reserve Bank of Australia, totalling $33 Billion Australian dollars in the fourth quarter of 2019. A huge contributor to these steadily increasing numbers is the classic Australian kitchen reno. Over 44% of kitchen upgrades in 2016 came about with people no longer being able to stand their old kitchen designs. Okay so people are definitely upgrading their kitchens – that’s great – but do these people have any taste or are 2 million Australians wasting their money every year? Let’s find out.
Kitchen Renovation 5th Place – Farmhouse
The Farmhouse look catches our 5th place spot with 11% Australians preferring this look for their kitchen renovation in 2019. The Farmhouse style kitchen distinguishes itself through large eating areas, often taking advantage of solid timber or wood grain veneers for benchtops that create a homey and warm environment for large families and gatherings. The Spruce’s blog post on Gorgeous Modern Farmhouse Kitchens highlights the combinations of black and white vintage cabinetry with the warm accents of natural wood colours and textures.
At Interiors SA, our approach to this style would be to incorporate natural wood veneer and a Glacier White Corian solid surface to an island bench. A combination like this would be a cheap option for creating a homey kitchen with long-lasting, quality materials. A Dark Walnut or Moka Oak veneer option coupled with 2 Pack painted cabinets would create a rich base to help accents pop in a large kitchen and dining space.
With simple design features and a focus on a family centric dining area, its easy to see why the inexpensive, warm, and timeless Farmhouse kitchen style has taken our number 5 spot for top kitchen renovation styles in Australia.
Kitchen Renovation 4th Place – Traditional
Technically tied with the Farmhouse style – also making up 11% of the Australian kitchen renovation styles – we’ve decided that the Traditional style’s unique use of luxurious countertops and stylish backsplashes (a preference of ours in many of our previous jobs) is deserving of the number 4 spot on our list. Master Builders Victoria recently posted this on their Instagram page, highlighting a Traditional style kitchen built by Elite Homes:
Clearly the traditional style favours a more distinguished look, with a focus on ornate cabinet faces and more grand benchtops. Similar to the Farmhouse style, our go-to for a bespoke benchtop or splashback is Corian due to its cost-effective versatility and huge range of colours.
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To make the most out of your Traditional style kitchen take advantage of curved Corian for benchtops and a quality cut and paint shop for vintage cabinet doors. Finish the look off with a simple but stylish backsplash and you’ll see exactly why Traditional style kitchens deserve the 4th place spot on our list.
Kitchen Renovation 3rd Place – Modern
At last we’ve reached the Modern design, my personal favourite for cabinetry. With clean lines and tight angles, this design allows the modern homeowner to take advantage of the sleek laminate colours and rich wood veneers that make the kitchen the bespoke dream of any and every style of home. See our recently installed modern kitchen in the Vue apartments in Adelaide CBD:
Vue Apartments in Adelaide
The feature splashback, Corian benchtop, and laminate finishes bring the modern kitchen look together. The addition of finger-pull to each cabinet also allowed us to avoid unnecessary hardware to keep the look clean and straight. For a modern design, a Polytec colour such as Natural Oak or Sepia Oak Ravine can provide the warmth of a woodgrain texture to create an inviting feeling without sacrificing sturdiness or quality.
With such a range of options, a modern style kitchen is easy to integrate into a variety of homes and the clean and straight look provides designers a huge range of options to create an inviting and gorgeous look with ease. The versatility coupled with the inexpensive materials easily land Modern kitchen designs in the number 3 spot on our list.
Kitchen Renovation 2nd Place – Contemporary
The contemporary look is easily the most versatile on this list, by definition it follows the most recent trends in the industry and, with 16% of kitchen upgrades in this style, remains one of the most popular designs for Australians. The contemporary look shares many features with a modern style kitchen, but some key differences have made it a significantly more popular option, landing it the 2nd place spot on our list. Classic Home Improvements made a blog post defining the key differences between Contemporary and Modern kitchens and highlighting the benefits of each.
A Contemporary kitchen design by Lucy Interior Designs
Being a more cutting-edge design, the Contemporary look allows designers and homeowners to express themselves through a more significant range of colours. A common trend right now is to use blue laminate as a cabinet finish with light woodgrains to create a light accent. Coupling this finish with a Corian or stone splashback allows for even more creative expression and causes the kitchen to pop even more.
A Danish Kitchen Design by Nicolaj Bo
The versatility of a Contemporary kitchen allows designers to indulge their most creative instincts to produce artistic wonder of high quality at the innovative front of the industry. Being such an interchangeable style, a Contemporary kitchen can be built around any budget, making this design an often inexpensive option and landing it at a close 2nd place on our list.
Kitchen Renovation 1st Place – Transitional
The Transitional style of kitchen topped this list by a landslide, making up an easy 21% of kitchen renovations in 2019 alone. The seamless transition between traditional and modern kitchens that defines this unique style incorporates the best elements from each entry on this list to produce the marvellous finish we all wish we had in our homes. Huff Post’s article on designing the Perfect Transitional Kitchen.
Our take on a Transitional style of kitchen (surprise, surprise) uses Corian for a sturdy and modern benchtop, coupled with either rich veneer or dark prefinished laminate for the cabinets and island bench. Read our previous blog post to see why we love Corian for this look.
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Its not hard to see why the Transitional style deserves the number 1 spot on our list. The mix of key elements from other design styles makes every Transitional kitchen a beautiful and unique option for every Australian renovation.