The Weston Premium Woods Design Line Team attended Salone de Mobile/Eurocucina in Milan, Italy to see the newest designs from many of the worlds leading kitchen and cabinet producers. These booths were elegant, fashion forward and offered a range of unique yet well balanced designs. Looking closer, the Weston team identified a handful of overlapping trends and design shifts:
Decors: Wood grains remained consistent with lots of oaks and plenty of walnut but the rustic look was definitely a hit with countertops, tables, cabinets and more in almost every booth. Super Matte and High Gloss also had a presence with metallic and concrete designs, often used in tandem.
Designs: The combination of decors, textures and finishes were sophisticated and graceful – rustic woodgrains with a concrete countertop and backsplash or super matte with high gloss and metallic elements. Rarely was a display built with less than 2 distinct designs.
Structure: Gables and handles were thick or thin but rarely in between – 8mm and 38mm gables and floating shelves were prominent with little 18-19mm. As well, the shift towards handless hardware was apparent with 45 degree mitred edges in almost every booth.
It will be interesting to see which of the core design trends will travel across the ocean to the North American market.
