How Have Kitchens Changed Over the Past 45 Years?
We’ve spent a lot of time recently looking back at kitchen trends over the past 45 years as part of our anniversary celebrations.
What has struck us most of all is that layouts have remained broadly similar, but the ergonomics of the overall kitchen design have changed. Historic kitchen trends focused on practicality. Homeowners wanted plenty of storage space, durable worktops and long-lasting appliances.
Today’s designs are much smarter; they are more about convenience and making it easier to cook and enjoy family life. Storage is still prioritised, but it’s about including deep drawers that can fit the biggest pans, while walk-in larders and pantries are equipped with pull-out storage that makes it easier to organise food so nothing gets lost at the back of the cupboard. Even integrated bins and recycling units have become standard requests, which we’re sure will prove more popular as we get to grips with Suffolk’s recycling rules.
Our kitchen design specialists have also noted that most modern designs prioritise accessibility and convenience. For example, ovens are no longer routinely installed underneath worktops. They are now at chest height, making it easier to handle hot dishes and reducing the need to bend down. Slide-and-hide oven doors have also become mainstream, again saving space and making it easier to move around the kitchen.
Once you’ve got used to this new, easier way of cooking, it’s hard to imagine ever going back!
But the biggest shift is that kitchens are not just a space to cook. They are the heart of the home, where you gather for breakfast, spend time with friends and catch up on the day’s news.
Here are some of our favourite kitchen features that make up modern kitchens
Boiling water taps
The introduction of the Quooker style tap changed things dramatically. If you’re a regular tea drinker, you no longer need to wait for the kettle to boil before you have a cuppa. It frees up workspace and removes the need for a kettle. We love them!
Integrated charging points
How many of us now use our tablets or phones for recipes? Or stream music to listen to while we cook? Integrated charging points make it easier to keep work surfaces tidy while ensuring our devices remain fully charged.
Under-cabinet lighting
This is one of those features people rarely think about until they see it in person. It provides practical task lighting for food preparation while also adding warmth and ambience to the room.
Upstands instead of wall tiles
We think this is a huge winner because removing wall tiles and replacing them with modern upstands makes it much easier to refresh the kitchen over time. It offers a cleaner, more streamlined look, and if you decide you want to change the paint colour of your walls, you can easily do so without worrying that your paint needs to match your tiles.
Breakfast bars and islands
These are where you can gather round and sit with a cuppa and have a chat with family and friends. The popularity of breakfast bars and kitchen islands helps to display the social aspect of modern kitchen designs.
While technology and design trends continue to evolve, one thing hasn’t changed. Customers still want a kitchen that works for their lifestyle, stands the test of time and becomes the heart of their home.
The difference today is that we’re asking our kitchens to do a lot more than help us cook dinner.
This got us thinking.
If we took one of our earliest kitchens and redesigned it using everything we’ve learned over the past three decades, what would we change?
Reimagining an original 1990s House of Harmony kitchen
If you’ve read our recent article about kitchens that are built to last, you’ll know that a lot of our previous customers still love the kitchens that they had installed in the 1990s and early 2000s.
But our look back through the archives got us wondering what would happen if we applied today’s design principles to one of those original kitchens.
Thanks to all the photos and stories sent to us during our anniversary competition to find the oldest House of Harmony kitchen, we had plenty of inspiration.
So, just for fun, here’s an idea for how we could transform the winning kitchen (originally installed back in 1992) to align with modern kitchen design.
Key features we have included in this redesign are:
- Smaller plinths to increase storage capacity in the cupboards above.
- Integrated fridge freezer for cleaner lines and additional fridge storage. We consume more fresh product today than ever before, and the new storage drawers help to preserve food for longer.
- The oven has been added to a tall housing for better ease of use and includes an air fryer and combination microwave to stop these cluttering up the worktop and assist with cooking functionality. Handy drawers below the oven are for baking trays, cake tins and casserole dishes and all the other bulky items we use for cooking.
- New to this kitchen is an integrated dishwasher to reduce everyday chores.
- Recycling is much more important than it was back in the 90’s so integrated bins have been installed to avoid freestanding bins taking up floor space.
- One big change is the hob. We recommend an induction hob for a cleaner surface area and improved safety functions over gas, with the same level of controllability.
- We love big drawers! There are drawers underneath the hob for utensils, pots and pans, whilst wide drawers are great for storing cutlery, side plates, dinner plates and cooking aids rather than bending down and rummaging in cupboards.
- Talking of awkward far-reaching cupboards, corner carousels make food storage easier to access, and taller wall units maximise storage space.
- Have you ever wondered what lurks on top of your 90’s kitchen cupboards? These days we recommend ceiling fillers to avoid dust traps. No spiders here!
- One invention that has changed many a kitchen is the built-in under-cabinet lighting, coupled with energy-efficient spotlights in the ceiling, for task and ambient mood setting.
- For the owners of this kitchen, whose kids are all grown up, we’ve included a sleek breakfast bar for catch-ups and coffee.
- Finally, in our makeover we turned to the floor and walls. Removing the grouted wall tiles and replacing with upstands, plus a glass splashback behind hob for ease of cleaning and a modern feel completes the look. Plus new luxury vinyl tiled floor for easier cleaning and warmth underfoot.
If you have a 90’s kitchen in need of a modern revival, talk to our kitchen designers today for a free design makeover.
