RECIPE FOR A GREAT KITCHEN

A RECIPE FOR A GREAT KITCHEN

THIS MONTH ULSTER TATLER IS GIVING YOU A COMPREHENSIVE KITCHEN DESIGNERS GUIDE, PACKED WITH THE INDUSTRY’S BEST SUPPLIERS TO HELP YOU CREATE YOUR DREAM KITCHEN.

Image courtesy of Sub Zero and Wolf.

The kitchen has always been the heart of the home, and now more than ever we appreciate our kitchen spaces and what they have to offer – not only for practical and domestic use, but for a place to socialise and interact with friends and family.

With more time at home, it has been the ideal time to re-vamp and re-think our living spaces, not to mention with less opportunity to spend money on holidays, we have a bit of extra to spend on home improvements instead.

It is important when choosing your next kitchen that you find the perfect balance between creating a timeless, yet striking aesthetic – but also take into consideration the practical elements, such as storage and space.

Kitchens have never been as stylish and innovative as they are now, so there are certainly some key design elements to consider when you go for your kitchen design consultation. New technology is a big part of emerging trends in 2021, whether it be boiling water on demand taps, hidden extractor fans or touch screen refrigerators – life is being made easier with these forward-thinking details.

Colour is always top of the list when it comes to kitchen design. Everyone has different tastes when it comes to colour, but for 2021 and beyond it looks like grey and neutral tones are being replaced with darker tones, which have especially become popular for worktops and furnishings. Pops of colour are always a great way to break up the room and add a quirky twist – green and blue shades are particularly stylish for 2021. If you want to keep up with trends, the ‘industrial’ look is ever-present, with combinations of metal and concrete features, giving your kitchen a stripped back appearance.

No matter what your budget, or style, leading kitchen suppliers will be able to advise you on the right kitchen for you and will guide you through the process from the first consultation to completion.

Touchscreen Built-in Oven

Jet-setting might be off the cards this year – but on the bright side, the stay-at-home order has finally been lifted, and summer is fast approaching. So get your friends and family together, grab a blanket and a bottle and prepare for some serious alfresco dining in any one of this country’s beautiful green spots. No self-respecting picnic would be complete without a generous helping of the mighty hummus – right? Not only is it incredibly quick and easy to whip up a delicious batch of this Middle Eastern summer staple – it also happens to be incredibly good for you. Research has linked the ingredients of hummus to a variety of impressive health benefits, including the reduction of inflammation, improving blood sugar control, better digestive health, lower heart disease risk and even weight loss. It’s not often you can say that about something that tastes so delightfully decadent and moreish. Plant-based nutritionist and foodie influencer Holly White has shared her favourite hummus recipe, using Roasted Red Peppers and Tahini from the Frontier Foods product range.

Roasted Red Pepper Hummus

Ingredients

• 1 x 400g Tin of Chickpeas - drained and rinsed (save the water to make aquafaba mayo) • 1 x Jar of Frontier Foods roasted red peppers • 3 x Tablespoons of Frontier Foods tahini • 1 x Garlic clove - crushed • 2-3 x Tablespoons of filtered water, depending on the consistency desired • Juice of half a lemon • Salt and pepper to season • A slug of olive oil

Method

• Blend all the ingredients, except the red peppers, until a silky-smooth consistency is achieved. • Pulse in the red peppers. I like a little texture, so I don’t over blend them. • Drizzle with olive oil and serve immediately.

Your hummus will keep for up to five days stored in an airtight container in the fridge. If it lasts that long!

The Roasted Red Peppers (RRP €2.59 / £2.00) and Tahini (RRP €3.99 / £3.00) from Frontier Foods are available in stockists nationwide, including Tesco, Dunnes Stores, Super Valu, Fresh Stores & Eurospar. For more information visit www.frontierfoods.ie

PLAN AHEAD

First things first, ask yourself how you intend to use the room. What type of cooking do you do, how many people are in the household, what styles do you like? Then be sure to see what’s available, designing a kitchen is rarely a routine thing to do so few people know what they want before the exploration and research start.

Different appliances will let you design the room in different ways. Range cookers will use wall space while downdraft hobs can be placed anywhere on the worktop.

Different styles of kitchen will affect what layout you can achieve. Traditional styles may not suit a raised oven for example.

Figure out where your priorities lie - do you want to put more of your budget into the solid worktops, or would you rather upgrade the cabinetry or appliances? The first visit to the Alwood showroom can be exciting! There is usually something new or different that you may not have considered or ever heard about. Often you will leave with more ideas to think about than before you come in!

Take your time, enjoy the design stage, and don’t worry. They’ll not let you get it wrong.

For more information visit www.alwoodkitchens.com

Striking Encaustic black floor tiles.

Porcellana Tile Studio www.porcellantilestudio.com

A sleek kitchen design by Alwood Kitchens.

Alwood Kitchens www.alwoodkitchens.com

Black and white dinner set from Next. Neptune’s Charlecote cabinetry with Ludlow bar stools.

Neptune www.neptune.com

IN PROFILE: MICK SMITH

HAFELE IRELAND

How has Hafele coped throughout the pandemic? Have you had to diversify in this ever changing market?

We’ve been very fortunate, as an ‘essential business’ we have been able to remain open throughout the pandemic. We are hardware wholesalers, home appliance distributors as well as having a large range of safety and PPE products. Last March and April it felt like hand sanitiser was all we sold! With a product range as large and diverse as ours we sell into multiple channels and don’t depend on one particular industry so this has also helped.

Hafele has been the cornerstone supplying much of the kitchen and interiors industry for many years now how do you see the next 12 months panning out for the interiors sector?

Everyone has been locked up at home for 12 months now. They’ve been unable to travel or socialise. I think a lot of people have taken a good look at their surroundings and decided to put money into their homes. The end of last year was as busy as I can ever remember it being. Ireland – North and South – is experiencing a home improvement boom and we are happy to be here to help out! Our customers are reporting full order books and I think we will be busy well into next year.

With all the normal trade shows and travel being cancelled over the past 12 months how have you kept up to date with the latest trends in the industry?

We are not the only ones who can’t go to exhibitions – none of our customers or suppliers can either. This has forced us to all become a little more creative with our communication and we’ve probably spoken to our key suppliers more over the last year than we would in a ‘normal’ year. Zoom has replaced international travel. Our biggest trade fair is Interzum held bi-annually in Cologne, Germany. It was scheduled to take place this May but instead we will be hosting an online exhibition called Hafele Discoveries. This will showcase all of our latest ranges and developments.

Have clients’ expectations changed in the past 12 months?

We’ve all been on a difficult journey over the last year. First of all COVID hit China and had a huge impact on our supply chains. Everyone was still working and running out of everyday essentials such as hinges and drawers is not a great way to make friends and influence people. Then in the spring we got over our stock issues but no one needed it. From June onwards we experienced unprecedented demand, which, at times, we found it difficult to keep up with. None of our suppliers expected such a wave of orders after lockdown and it took us all a while to change gear. Our customers came with us on this journey. There was a six-week period where I spent more time calling people to apologise for letting them down than I did actively selling to them! But we all got through it in the end. Our customers now have a deeper understanding of our business and the expertise they can call on here when needed.

Has there been a shift in product popularity since the start of the pandemic?

PPE has always been in our range, mainly workshop masks and latex gloves, but now it’s an important product group for us. Masks, gloves, sanitisers, dispensers, wipes, disposable boiler suits – all have gone from being small niche sales to items almost everyone now buys.

What are the main trends going to be for the remainder of 2021 in the kitchen industry?

The biggest trend is going to be catching up on all that lost time! The most noticeable trends from a fittings point of view is a move to slimmer drawer profiles and sleek handle-less design is now mainstream. Smart technology is finding its was into the kitchen and our lighting systems can now be integrated with mass market products such as Alexa. Register for Hafele Discoveries and you can see these items and all our new products in a digital exhibition setting.

Is there any new exciting product launches from Hafele this year?

Our product range is constantly evolving and with the large stable of brands we have at our disposal we always have something new to introduce. The way we all work is changing and people who would not have considered working from home to be a viable proposition a year ago now can’t imagine ever going back to the office. We have a new home office desk called ‘JobTisch’ (which sounds much better in German – in English it translates as job table!). It’s an electronic height adjustable sit/stand desk with 4 integrated sockets and 2 USB ports. As people are realising the whole working from home thing is something they’ll be doing for some time to come they no longer want to work on the corner of the kitchen table. This desk allows you to work sitting or standing and comes supplied complete and fully assembled on a single pallet in a wide range of colour options.

A. ROBINSON INTERIORS

Robinson Interiors has been voted ‘Kitchen Retailer of the Year’ on five occasions. Mark Robinson heads up one of the most talented kitchen design teams in the country. Established over 30 years ago, Robinson Interiors is a multi award-winning company, driven to the top by Mark and his brother Stuart.

Mark holds prestigious accolades such as the first Irish kitchen designer to win the coveted No.1 U.K. Master Kitchen Retailer Award. The design team at Robinson’s includes five professional designers including architectural graduate Mike Grant. Modern techniques are used for designing, and are prepared using both ‘hand drawn’ and Computer Aided techniques. The team at Robinson’s are a group of professionals that are not only technically astute but are also highly creative. “A dedicated interest in the entire cooking process is critical to achieving a safe and ergonomic environment,” Mark believes.

“As kitchens are increasingly part of open plan dining and living spaces, Robinson Interiors’ full interior design skills are even more sought after. We bring added value to the client with advice on lighting, flooring and general décor,” says Mark.

DESIGN PASSION Here, every designer is as passionate about food as they are kitchen design and this matters. It provides real insight into the purpose, form and function you desire. It’s not simply about kitchens, rather creativity and detail. It’s about ensuring storage and food preparation areas work together, about the precise integration of ‘multi-purpose’ cooking, dining and living spaces – including flooring and lighting. Above all, it’s about your experience, about giving you a space that looks great and performs equally well – every day!

BUSINESS EXPERTISE As you’d expect, Robinson Interiors has perfected the home transformation process. From first consultation, to final install, each step is a carefully co-ordinated, tried and tested process offering you total peace of mind, reassurance and minimal disruption. Don’t take the company’s word for it! Look at the industry recognition backing its claims. These awards prove exceptional quality standards and offer you absolute confidence in Robinson Interiors’ financial strength, professionalism and management expertise.

Mark’s award-winning showroom at 10 Boucher Way has over 5,000 square feet of life-sized contemporary and classical kitchens on view. The smell of freshly brewed coffee and the sound of light jazz in the background help clients relax and focus on choosing their dream kitchen design.

A Robinson Interiors 10 Boucher Way, Belfast, BT12 6RE design@robinsoninteriors.com www.robinsoninteriors.com 028 9068 3838

THE COMEBACK OF THE MULTI-FUNCTIONAL KITCHEN AS WE USE THEM NOW MORE THAN EVER

The Covid-19 pandemic has forced us to spend more time at home, which inevitably means that our kitchens have never been have been used, probably more than ever in our lifetimes. People are changing the way they live, work and socialise within their kitchen space. Kitchens have become home offices, classrooms and restaurants. New clients at Mode German Kitchens are more focused on functionality and practicality but also the aesthetics of the whole room. Previous clients, meanwhile, are enjoying their kitchens more than ever before – baking their own breads, cooking meals and eating together.

Lockdown has reminded families of the importance of spending quality time together and we have found different activities to differentiate between the days and weeks while we are ‘staying home’. Spending more time in the home has meant that open-plan kitchens have been used extremely well. We have needed multi-functional spaces, which facilitate cooking, dining and living as

well as the new office or schoolroom, which has arisen in recent months! For the past few years, we have been linking the kitchen, dining and living furniture in open-plan houses to create unique and multi-functional spaces.

At the beginning of the pandemic, it seemed like everyone simultaneously thought ‘let’s make banana bread or our own pasta’ because it created a family activity as well as meeting a need due to the lack of supplies in shops. As our recipes changed and we bought more mixers, our kitchen storage needed to adapt. At Mode German Kitchens, they think deep drawers are one of the ultimate storage solutions and regularly add an internal drawer with a cutlery insert to allocate spaces for all your necessary utensils. Their deep drawers, larders and corner units are much more efficient storage spaces than regular cupboards as you can see and access everything so much more easily and nothing gets lost for a decade at the back!

Maybe you are also thinking of continuing with the baking and cooking when the restrictions are lifted and are considering updating your kitchen to suit your new lifestyle?

Mode German Kitchens 162 Lisburn Road, Belfast, BT9 6AL www.modegermankitchens.co.uk E: studio@modegk.co.uk T: 028 9066 0011