1. Go For A Handle-Free Design
Recessed or push-touch opening mechanisms allow cabinets to blend into the background. ‘Handleless kitchen design provides a unique opportunity to create simple furniture language without the competing complexities of additional materiality that handles present,’ says Alex Beaugeard, creative director at Lanserring. Lean towards matt finishes helping limit the visibility of fingerprints on cabinetry.
2. Perfect Your Pantry Storage
The secret to a truly successful hidden kitchen is all in the pantry storage and a walk-in pantry is one of the best ways to deliver high-volume cupboard space in the smallest footprint. The best examples are tucked secretively behind sleek doors, with level access effectively increasing the kitchen size when open.
3. Hide The Hob
While ovens and fridges are easily concealed behind closed doors, hiding the hob can prove more problematic. A flush-fit hob, recessed into the worksurface for an ultra-low, barely there profile is one solution. A sliding kitchen countertop, as per Boffi’s K Series, is another.
4. Invest In Disappearing Pocket Doors
As the name suggests, pocket doors slide back into a pocket in the cabinetry and are fast gaining ground as the slick way to keep cooking equipment neatly concealed. Be aware that the ‘pocket’ required to house the doors when open will reduce the available space overall – more pocket doors require bigger sacrifices in terms of usable area. It will also take more time to open these full-height doors and slide them into their pockets, which can be annoying when grabbing a quick coffee.
5. Make A Statement
Discreetly hidden kitchens don’t have to be quiet and featureless, as this striking scheme by Minotticucine London proves. ‘At the heart of Minotticucine’s design ethos lies visual silence, a philosophy whereby all elements that identify and age a kitchen are hidden from view,’ explains Anthony McLean, head of design, Minotticucine London.
6. Keep Islands Tidy
‘As the modern kitchen evolves into an ever more multifunctional room, the need for finding innovative ways to conceal the practical side of cooking takes priority,’ says Sean Drumm, CEO of Falmec UK.
7. Take A Traditional Stance
The sleek hidden kitchen trend isn’t exclusive to contemporary homes. The panel molded doors in this kitchen by Blakes London were designed to tie in with the property’s original Victorian architecture and mimic the style of traditional wall paneling.
8. Opt For Slide To Hide Surfaces
Kitchen islands with sliding worktops that cover up the working heart of the kitchen when not in use may seem a bit fanciful, but the concept can prove hugely practical from a space-saving point. Boffi was one of the first to develop the slide and hide kitchen, with its K Series by Norbert Wangen.