Looking at Pinterest, you can seriously wonder at kitchens in some quarters. There are larders you could fit a spare bed in, walk-in wine coolers, and island units so large they could almost form their own governments. I found one island that looked as if it was made from molten rock, and another that appeared to be carved from sparkling amethyst. Some kitchen pictures are so festooned with houseplants, that it’s unclear where they manage to knead the dough, or even open their boxes of takeaway.
I was so broke when I bought my first house, redoing the kitchen was the last thing on my list of possibilities, so I didn’t even bother to dream, never mind fantasise. But now, building my own home, I finally have the chance to choose. My head easily turned, I raise the idea of an amethyst-carved island with Carolyn Crowley at Kube. “Where’s your storage?” she asks sagely. Sage is another question altogether, sage green having been the kitchen colour du jour (or du année) for 2025, it is, apparently, fast ona its way to becoming next year’s avocado bathroom suite.
It’s not that sage green isn’t nice, rather it’s that design trends can persuade your eye into deciding you like something more than you actually do. But can’t you always repaint? It depends on the quality of your doors. Ask before you buy, as the cheaper end of MDF soaks up colour, meaning repainting is not always effective. So where do you start?
More than any other room, save perhaps your bathroom, a kitchen needs to balance utility with aesthetics, with an emphasis on utility; and given the size of the investment, and the disruption involved, going with trends is a mistake.
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“There are fashions,” agrees Julie Wilshaw, manager of Kube in Cork. “Gloss finishes were big, but you could see all the marks. It’s all matt now.” Picking up on my Pinterest question, she adds that “you see a lot of floating shelves, with bowls and ornaments, which is great for photoshoots, but even if you’re not doing a lot of frying, kitchens generate dust and grease.” I start to think of all those sharp shards of amethyst in a new (and slimy) light.
Ronan Carey, who cofounded Newcastle Design in 1997, has also noted the ebb and flow of fashion. Newcastle hand-make their kitchens in Ireland, and as Carey says, “I have seen timber coming back for the third or even the fourth time. Or you might get a fresh new interior designer on the scene who inspires a whole new look. The safe line,” he says, “is classic with a contemporary twist. So it’s not grandma’s kitchen, but it’s not a dental surgery either.” He also advises to think through surfaces carefully. “Wood looks gorgeous, but it is really high maintenance. So you can use it, but in a less hard-wearing area.”
A look at current colour forecasts bears Carey out. While, this autumn, the experts at Dulux are highlighting “grounding” colours, including deep browns (Mud Lark, Cherry Truffle), fresh greens (Pale Olivine) and rich neutrals (Raw Cashmere, Flax Seed), coming in 2026, it seems we’ll all be getting the blues, with everything from denim to indigo on the colour cards. Oktawia Zagrodzka at Neptune by Browsers has picked up on this trend too, noting that “there is definitely a spotlight on cream, warm and chocolate browns, and rich walnut kitchens right now.”
Rather than go all out with something that will date, choose instead to accent.
“Create a focal point,” says Zagrodzka. This can be a colour wall accent, or “a range cooker with a bespoke hood, a quartz or marble-clad backsplash with a shelf. A bi-fold cabinet for your coffee machine with stylish but practical accessories gives the kitchen its wow moment without feeling cluttered.”
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Another starting point, before booking a session with a kitchen consultant, is to think about how you live, and how you cook. And lest the words “kitchen consultant” makes you anticipate a hard sell, nothing could be further from the truth. From IKEA, to sky’s the limit, kitchen companies offer free consultation services with absolutely no obligation to buy. In fact, they expect you to shop around.
So think first about how you cook? Do you cook as a couple? With your children? Solo? Do you create extravaganzas from scratch, or pour hot water on to instant noodles? When you’re entertaining, do you perform culinary feats for your audience, or are they next door discussing the neighbours while you sweat it out? Does the family sit around a table chatting, or do you perch on stools and peck. There is a kitchen for each and every one of you.
Armed with this self-knowledge, plus your floor plans, photographs and budget (see panel), what next? A kitchen consultation will include a chat about how you like to live, how you cook, and how many people are in the family. From that, their expert eye can layer in likely workflows, noting the “golden triangle”, which brings you from fridge, to sink, to oven. From these come positioning of bins, dishwasher and plug points. The designer will then use kitchen planning software to build up your kitchen in 3D. Here is where you can add things like spice racks and wine racks, a space for stools under a kitchen counter, and anything else you care to think of. Colours can be added and changed, and it begins to feel a little like magic.
This is also where you can start to spend, or save money. “You can buy the most expensive oven, and only end up using two buttons,” says Wilshaw. “No one ever wants to read all the instructions.”
Do you need a fancy induction hob? Gas hobs tend to be cheaper, and you won’t have to throw out half your saucepans. Depending on your chosen kitchen company, there may be a site visit. Newcastle have a colour consultant, who will visit to see how colours work with your available natural light. The team at Neptune will use mood boards to help you narrow down your choices. A final consultation will confirm your choices and final budget.
In the end, I wisely ditched amethyst, molten lava, and style over substance, except for a last minute switch from a sensible double sink to a gorgeous copper single version. You can be as practical as you like, but always keep a little space for falling in love. There would be photographs here, but the house around it isn’t ready yet. More soon.
Get your kitchen planning right
Expect the process to take approximately 12 weeks, from initial consultation to installation.
Have a detailed drawing including dimensions ready, including position of doors, windows, and current plumbing. Do you have any items you want to keep? A kitchen table, a fancy fridge? Get the dimensions and add them to the list. Bring photographs too.
Be upfront about your budget, your kitchen designer will help you stick to it, showing where to compromise and where to spend.
Do your research. You’ll find layout ideas and tips online, such as IKEA’s website, which includes tips on lighting, and safety tips for kitchens with kids, but think too about how you live and cook.
What to do with your old kitchen? Kube has a partnership with Habitat for Humanity, whose Kitchen Rescue programme will collect your old kitchen and appliances to support families living in poverty. Check out if they’re in your area at habitatireland.org.
Budget correctly: A basic kitchen can come in at under €8,000, with installation, countertops and appliances extra. Prices range as high as you like.
Advice from the experts
Functionality comes first: “A beautiful kitchen is useless if the layout doesn’t work for you. Ignoring the workflow between sink, stove, and fridge creates frustration – nothing worse than doing 10,000 steps a day around your poorly designed kitchen! Of course, sometimes design has to be compromised, but it should be a conscious choice, not an oversight.” Oktawia Zagrodzka, kitchen designer at Neptune by Browsers, browsers.ie/neptune
Don’t be afraid of change: “Moving electrics isn’t as difficult or expensive as you might think. And changing appliances is easy. Put your old ones up on Done Deal, or contact a charity such as Habitat for Humanity and they will come and take them away. Often a client might not buy an integrated appliance, and it sticks out in their new kitchen like a sore thumb. They usually come back to change it!” Julie Wilshaw, manager, Kube Interiors, Cork, kubeinteriors.com
Buying quality is buying for life: “Think of the future. People might want a range, but later in life they might not want to go into the ‘pilates style’ of cooking, with the oven at floor level. And don’t forget you can update and change. Our after care team can advise on changing colours, or just some elements of your kitchen. A good quality kitchen should last a lifetime,” says Ronan Carey, co-founder Newcastle Design.
