Hailing from 1960’s Germany, the handleless kitchen has seen a fantastic revival and is currently one of the most popular German kitchen design trends this year. With so many of us contemplating embracing their sleek and innovative looks, there are some practical considerations you will want to address before taking the plunge with your new design.
One of the biggest questions on everyone’s lips when it comes to redesigning their kitchen is ‘will I have enough storage?’ Storage is crucial to creating a clutter-free and organised kitchen that’s easy to use and maintain. What’s more, a neat and tidy kitchen is certainly key to creating a wonderfully sophisticated and inviting backdrop for entertaining guests.
There are a number of factors that make handleless kitchens incredibly desirable, but one of their most impressive features is undeniably their sleek and seamless minimal good looks. But is it all too good to be true? From decades-old pasta rollers to a year’s supply of sauerkraut, can a handleless kitchen really accommodate all your storage needs?
Long Banks Of Tower Units
The ‘concealed kitchen’ has come to grace the pages of many an interior magazine and is undoubtedly one of the designs that have earned handleless kitchens their worthy reputation. As well as looking incredibly stylish, creating a concealed kitchen with a long bank of full-height tower units delivers an amazing amount of storage. In a traditional kitchen, you might opt for a combination of base units and overhead cupboards which often results in a cramped and busy looking kitchen, a seamless uninterrupted bank of units creates a breath-taking design statement whilst making use of all that space between the units that might otherwise be left to gather dust.
Pocket Door Cupboards
Pocket door cupboards are an ingenious way to make the most of your space. They allow you to create storage that, when in use, won’t inhibit the flow of your kitchen. This makes them perfect for tight spaces and more compact designs. But not only are they a practical solution to creating extra storage, they are also, well, just great fun! Include pocket doors in your kitchen design to create a secret cocktail bar, a hidden coffee station, or a handy breakfast area.
Sleek Hidden Nooks
Handleless kitchens are of course known for their sleek flawless appearance as they wrap around your kitchen space continuously to create a perfectly seamless streamlined look. Just like the concealed kitchen, one of the fantastic benefits of creating an uninterrupted row of cabinetry is not only their effortlessly stylish looks but also their ability to make use of wasted or overlooked space. The slim overhead cupboard below is the perfect spot to store your bottle collection (or part of it at least).
Extra Large Drawers
We’re all familiar with the inconvenience of having to empty the contents of a cupboard to find the one thing that we’re looking for lurking right at the back. Utilising drawers in your kitchen design is an ideal solution. However, in a traditional kitchen, too many drawers with lots of handles could easily look out of place, whereas in a handleless kitchen, your drawers will be seamlessly integrated with the rest of your design giving a perfectly sleek finish. In the knowledge that drawers can be much more practical to use, many handleless kitchen manufacturers include extra-large and, importantly, extra-durable drawers in their range which can accommodate everything from herbs and spices to pots and pans.
Slimline Pull-Out Larders
Utilising the same access principle as extra-large drawers, handleless kitchen manufacturers also cleverly offer slimline pull-out larder units which allow you to really maximise every inch of your design. Pull-out larders are ideal for storing bottles and ingredients, allowing you to reach right to the back of even the most narrow cupboard spaces with ease.
Stylish Shelving
Not all handleless kitchen designs have to be completely immaculate. One of the fantastic things about handleless kitchens is their wonderful versatility. Open shelving and bespoke alcoves offer the potential to create storage whilst also adding a touch of character and personality to your design. Displaying your favourite ornaments or cookbooks in your kitchen as part of a more subtle interior scheme will create a beautiful laidback and homely atmosphere.
Sleek and elegant looks equalled by amazing functionality and longevity, handleless kitchens are top of the list this year for a reason. However, if you’re new to the world of handleless kitchens, then the best way to find out if they’re the right choice for you and your home is to pay a visit to your local independent kitchen showroom. As well as experiencing what it’s like to use a handleless kitchen, you will also be able to pick the brains of the experts and have your questions or concerns properly answered.