blogEco Kitchen Trends – What to Look Out For

We are constantly on the lookout for the latest trends in kitchen design to make sure our kitchens are up to date. One of the biggest growing trends in kitchen design recently is “eco kitchens”, seeing a rise in popularity due to pollution news. Programmes like Blue Planet have lead to a much more eco-conscious nation as people are understandably concerned about the environment. Search data from Pinterest shows a recent increase of 164% in searches for eco-friendly kitchens. But redesigning your kitchen doesn’t have to be harmful and there are plenty of ways you can be eco-conscious. Here at Kensington Scott, we have come up with a range of different ways that you can make your kitchen more eco-friendly when redesigning.

Cabinets and Countertops

One of the first places of concern in a kitchen are the materials you use for your cabinets and countertops. But these can be a lot more eco-friendly than you might at first think, with plenty of recycled options available. You will often find that materials such as plywood, stainless steel, MFC, MDF and cork are all made from recycled materials. If you can’t find recycled materials for your kitchen, then you should make sure your materials come from sustainable sources. Your kitchen designers should be able to tell you where the materials come from and if they can’t this is a sign they’re likely not sustainable.

Paint

Another material that isn’t-eco friendly for the kitchen is paint, but there are paints that are water based and not harmful to the environment. You can even find glosses and paint for wood that is water soluble these days, the easiest way to spot this is to look for quick dry paint.

There are some paints that are eco-friendly and even some paint that has been recycled from leftover paint. Some of the best eco-friendly paints include;

• Edward Bulmer Paint
• Earthborn Points
• Auro
• Nutshell Paints
• Eico Paints

Flooring

Choosing your flooring is an important part of the process and its important that you get it right. But you don’t have to spend a fortune on flooring to make sure you have an eco kitchen. There are plenty of environmentally friendly options when it comes to kitchen flooring. Laminate flooring can often be made from recycled materials so this can be a great choice.  Cork is another great option and is sustainable but it can get damaged quite easily. You can also find linoleum that is made from linseed oil or pine resin so these are also great choices.

Appliances

One of the final ways that you can make sure you have a complete eco kitchen is to choose your kitchen appliances carefully. There are plenty of innovations in appliances that help you save energy in kitchens, from taps to dishwashers. You should even consider simple things like energy saving lightbulbs as finishing touches, to make sure your kitchen is as eco friendly as possible.

Although it can be difficult to be completely eco friendly, all of the smaller details can help in saving energy. You could also consider second hand appliances if they are in good working order, or keeping the appliances that you already have. Any way that you can use recycled material or save energy is a massive help.