Rethinking Kitchens

The Age – House & Home: Kitchens are big business. Even as Melbourne turns into an international culinary city – our penchant for cool restaurants and cafes has never been as pervasive – it’s also looking indoors to our other great passion: entertaining.
Interest has never been stronger in what has traditionally been the domain of “the housewife”. Men are jockeying for bench space like never before; celebrity chefs are out-shining soapie stars with their get-up-and-cook messages; and buyers are agonising over everything from appliances to splashbacks.
The state-of-the art kitchen is equipped with all the appliances and gizmos to turn us into at-home Nigellas. We round up the emerging kitchen design trends.
Kitchens are being integrated into living areas. Rather than using one dominant surface, grey, black, dark timber or veneer is teamed with a contrasting shade or texture, including gloss or dark mirror glass, to simulate the feel of a living room.
Upmarket kitchens have a second pantry – effectively a mini kitchen – so that preparation is out of sight. The pantry houses the dishwasher, coffee machine, kettle, toaster, microwave and big sink, with a smaller sink in the main kitchen.
Outside in: rethinking kitchens [The Age]