As the popularity of outdoor kitchens grows, so too are the demands on equipment, convenience and creative diversity. This is where Hettich's trend scouts have put together the key directions from spoga+gafa 2023.
Dark or natural looks with peaks of colour
What continues to enjoy popularity in indoor kitchens leaves a very classy and high quality look outdoors as well: dark to black surfaces, smooth or textured. Black is and remains the favourite with kitchen designers. Combining it with high quality BBQ equipment and accessories made of stainless steel, or with chrome plated details, looks particularly stylish and professional. But it's not about external appearance alone. Elegant dark design continues through on the inside too thanks to the weatherproof InnoTech Atira drawer system. In keeping with the outdoor look, these drawers score with their characteristic angular design for a consistent visual impression while still providing broad design diversity. The drawers move in and out on the Quadro Compact runner: it is strong and robust, making it exactly the right system for the heavy gas bottle pull-out, say.
Anyone preferring contrasts are spoilt for choice with the coloured barbecuing elements. This is where the options range from bright red to restrained creamy white. Natural tones also create a homely contrast among the designs available for the outdoor kitchen: various timbers are featured in just the same way as understated plain coloured fronts.
Creative material variety
There's one thing all materials must be: weatherproof. Concrete is a robust material that can cope well with frost, heat and UV radiation, making it a highly suitable cabinet body material for outdoor kitchens. Real wood creates a completely different look. Exuding warmth and homeliness, these kitchens integrate into the natural backdrop of gardens and patios. Drawers with wooden fronts as well as solid wooden doors that conveniently open and close on Hettich's weatherproof Veosys stainless steel hinge with integrated soft closing are complemented by many other creative details to provide an overall appearance of perfected harmony.
Particularly when it comes to the choice of outdoor materials, the proximity to furniture trends is unmistakable. Surfaces in deceptively real and exquisite looking reproduction marble are just as much part of the options as unpolished looking rust effect finishes in industrial chic. Sustainable extravagance comes from glass ceramics made of recycled bottles: each top is one of a kind and a luxurious eye catcher. Enamelled surfaces tend to be used in a more jazzy and creative way. The magnetic surfaces become centre stage for kitchen herbs and truly fascinate as a splash of colour.
The outdoor kitchen is growing
Demand is spurring on designers and manufacturers. Going perfectly with the outdoor kitchen, the range of standalone storage units is growing, making it even more convenient and pleasurable to cook outdoors and enjoy time spent in the open. For instance, bar cabinets are available that provide ample space for wines and spirits, glasses of all types and a wide range of accessories. Also on offer are more and more practical ideas for space management in the outdoor kitchen, such as pull-out worktops or outdoor tables with space for storing utensils and seat cushions.
Hettich's trend scouts have come back from spoga+gafa 2023 with a fascinating video that summarises all the key trends: spoga+gafa2023 trendvideo hettich