Your kitchen is the place where everyone meets first thing in the morning and gathers again in the evening before dinner. It is simply the most used part of the home and therefore a lot of thought needs to go in to planning this space, and with the right advice and guidance it doesn’t need to be the daunting task it could be. Open-plan living is still the most sought after design – a space where people want to cook, dine and relax, so the kitchen has truly become a multifunctional space, and in this issue we offer you all aspects of kitchen design and planning, from how to choose your kitchen designer and choosing your kitchen style with the rest of your home in mind, to finding the right flooring, lighting, appliances and storage for your needs. Within the Kitchen Special we also offer you features on colour trends; blue continues to be a popular choice in the kitchen, in all shades and hues. In addition, we notice that people have been turning to a contemporary matt finish for their kitchen more and more recently as it is easier to maintain than gloss, is very on trend and offers modern, yet timeless appeal. We also see the handleless kitchen on the rise which lends itself to a more streamlined, contemporary finish and then we look at how wood surfaces and cabinetry in the kitchen can bring a sense of nature to the over all look. We finish by offering you a selection of All the Small Things you can add to your dream kitchen.
Our readers’ homes take us firstly to Moira where Kerry and Richard have built their dream home – an elegant, understated family dwelling, sympathetically enhanced by a neutral colour palette. Then onto Dublin where a Victorian terrace has been renovated and extended into a bright, split level Modernist home. And finally, Aoife and Ralph invite us into their Dun Laoghaire property which, with the addition of a modern extension, has become a stylish and spacious home.
Getting back to the kitchen, we bring you some delicious recipes from Anja Dunk’s cook book, Strudel, Noodles and Dumplings – the new taste of German cooking. Our travel pages take us to arguably the most famous route to drive in the world, Route 66 and one that appears on many bucket lists. Closer to home and with the warmer weather and sunnier days arriving on our Emerald Isle, we showcase our top five stunning beaches and seaside towns to check out this summer. We hope that you enjoy our June issue, and remember if you would like to see your home or know of someone who has a home that you would like to see featured in the magazine, contact editorial on 028 9147 3979 or email editorial@ihil.net
