The Silestone Institute, a division of the Cosentino Group, has brought together experts from across the globe, including Harvard anthropologist Richard Wrangham, architect Piero Lissoni and industrial designer Patricia Moore, to create the inaugural 2017 Global Kitchen report. The report uses this global expertise in tandem with professional survey results to predict what “the kitchen of the future” will be – how it will function, what it will look like, and the technological advances it will include.
The report anticipates that the kitchen will once again function as the ‘center of the home. It will evolve from its recent role isolated space used strictly for cooking to a hyper-connected, multi-functional space, potentially the largest in the home, in which family or living space members will use for work and leisure alike. Its design will optimize aesthetics, function, and comfort and well-being.
Smart home connectivity is expected to become a standard feature in kitchens worldwide. The kitchens’ worktops will function as smart screen spaces, allowing users to examine recipe databases, watch chefs guide them through step by step instructions, weigh food, and access ingredient information. They can also make calls, broadcast TV, or access the wider Internet. All appliances will be solar-powered, and aligned with “Multi-R” thinking - Rethink, Redesign, Repair, Reuse, Remanufacture, Recover.
In a survey of 842 kitchen professionals across eight countries, 87% said that the kitchen would become more relevant as an activity and meeting place in the future, 81.5% think that it will incorporate dining/living room features, 92.3% agree that it will be used to get together with family.
Australian and Brazilian professionals agree that new cooking methods will be the most important development in these kitchens. British and Italian professionals prefer smart appliances, and Spain and the US place the most value on connectivity.
The report dives into detail on five key trends: connectivity and smart appliances, eco-efficiency and locally sourced products, the kitchen as a space for personal health and well-being, the kitchen as a multi-purpose emotional space for family interaction and leisure, and professionalism in the domestic kitchen. To download the full report, click here. To watch the 2017 Global Kitchen Video, click here.
