There's no better time to choose a cutting-edge kitchen. Make sure yours is the coolest room in the house with seriously glossy units and top notch appliances, the latest worktops, sinks, taps and flooring.
(All prices correct April 2008).
Want to create the perfect contemporary kitchen? The way to go is luxury gloss and rich wood finishes and high-tech appliances. Key to the new look are wrap-around surfaces that link the splashback with the worktop and sink, and barely-there kitchens, where a bank of floor-to-ceiling cupboards makes up a wall of storage, leaving worktops uncluttered and avoiding wall units.
For appliances, you can take your pick from the look-at-me freestanding cookers and zingy acid-coloured models, or go for the cool built-in black versions with chic, minimalist appeal, clever, in-drawer dishwashers and de rigeur wine coolers.
If you have the space, an island unit is a must but, thanks to built-in appliances and units that use every inch of space, even the smallest kitchen can be the smartest room in the house.
£25,000, from Pronorm.
However, you can marry the two in one design, with the gloss giving you a wonderfully light and airy impression, thanks to its reflective qualities, while the rich texture and expense-account feel of the dark wood veneers add the luxury touch.
Look out for zebrano, American black walnut and Tabac oak. High gloss black and now even greys are glamorous, but watch out for the fingermarks. The aim is for a hideaway wall of storage that you can create with flat-fronted tall cupboards, building out a false wall around them so that their doors are flush with the new wall.
Unframed units seem almost to float, as there are no plinths or cornices to clutter up the look, and doors are flat, seamless and handle free. Find handle-less units at Roundhouse and Alno. Below the deck, go for wide drawer units, which make it much easier to access your pans and ingredients.
Despite the space they take up, they're becoming more popular as the kitchen becomes part of our living space. Not only can they provide extra storage, but islands will take a hob, sink and more, becoming a stand-alone mini kitchen. Poggenpohl's all-encompassing island has a hob, sink, oven, dishwashers and fridge. If you're putting in a wall of floor-to-ceiling cupboards, consider Bulthaup's steel multi-functional wall that protrudes from a bank of units and, since it's wall mounted, seems to hover above the floor.
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