La cuisine

Carol O’Callaghan says the kitchen is the hub of any house so make sure the look works for you

Oak kitchens need not be chunky and heavy on the eye. Simple Shaker-style design, contemporary black surfaces and glazing detail make it thoroughly modern (Hamilton oak from €7,000 at O’Driscoll Kitchens)

Not in the market for a new kitchen? Be daring with your plain white units and try vibrant wall colour, blending rich and warm with cool and light (Dulux green 70GY 73/124, plum 78RR 06/137 €53.99 for 5ltrs at Pat McDonnell Paints, Woodies, Atlantic Homecare)

Follow the trend for strong colour and make a statement with your kitchen design (high gloss red, eight units €3,338 at B&Q)

Retro-style avocado green is contemporised and diluted with plenty of white (Faktum Abstrakt kitchen €3,030 at Ikea)

It’s been a national obsession, that of acquiring a statement kitchen, even for those whose idea of cooking involves piercing the lid of a ready-meal and incinerating it in the microwave. But the kitchen is the hub of any house, and maybe it has something to do with another Irish obsession, that of insistent hospitality in the aw, go-on, go-on, go-on fashion, that will comprise, as a minimum, a cup of tea and a biscuit. Or is it a throwback to a time when everyone ate, lived, fought, cried and socialised in the kitchen, and very often scrubbed off the week’s grime in a tin bath on Saturday night in front of the fire? It’s less tin baths and more power-showers we have our sights on these days. In the kitchen it’s all about stainless steel fronted appliances, high gloss cabinetry, exotic hardwoods and hand-painted finishes, with an emphasis on straight lines and a minimalist touch that took the character out of the heart of the home for many years. Now it’s softening somewhat, if only by a splash of colour that brings a touch of retro nostalgia into the space. Domestic gods and goddesses and even the rest of us domestically challenged mortals know the fundamentals of a good kitchen. Storage and conveniently positioned appliances are key, followed by sufficient room to manoeuvre around, but not so much space that you feel you’re spending the day walking a marathon back and forth between the sink, fridge and stove. Do consider what traffic will be like in the space. Are there small children and their sticky fingers to contend with? If so a hand-painted kitchen may not be as easy to maintain as a pvc, glossy and easy to wipe finish. Older users may need appliances at a particular height to minimise stretching and bending.

Work surface is an increasing priority, taking over from the large scrubbed wooden table of old, where all food preparation would have been done, pastry rolled out and meals served. But it may not be possible to have enough work surface around the perimeter walls when our ever-growing collection of kitchen wizardry occupies so much of it. Consider a kitchen island or even a peninsula — a stretch of counter jutting into the room from the wall — which can also function as a breakfast bar and even a room divider.

Add the in-vogue open-plan arrangement of kitchen, dining, living and you’re definitely in the market for the latest kitchen kit, unless you want your space to be an incoherent jumble of furniture and finishes. Consider what free-standing furniture you already have in the living and dining areas and use at least a colour or texture from there as the basis of your kitchen finish or vice versa. Otherwise opt for a completely neutral look in your new kitchen, so whatever else you have in the overall space won’t jar on the eye. Also consider how your chosen style will date, so you won’t tire of the look in five years time.

* Next week we’re going up the walls with papering