Purist, elegant looking front and worktop materials and slimline drawer systems are the new design trend. Premium manufacturers like Nolte Küchen, Sachsenküchen, Pronorm, Beeck and Poggenpohl were the pioneers - now, launching the nBOX drawer system, global player nobilia is heralding a new design era with a slender drawer side profile. At just 10.7 mm, the nBOX drawer side profile comes with minimalist aesthetic appeal. Material slenderness not only gives kitchens an elegant, light and airy look, it also means more space inside the drawer for the user. By the same token, worktops are also slimming down and taking on more vibrancy. Natural stone in all its facets and colour ways - notably marble - dominates the scene in worktop materials. Recycled natural stone is also an option for the worktop. Yet beside all the purism, homeliness too is a growing kitchen feature: delicate designs are paired with rounded contours on kitchen islands, tall units and shelf elements as well as with textured surfaces. Warm and calming wood tones such as light oak are combined with silk matt natural and pastel shades. Black is now taking more of a back seat and preferably combined with light tones. The sense of homeliness is underscored by the trend towards living in interwoven spaces and by bringing kitchen cabinetry more in line with furnishings in the rest of the home. Accent features in gold, copper or stainless steel add touches of extravagance. Customisation is becoming increasingly important in kitchen design. To this end, many brand manufacturers like Pronorm, Eggersmann and Rational are utilising the creative potential offered by Hettich AvanTech YOU drawer system.

Design highlights that can swivel
Küchenmeile visitors were left is amazement by the swivelling tall units and kitchen island corner cabinets presented by manufacturers such as Beeck Küchen and SieMatic. These exclusive solutions are based on the innovative FurnSpin turning swivelling fitting from Hettich. Storage space is used here in a surprisingly different way and given a completely unique design because FurnSpin rolls two pieces of furniture into one. A quick turn of the hand transforms the closed furniture front into an open shelf element. In its new S2 Next Generation kitchen line, SieMatic even presented a swivelling Secret Space tall cabinet with elegant lighting. Turning the tall unit to the open position automatically switches on an LED light strip that's vertically integrated in the frame.

User convenience no finer
Kitchen appliances are getting smarter all the time. For instance, the latest refrigerator from Samsung uses AI to identify the food that's put in and taken out again. On this basis it suggests recipes on the display or, via app, sends the shopping list to your mobile phone. All very convenient. At the same time, users are placing growing expectations on the ergonomics of kitchen appliances and their ease of use. With its fitting solutions, Hettich can offer both. V-Zug uses the ComfortSwing lift system in its dishwashers, for example, to raise the bottom rack to the height of the top one, making the filling and emptying process all very easy. As such, there were all sorts of exciting discoveries to be made at Küchenmeile – from unexpected practical convenience and new design standards for drawers to innovative furniture solutions.

Hettich offers a guide through the 2024 Küchenmeile trends and innovations in a video and invites interested parties to the Hettich Forum in Kirchlengern to see the solutions live: https://web.hettich.com/en-de/inspiration/furniture-and-interior-trends