WA Special Needs Children's Christmas Party - 2nd August 2011

Function & Form is proud to announce that it will be supporting the WA Special Needs Children's Christmas Party this year. The party is aimed at children who have special needs and are suffering from life threatening illnesses. The event will take place on Sunday 13th November 2011 at the Herb Graham Recreation Centre in Mirrabooka starting at 10am. This unique event aims to provide these special children with one of the happiest days of their life.

Latest Trends in Kitchen Renovations - 10th May 2011

Renovation is fast becoming a national pastime as we look to upgrade our homes to create more space, convenience and functionality. The kitchen is often number one on any renovators checklist, given that it is typically the heart of any family home. A number of themes characterise the contemporary kitchen, with seamless integration perhaps the most obvious visual evidence of this. But what other boxes do you need to tick to realise a truly modern, contemporary kitchen?

Design
Kitchen design is being influenced by the move to a more unified indoor/outdoor space that encompasses kitchen, living, dining and BBQ area. Jenny O’Connell from Taste Living says, “One should not view kitchen design in isolation; rather they should reflect your lifestyle and personal style while working harmoniously with other spaces - even outdoor areas.” For the practical nuts and bolts of layout there are basically two options – working within the scope of the current floor plan or extending the house to accommodate your new vision. “I would suggest prospective renovators really think about how they use their kitchens and not to be too committed to what they think a kitchen should be like. Explore all possibilities and find a designer that really takes the time to understand your lifestyle requirements.”

Functionality Rules
When it comes to kitchen hardware, effortless functionality is an overriding requisite for the modern home. As Alicia Draper from Blum explains, “It is all about making not only your kitchen, but your home work for you. The trend is definitely toward integrated kitchen and living areas driven largely by our busy lifestyles that have forced us to open our homes to create more interaction.” Soft closing drawers and touch-to-open cupboards, once considered luxury items, have become a feature homeowners now expect. In addition, the seamless appearance is emphasised by the use of cabinets throughout the entire home, with streamlined clean surfaces that boast customised storage solutions.

Benchtop Glamour
In certain circles, benchtops can generate as much conversation as house prices, with a healthy rivalry running between natural stone, engineered stone and laminates. All have their pros and cons, though engineered stone looks to have captured the high ground for the moment with its slight edge in all round durability and range of design options.
Belinda Kelaher from SmartStone extols the virtues of this low maintenance surface: “An engineered stone surface is a highly practical addition to any kitchen, easily cleaned with warm, soapy water and a soft cloth. Otherwise if you avoid high impacts and keep industrial strength chemicals away your engineered benchtop should comfortably outlast the rest of your kitchen.”

Colour Inspiration
Besides ample bench space you need a tempting colour palette that matches your décor and accessories, according to Dulux’s leading colour forecaster Andrea Lucena-Orr. “Kitchens continue to use natural materials such as composite stone, granite and timber. Therefore the majority of kitchens with these natural elements tend to use neutral and whites,” Andrea explains. The white kitchen is definitely in and with good reason!  White is easy to pair with any colour, so it gives you the freedom to play with anything on the palette and express your individuality. Paint is also an affordable way to express yourself and can also introduce some much needed colour into this space.
Andrea suggests sourcing inspiration from inside and outside the home, with flower petals and leafy greenery some of the more obvious accessible sources. “Splashbacks are one way of introducing colour into a kitchen - coloured glass splashbacks are still very popular and stronger colours can be seen here, with red, warm browns and yellow/greens popular. You can also add a stronger colour to an adjacent wall to bring out a particular shade from the kitchen surfaces.”

Reference: www.hipages.com.au

What Function & Form are noticing as the latest trends in cabinetwork

• Less visible drawers by using inner drawers to streamline the kitchens appearance
• Appliance roller doors are dead and we have always hated them. Instead use BLUM Aventos HL lift doors to conceal the appliance area. Another option is to use pocket doors or sliding glass doors.
• Lincoln Group have released a new range of melamine and laminate products which look similar to some of the Laminex and NAV sandblasted veneer products. These new products are harder wearing, have faster delivery times and are substantially cheaper in cost. This means you can have the expensive look but at a fraction of the cost.
• More designers and architects are opting for 0% gloss finish on veneer doors. This is a trend that is currently popular in Italy.
• Natural stone benchtops (ie, granite, quartz, marble, etc) are on the way back in. These are being used alongside solid surface materials like Caesar Stone with the natural stone being used as a feature for the island bench whilst the Caesar Stone is used around the sink and hotplate due to their ability to withstand staining.
• Varying thicknesses are being used on benchtops ranging from 20mm - 100mm. This gives the kitchen more visual interest and stronger lines.
• Round LED and LV downlights are being replaced by recessed LED strip lighting. Diffusers are a must to give a soft light rather than dots of light that LEDs can produce.
• Hidden appliances: not only fully integrated fridges, freezers and dishwashers but now ovens are being hidden by pocket doors to create an even sleaker look.
• Scullerys and wet kitchens are becoming increasingly popular. Not only a great place to put all the dirty dishes whilst entertaining but is also a good place to hide the fridge.