If Changing Rooms taught Britain anything in the late 90s, it’s that nobody was ever more than thirty minutes away from a terracotta feature wall and an unnecessary curve made out of MDF.
Overnight, the nation became gloriously obsessed with interior design. Kitchens were ripped out at alarming speed in favour of chrome handles, glossy cabinets and “cutting-edge” designs, and honestly, we ruddy loved every second of it.
The funny thing about kitchen trends, though, is that they never really disappear. They just calm down a bit, get better lighting and return twenty years later pretending they’ve matured.
At Lawcris, we spend a lot of time talking about surfaces, textures and trends, and one thing has become very obvious over the years … homeowners are still chasing the exact same feelings they always were. They want warmth, comfort, a bit of luxury. A kitchen that feels like the heart of the home rather than somewhere you reluctantly rush to make a mug of coffee before work.
The difference is how each generation chooses to get there. Take gloss kitchens. There was a time when the shinier your kitchen was, the more successful you apparently were as a human being. If sunlight bouncing off your cabinet doors had the potential to temporarily blind a guest, you were doing extremely well!
Then came the black granite phase. Suddenly, everyone wanted dramatic worktops, glossy slab doors and blue LED plinth lights glowing beneath the cabinets like the VIP section of a nightclub in 2004. Heavy surfaces became associated with luxury because they looked expensive, solid and permanent. Kitchens became statements. The louder the better.
What’s interesting is that none of those trends have actually disappeared. They’ve evolved. Gloss is still here, only now it behaves itself a little more. Instead of screaming for attention, modern gloss finishes are often used to add softness, depth and realism. Granite has gone through a similar transformation. People still love stoneinspired worktops, but the look has softened dramatically. The cold, mirror-polished black surfaces that dominated years ago have gradually given way to warmer stone effects, softer marbling and tactile matt finishes that feel calmer and more natural within a home.
The orange-toned wood effects of the 1970s may have disappeared alongside shag pile carpets and decorative flyingwall- ducks, but wood itself never stopped being desirable. We just became a bit more refined about it. Today’s walnut tones, natural oaks and synchronised textures feel warmer, more authentic and infinitely more sophisticated than the heavily varnished wood effects of decades gone by. Ironically, modern interiors are actually borrowing heavily from the past. Earthy tones are back. Texture is back. Warmth is back. We’ve essentially revisited the 70s, but this time with better taste and fewer velvet bar stools.
Even worktop thickness tells the story of changing trends. There was a time when chunky profiles dominated because thicker automatically meant more premium. The heavier the worktop, the more luxurious it appeared. Now, the opposite is often true. Slimline worktops have become one of the clearest indicators of contemporary kitchen design because they create cleaner lines, lighter aesthetics and a far more architectural feel.
Kronospan’s Finesse collection taps perfectly into that evolution. With over 58 decors available across square edge and round edge profiles, including slimline options, the range reflects exactly where kitchen design is heading. Realistic stone effects, warm woodgrains and tactile finishes give homeowners the softer, more natural look they are increasingly searching for, while still delivering the practicality modern life demands.
What makes the collection particularly interesting is how clearly it mirrors the recurring nature of trends themselves. Stone effects are back, but more relaxed. Woodgrains are back, but more authentic. Warm earthy tones are back, but with restraint. Even gloss survived, it just learned how to stop shouting.
Social media has accelerated this evolution massively. Customers now walk into showrooms with entire Pinterest boards saved on their phones. They already know the mood they want their kitchen to create before anybody has even discussed a door style. And in many cases, the worktop becomes the feature pulling everything together.
The challenge today is no longer getting people interested in interiors. Television sorted that years ago. From Changing Rooms causing a nationwide spongepainting epidemic, to Grand Designs convincing us all we needed oversized kitchen islands and structural glazing, media has spent decades shaping what people aspire to.
Now the focus has shifted towards authenticity. People want homes that feel personal rather than polished to within an inch of their lives. They want warmth instead of harsh minimalism. Texture instead of cold perfection. Kitchens that feel lived in, calming and welcoming rather than spaces that look too intimidating to butter a slice of toast in.
This is probably why trends never truly disappear. They just return slightly wiser. Unlike the decorative flying-wall-ducks. Thankfully, they can stay exactly where we left them.
