As retailers of awesome kitchen ware, here at Silver Mushroom there is always a bit of a buzz in the office when it comes to finding out the latest kitchen trends and seeing the new products launched in conjunction with these. I have to confess I do have a nasty (and by nasty, I mean wonderful) habit of revamping my kitchen twice a year to keep up with changing trends. My excuse is that I like to test the products I work with, of course! The past few years have seen a lot of natural, neutral colours mixed with soft curves and natural wood, giving way to a bolder palette of deep plums, greens and other rich natural inspired shades, toward the end of 2014. Neutrals, naturals, rustic and soft. And, it’s been lovely. But every now and again, a new trend sneaks in that tips up the proverbial apple cart, and screams “Here I am, polish off your credit cards because it’s time to remodel the house!” Enter Autumn/Winter 2015’s industrial trend. Forget soft curves, forget off-whites and neutrals and definitely forget “pretty”. This season, and hopefully for the foreseeable future, it’s about metallics, open bricks, hues of grey, bold blacks and a strong industrial vibe that can look incredible in old or new kitchens.
If you’re thinking of having a new kitchen, this industrial trend may be a serious contender, but even if you just want to jazz up your accessories and add some super cool new pieces to bring your kitchen swiftly into 2015, there are some amazing new products out there this season that make a bold statement, look incredible and offer perfect functionality.
The beauty of the industrial trend is that metallics and greys in particular, can be incredibly versatile and there is a lot of choice of differing shades of grey and different metallic finishes, so there is something to suit all tastes, whether you want to go the whole hog: open brickwork, stainless steel counter tops, bold steel grey or black accessories, and dark wood, or you just want to bring in a touch of soft greys and warm rustic feeling copper into your existing kitchen.
This season at Silver Mushroom, we’ve hand picked some stunning new products that perfectly encompass the industrial vibe. Up at the top of our personal favourites is the wealth of copper accessories available at the moment. Now, obviously this is not the first time the copper trend has done the rounds (anybody see the kitchen in Downton Abbey?) and it will probably not be the last. Copper kitchenware is famed for its exceptional performance and quality. It’s no secret that copper is not cheap and a full set of pure copper pans could set you back a couple of month’s wages. But they’ll last you a lifetime, look incredible hanging on your wall or from a rack suspended from the ceiling, and will undoubtedly make you a better cook as copper is renowned for its excellent heat conductivity. However, this time around the copper trend is here as much for its aesthetics and style as for its performance, and instead of being used for high quality functional cookware, is now presenting itself in the form of tableware, mugs, coffee and tea pots and even cutlery. And the best part? They don’t have to cost the earth!
Our top five picks to fly the flag for copper products this season are listed below. So get yourself some open shelving sharpish, because these bad boys do not belong in the cupboard!
1. Master Class Artesa Copper Fondue Set: The ultimate in entertaining, the ultimate in super cool, industrial style, the ultimate gift. Could anybody honestly refuse?
2. La Cafetiere Pisa 8 Cup Copper Cafetiere: The stainless steel casing and borosilicate glass keeps the coffee hot, the copper casing looks awesome. You might not be able to read the name out loud, but who really cares when it looks this good?
3. Bar Craft Luxe Lounge Copper Cocktail Mugs: Ok technically two products but we couldn’t choose between them. In fact throw in the Bar Craft Copper Cocktail Shaker and you’ve got a party.
4. Master Class Artesa Copper Serving Bowls: Acacia wood bowl with copper coating. Simply stunning, and perfect for serving salads, storing fruit and conveniently leaving out on display to make your friends envious.
5. La Cafetiere Copper Coffee Grinder: Invite friends round for coffee. Show off!
On the cooler side of the industrial trend, is the hottest neutral around: grey! For a long time, grey has been getting a bad rep for being a sad, negative, even bland colour. Associated with dreariness, even labelled boring. The reality is quite the contrary. Far from being boring, grey is a calming, stable colour that rubs along nicely with any other colour on the spectrum without causing any bother. Exuding an air of sophistication and class where some bolder colours sadly miss the mark. Grey is safe, grey is cool, and grey is versatile. But don’t call grey boring!
Mason Cash have introduced some utterly delightful grey pieces lately, largely through the bold new Baker Lane range that was launched earlier this year. Inspired by the Industrial Revolution, this striking range offers an altogether darker and more intriguing feel than the pretty pastel bake ware of times gone by! A beautiful mix of cool pale shades, interspersed with dark steely shades and bold logos, this range made a huge statement when it was launched earlier this year, and we think it is set to be the number one range for Mason Cash this Christmas. The beauty of this particular range is that it has still held onto the Mason Cash tradition, the sturdy and reliable earthenware clay and the cute yet practical shapes that combine grace and grit so perfectly.
Kilner have also touched on the Shades of Grey phenomenon and launched their first ever ceramic storage jars in differing shades of, you guessed it, grey! Known for their glassware, this is a new string to Kilner’s bow, and one that we really hope to see a lot more of because these beauties are simply irresistible.
It really is hard to go wrong with this trend. You can ramp it up a notch by adding bold black pieces or you can soften it a bit with white. Warm it up with more spicy copper tones or add more icy shades of grey to chill it right down. More metallic finishes for those of you who love the contemporary, while the traditionalists amongst us may veer more to the ceramics and bare wood. This is a trend that manages to be unique, striking, resourceful and enchanting all at once, ticking all the boxes so to speak, and this is the beginning of a love affair that we think will last a lifetime.