Neil Horton, Bushboard‘s commercial director for the UK and Europe, looks at work surface inspiration for the rest of 2018.

The standout trend with consumers for 2018 is ‘thin’, and it will remain this way for the foreseeable future.

Financially unpredictable times bring conservative, classic choices to the fore as customers seek value and longevity.

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Pictured – Neil Horton, commercial director of Bushboard

Examples like Graphite Oak and Stamford Oak with end-grain square edging meet the demand for an artisanal style that says country but not twee.

Favoured colours in kitchen furniture are predicted to be soft greys, blue greys, white and naturals, with stainless steel continuing to lead in appliances.

Trend influences

Clutter-free kitchens with large areas of clear and textured worktops and the ‘must-have’ breakfast bar.

Many consumers want to achieve the luxury look they see in films, on TV and on social media, but they don’t have the required budget.

Bushboard Stamford Oak from the Omega collection

However, manufacturers in all sectors of the kitchen market have risen to this challenge, emulating the upper levels of design at a fraction of the cost.

In the worktop area, brands like our own also offer clear benefits over real stones, marbles, solid woods, concrete, steel, or copper – not just the cost savings.

Looking back

The last few years have seen the favourite colour combinations be cream, white or ivory units teamed with dark wooden flooring and dark coloured tops, perhaps with a splash of orange, copper, blue or red.

Standard worktops are 40mm thick, but deeper materials gave tops the chunky look of being 600-1000mm, or even 1500mm thick.

The future is here

This year customers want far thinner worktops, with empathetic textures that remind them of nature, in more subtle colours with marble-type veining and lightning details.

There is still significant demand for surfaces with sparkle, but natural veining that is less densely patterned than marble.

The Evolve super-slim solid core from Bushboard, shown here in Lightning Greystone

Different shades of white, grey, and sepia browns are tipped as a top trend. Thickness could be anything from 22m to 12.5mm.

For 2018/19, texture, as well as slim dimensions and subtle colourways, are top predictions, as well as a break away from perpetual granite in favour of marbles and marble-esques.

Consumer spending may show signs of weakening in kitchen furniture sales, but laminate worktops continue to do well through all channels.

This is because they offer consumers a unique opportunity to enhance, update and prolong the working life of their kitchen at an affordable cost, in a straightforward way.

Bushboard were recently acquired by the US-based Wilsonart Group, so we spoke to Neil Horton about what that meant for the company moving forwards.