Are you looking to renovate, refresh or redecorate your kitchen in the new year? If you’re anything like us, you’ll have already spent hours on Pinterest pinning photos of the most inspiring designs, but how can you be sure your current taste is going match the biggest kitchen trends of 2018?

With over 20 million home décor ideas saved on Pinterest in the UK each month, kitchens comes out on top within the home inspiration category. So the team behind the platform has partnered with B&Q to determine the hottest kitchen trends for the new year by ‘analysing year-on-year search and save data combined with B&Q’s own sales insights.’

From colour schemes, to appliances and dream accessories, we’ve rounded up B&Q’s ‘must haves’ kitchen designs for 2018.

Unicorn inspired designs

Photo credit: B&Q

Last year Brits became besotted with a mystical, magical creature – an obsession that led to birth of the Unicorn Frappuccino, pastel hair, and unicorn tears ‘flavoured’ gin liqueur.

With the craze in full swing, consumers began to think of ways to introduce elements of the horse-like animal’s pastel mane, and bright white and gold accents of its horn and hooves into the home.

It then comes as no surprise that searches and saves for ‘pink kitchen accessories’ elevated by 234%, ‘pink paint’ boomed by 120%, ‘white cabinets’ rose 262% and ‘gold kitchen accessories’ by 235%’ on Pinterest in 2017.

Marketing Manager for kitchens at B&Q, Mike Lavers, has also seen the trend filter into the interiors market. ‘The hugely popular Unicorn craze is cantering into kitchens. Brits are embracing the theme and turning to glitter paint, gloss tiling and accessories like coloured glass tea lights to add extra sparkle’, he explains.

Lavers predicts that in 2018, we can ‘expect more people to experiment with these subtle colour schemes and introduce stand out furnishings to rejuvenate their kitchens.’

Touches of Morocco

Photo credit: B&Q

Traditional Moroccan patterns with intricate designs are set to be one of the hottest kitchen trends of this year. Inspired by warmer climates, using Moroccan-style tiles to create on-trend standout kitchen centrepieces will bring an exotic feel to your home.

Pinterest data tells us there has been a ‘128% rise in searches and saves for Morocco-led décor, with items like ‘Moroccan tiles’ (+71%) and ‘Moroccan splashbacks’ (+66%) all proving rich sources of inspiration.’

Mike Lavers foresees designs from international climates inspiring vibrant colour palettes in 2018. While ‘striking mosaic wallpaper and feature floor tiles will be hugely popular, along with other light Moroccan touches such as chunky wooden worktops, gold lanterns and pendant lighting.’

Getting back to nature

Photo credit: B&Q

When it comes to kitchen designs it seems that colour isn’t the only thing Brits are conscious about. As it’s now more achievable than ever to create an eco-friendly kitchen, consumers are thinking carefully about the environmental impact of their purchases.

Pinterest reported that searches and saves on sustainable terms such as ‘eco kitchens’ rose by 164%, while ‘Plywood’ increased by 139%.

Searches and saves for ‘organic materials’ boomed by 139%, suggesting that Brits are looking to infuse nature and incorporate the ‘eco look’ in their kitchen space.

B&Q have already seen a surge in sales in natural materials such as walnut worktops, concrete tiles and bamboo lighting.

Metallic touches

Photo credit: B&Q

2017 was all about bringing a touch of glamour into your kitchen with gold home furnishings, and in 2018 you can expect more of the same.

Metallics will return as one of the most prominent design trends of the year. The look will take on an ultra-modern, luxurious feel with big statement pieces like shimmering ceramic wall tiles and stylish statement lighting, to little touches like glitter paint and metallic plug sockets.

Pinterest has seen an increase of 235% for searches and saves of ‘gold kitchen accessories’, 187% for ‘gold cabinet handles’ and 59% for ‘gold taps.’

Future kitchens

Photo credit: B&Q

With breakthrough advances in home technology, the desire for ‘connected cooking’ continues to soar. And this year, integrated technology is set to play an even bigger role in the kitchen.

In 2018, we will our favourite kitchen appliances get ‘smarter’ in a bid to make our cooking experience a whole lot easier. For instance, smart oven models will be personalised to utilise built in cooking programmes and recipes that are managed remotely.

According to Pinterest data, searches and saves on other innovative kitchen gadgets like ‘hot water taps’ (+135%) and ‘smart kitchen appliances’ (+200%) will continue to grow in popularity in 2018.

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