Drum roll, please. Despite the economic doom and gloom and the high-street’s ongoing struggle to pull in the punters, the kitchen industry has served up a bountiful banquet of premium products this year to entice the consumer back through the showroom door. A first-class menu, from outstanding ovens to select surfaces, has offered retailers opportunities in every sector of the market.

So raise a glass to our choice cuts of 2009 – groundbreaking, cutting-edge, and truly innovative products to feed the appetite of design-hungry, techno-savvy consumers. Perhaps 2010 doesn’t look too bad, after all!

Mass-market kitchen

METRIS WAVE ISLAND

Pitched squarely against the top-end German and Italian brands,the Metris collection from PWS has upped its designer looks even more with this unusual Wave island unit. It is made using the Metris 1200mm curved system, with the teardrop table at the far end of the wave providing a neat split-level dining area

Top-notch kitchens

STARCK BY WARENDORF

Philippe Starck has at last designed his first kitchen collection. It was Miele die Küche – soon to be renamed Warendorf – who successfully persuaded him. The result? Starck by Warendorf. Of four new kitchens by Starck, this is Duality – a combination of impact and functionality – and ideal for today’s open-plan living culture. Nothing is without purpose. For example, the dramatic  chrome trumpet-shaped legs aren’t just a pretty shape, they also conceal the plumbing and electrics. There’s clever stuff behind closed doors, too. Here appliances can be safely concealed behind closed doors after use, thanks to motors that dissipate any residual heat. It means the clean lines of the furniture aren’t compromised by visible appliances when they aren’t in use. Our kitchens will never be the same again

Sinks and taps

TRIFLOW BY ZAHA HADID

World-renowned architect Zaha Hadid shook up the brassware sector at the beginning of the year with her sculptural and über-sensuous kitchen tap for Triflow Concepts. In chrome, pewter and nickel finishes, the revolutionary design is fitted with Triflow’s three-way technology which has a touch-sensitive button to activate the filtered drinking water

Innovation behind closed doors

SERVO-DRIVE AVENTOS

Building on the success of its Servo-Drive electro-mechanical opening system for base units, nuts-and-bolts experts, Blum, replicated the winning formula for overhead wall cabinets at this year’s Interzum. It comes in four different formats – bi-fold lift, up-and-over lift, lift-up and stay-lift – and offers kitchen designers the opportunity to create an easy access but completely handle-free, streamlined design. Mechanical genius

Statement hoods

BLACK STREAM

Elica continues to wow and innovate with its gorgeous collection of designer-label hoods. And following in the footsteps of Gold Stream, Black Stream satisfies in both the glamour stakes and technology arena. The hand-blown, Venetian black glass ripples and shimmers for the ultimate touch of opulence, while the ‘Magic Wand’ remote control unit is edgy enough to satisfy every gadget freak. Glamour and technology unite

Dishy dishwashers

SN26T552GB DISHWASHER

Top marks go to the triple A-rated dishwasher from Siemens which uses the unique Zeolith mineral tech­nology for fast, eco-friendly drying. Zeolith is stored inside the dishwasher and absorbs the warm air during the drying cycle; it then releases heat energy to dry the dishes. There is one built-in and two new freestanding models boasting whisper quiet noise levels of 42 and 41dB respectively

Cool customers

DxD FRIDGE-FREEZER

Glossy black and super-glam, the DXD four-door fridge-freezer from Rangemaster offers great looks and great functionality in a really affordable price bracket. With two French-style fridge doors and two practical pull-out freezer drawers beneath, this striking and ergonomic appliance is packed with technical plus points including a water filter, Superfreeze function, ice dispenser and humidity controlled crisper drawers

Ingenious ovens

SLIDEAWAY DOOR

Chic, neat and space-saving, Neff’s unique SlideAway door fits smoothly under the oven, providing easier access to its interior. And to top it off, there are six models in the collection – one for each budget level

Material magic

ECO

Who could imagine that old glass, salvaged mirrors and broken sinks could be transformed into such a beautiful and utterly functional worktop? Eco by Cosentino is composed of 75% recycled materials and the rest natural stones and ecological resin, so it’s green credentials are up there, while its tough, non-porous qualities make it even more consumer-attractive. That’s before we even get into the sophisticated colour palette of White Diamond, Crystal Ash and Iron Ore…

Eco laundry

WT46W56OGB

Achieving the rare distinction of being A-rated for the entire life of the appliance, Siemens’ freestanding condenser dryer is claimed to use up to 40% less electricity than other top class A machines. It’s all made possible by sophisticated heat pump technology and a self-cleaning system to ensure constant drying results

Rather than having to delve deep to find 10 top-notch products, it’s been difficult whittling down the long list of aesthetic, functional and technical beauties that have floated our boats this year. Yes, from crystal-encrusted basins to blingy gold taps for the top-end bathroom, the industry is awash with long-lasting, canny products that look the part and perform brilliantly, too. So here it is, our pick of the bunch for 2009 – not just eye-candy for the discerning design-aficionados, but a whole host of lovelies covering every sector of the market

Innovative baths

383 WALK-IN BATH SHOWER

Dual-purpose bathing gets doubly stylish with Teuco’s 383 walk-in bath shower. Not only does it look the business, with its sleek design and bespoke front panel, but it is truly trans-generational. Yes, 383 – even the name reinforces the ‘inclusive’ message of being tailored for every age, from three to 83 – is perfect for all the family, with its full-length, easy access and leakproof door, low step, headrest and side seat

Shapely ceramics

FREEDOM BY ROSS LOVEGROVE

Homegrown designer du jour, Ross Lovegrove, teamed up with Vitra once again for their third creative fusion: Freedom. More like bathroom architecture than plain old ceramics, the asymmetrical silhouette of Freedom echoes Lovegrove’s design mantra of sculptural and organic shapes, transformed into futuristic sanitaryware. The result: pared-down beauty and luxe technology for 21st century ablutions

Wow factor showers

SUPERNOVA

Sculptural shapes and crystal-inspired surfaces – it has to be the über-luxe Supernova collection from Dornbracht. Designed by Michael Sieger of Sieger Design, it is available in chrome, platinum and champagne gold, and includes a full collection of matching brassware

Eco shower controls

ECOJOY

The Ecojoy range cuts water usage by up to 50% – with a flow rate of just 5.8 litres per minute – without compromising the enjoyment of the shower. Other products in the range include taps, showers, bathroom fittings and kitchen mixers for a full complement of eco-friendly, easy-on-the-eye fixtures

Brilliant basins

W+W BASIN

Eco-friendly, space-saving and slick, the groundbreaking, all-in-one W+W washbasin and WC wowed the crowds and notched up a Design Plus Award at this year’s ISH. Designed for Roca by Gabriele and Oscar Buratti, waste water from the basin is purifed and filtered into the cistern below to be reused in the toilet

Inspired enclosures

EMBRACE

Never one to rest on its laurels, enclosure manufacturer Roman has created a winning combination by teaming contemporary, frameless styling with the upcoming trend for decorative glass – as seen here on Embrace, its 8mm glass wet-room panel. The Embrace range of panels and enclosures also offers clear glass versions

Tip-top taps

AQUA JEWELS

Super-cool bathroom bling with designer-label credentials? It couldn’t really get any better than the glam Aqua Jewels brassware range designed exclusively by Dutch über-creative Marcel Wanders. The shimmering multifaceted gold finish and hefty diamond-shaped control of the monobloc basin mixer is really where it’s at

Head-turners

MIRA 360

Showering turns full circle with Mira’s ingenious 360 showerheads, offering clever four-in-one Flipstream technology. The showerheads offer four spray modes, selected by rotating the head 90°. Each quarter-turn ‘flip’ changes the spray pattern so users can enjoy ‘rain’, an invigorating ‘burst’, a full drench with ’storm’ or a luxurious ‘cloud’

Sparkling surfaces

STONE WORKTOPS

Full marks to the mid-market Utopia Bathroom Group that has extended its offer to include gorgeous 30mm polished granite and marble worksurfaces – all fabricated in-house. The solid surface newcomers are designed to complement Utopia’s new top-end Timber Collection of furniture. And guess what. Despite being a bespoke item, Utopia is still offering its usual lead time of 8 to 12 working days

Heatwave
FEATHER

As radiators transform into dazzling pieces of modern art, so ‘Feather’ from the Aestus Hotech collection, a new collaboration for 09, doesn’t disappoint. Made from 8mm-thick aluminium, the elegant feather radiator is shown here in a sultry, masculine black. Heating has never been so hot

2) Best brassware: PuraVida from Hansgrohe, a stunning white basin, bath and shower collection, and Grohe’s lime-green doughnut shaped Rainshower Icon showerhead

3) Best sanitaryware offers: VitrA’s assymetrical Freedom by Ross Lovegrove and Villeroy & Boch’s new romantic La Belle Collection featuring floral curves

4) Best baths: The playful Jolie from Italian manufacturer Regia which was a Design Plus Award winner at the show, and the Diamond bathtub inset with 104 STRASS Swarovski Crystals from Aquamass

5) Headturners: The Jungle Collection of snake skin-look ceramics from Ceramica Cielo and bling STRASS Swarovski Crystal encrusted gold taps from Fir Italia’s Glamour Style collection

6) Best party: VitrA Music and cocktails provided a rare sighting of British designer Ross Lovegrove and former UK md Levant Giray who has been conquering the US and is now tasked to return to Istanbul and put brassware firmly on the VitrA agenda

7)  Best product range: Brassware. A glittering array with a difference, from the HANSALATRAVA from Hansa which creates a blade of water effect, to V & B’s LaFleur collection available in a Champagne gold or chrome finish, and Samuel Heath’s Xenon Black collection

8) Definite trends: Combined basin with waterflow outlet. Take Il Bagno Bandini’s stunning Arya basin arrangement made from a single sheet of white Corian, or The Eumar Company’s Abisko washbasin which took centre stage on a rotating display

9) Baths doubling up as loungers: Duravit’s Sun Deck which is now available in bigger dimensions and with a pool system which maintains water temperature at a constant 38°C, and Kaldewei’s Relax Lounger

10) Furniture: Dansani’s Zaro furniture range which is available in a velvety black rubber finish and Burgbad’s gently curved Elena range in high-gloss white, black or cappuccino

This is just an appetiser…

Colour-wise:
think a gold revival, think white where you just wouldn’t expect white – like stunning taps; think lime green and purple showerheads; and think black. Now try and imagine animal print ceramics. Not for everyone certainly, but a window display show stopper nevertheless.

Shapes:
asymmetrical sanitaryware – wow; flower-influenced basins;  oval baths, an award-winning red jelly-look bath; LED-lit baths.

Brassware trends:
all of the above from colour to shape, with a mass of slimline faucets, and a definite move to waterfall performances in both basins and baths. Bath overflows are either shrouded in nearly invisible self-coloured tones or non-existent with either hidden water sensors or byseparate electronic controls.

Showers:
slim and sleek or massive overhead drenchers, while enclosures divided between frameless with new door arrangements, and something of a crusade towards yesteryear’s love of patterned shower door designs – albeit some were decidedly pop arty.