From boiling taps to wireless chargers built into work surfaces, there is a host of clever products designed to make life easier – and just a bit more fun.
Over the past few years, there has been a surge of automated products all designed to make our busy lives easier.
The kitchen is the heart of the home, so it is no surprise that a whole range of gadgets and advances in home tech revolve around the things we enjoy most — cooking, eating, and spending time with family and friends.
One of the most popular innovations has been boiling taps. In fact they are becoming a must for many clients. Gone are the standalone boiling taps; now we see 3-in-1 (hot, cold and boiling), 4-in-1 (hot, cold, boiling and filtered cold) or 5-in-1 (hot, cold, boiling, chilled filtered and chilled filtered sparkling) taps. So much functionality at just the touch of a button. True boiling taps like Quooker store water at 108 degrees C so it’s always ready for that perfect cup of tea. But there are so many other ways a boiling tap offers convenience – filling the pasta pan, rinsing rice, sterilising jars, skinning tomatoes all made simple with boiling water on tap – a must try.
Boiling taps save a huge amount of energy and water too, as there is no overfilled kettle boiling more than you are going to use. And when it comes to filtered and sparkling water, there’s no plastic bottle waste and no lugging bottled water home from the supermarket, just gently sparkling or still filtered water, literally on tap.
Your guest is invited in, asked if they would like a coffee . . . and with a boiling tap installed, making a hot drink is so simple – with water simmering just under boiling point available instantly. The uses do not end with hot drinks – sterilising babies’ dummies, even removing dripped candle wax just became easier with near-boiling water on tap.
A new innovation is the entertainment tap – bespoke and standalone, with its own font, set in a worktop or island, which offers boiling, chilled, sparkling or ambient water at the push of a button.
Both options also save water and energy, as there is no longer a need to run a hot tap or bring water to the boil – providing style and efficiency!
Coffee machines, warming drawers, waste disposal units and pull-up sockets can also be built into most kitchens, while pull-out bins and larder cupboards make the most of available space.
So many of us live our lives via our smartphones – they have become a necessity rather than a luxury in such a short period of time. So it makes sense that you would want your phone close to hand at all times, even when cooking a delicious supper or enjoying a mid-morning latte.
One clever solution is offered by DuPont – a wireless charger seamlessly built into a Corian worksurface. A resonant charge sends energy over a short distance, enabling the user to simply place their phone on the worksurface ‘hotspot’ to power it up.
Surely that’s one advance in kitchen technology which is a great call?
The one thing that everyone wants from their kitchen is to make the most of what kitchen space they have be it large or small, so storage solutions within the furniture is so important. There is a balance between using every inch of space and making it accessible but the ‘Le Mans’ corner unit seems to have made that awkward corner one of the most favoured units in any kitchen. With its wide door and pivoting supports, the Le Mans trays bring everything out of the cupboard. Wall units too have pull down storage to maximise usability.
Pull-out larders, swing out pantries and a tall series of internal deep drawers are amazing options for food storage, whilst the crockery pegboard is a must for any dinner service. And don’t forget the pantry – double doored or bifold, opening up to a stunning display often used for breakfast things including the coffee machine or even kitted out as a bar.
Pull-out bins in a dedicated unit have got recycling just where we want it – hidden and contained. But in a Kitchensmiths’ kitchen the possibilities are endless.
