Time is a strange thing, our lives are dictated by it and we seem to be locked into a constant battle with the clock. Time has the ability to change things, our priorities, our appearance, our sense of style and even our social position. Time also has the ability to change the one element that accompanies us through life’s ups and downs, the one constant variable that has provided us with a reassuring sense of place and has enabled us to provide daily sustenance for our family and friends. The Kitchen!

Kitchen design has evolved over time finding influence and purpose from humanity itself. There is an insatiable flow of inspired ideas and inventions driven by the desire to make things better than they have ever been before, more efficient, more technologically advanced and even more aesthetically pleasing. Humans design kitchens for human life-spaces so it makes sense that we have an innate desire to improve on what we already have.

Even the humble kitchen door handle has not escaped the march towards perfection becoming revolutionised into all sorts of ergonomically efficient and aesthetically pleasing shapes and sizes. The handle has even been designed right out of the kitchen equation providing a “Handle-less Kitchen” option and it seems ironic that the very thing that is no longer there is actually used to describe the finished product!

So is it safe to assume that this essential and sometimes underestimated component has the ability to define a design and even its designer. Can it also be assumed that the simple kitchen door handle is returning to the main stage and just as in Mark Wilkinson’s “Cooks Kitchen” design, is now making its presence felt and is turning back time in the process?

Carré from Ernestomeda celebrates the humble handle in a way not seen before. The integrated “handleless Kitchen” has become more design progressive by using an obvious recess that can be orientated in various asymmetrical formats in contrasting colours, adding functional artistic interest for the viewer. This is a fantastic development and is the latest stage along the evolutionary path of kitchen design. The handle itself can be created in no less than 230,000 shapes, sizes and colours, giving the end user and their chosen designer some room for self expression.

The level of choice here is amazing and you can easily create something that is personal to you that projects strongly into the surrounding space. Browns and latte colours present a safe combination reminiscent of 80’s style. Greens and blues offer a more striking arrangement bringing the kitchen back to the late 60’s and early 70’s…look at the patterned floor tiles in the image above…there is no polished porcelain to be seen as this type of recycled, fashionable style is on its way back!

The design is enhanced by considering that the modern kitchen is no longer an isolated space and the Carré range incorporates sociability along with some elements that would be more at home in the living room. There is great attention to detail here too when you consider how in image 3 the Blanco Cube tap profile matches that of the handle behind, and in the same image, the worktop cascades off the edge of the island flowing gently into a table.

Carré from Ernestomeda is time capsule kitchen concept that transcends generational fashion preferences and incorporates the best of modern kitchen technology. Looking at this range is like being given the power to see into the future by actually going back in time. Some of the ideas seen in these images will be finding their way into your home again soon!