KITCHEN DESIGN TRENDS OF 2009.
Downturn Chic or Shabby Chic is the defining interior design trend for 2009, and is certain to affect the most important room in the house: the kitchen. When people are stressed or uncertain about their financial future there is a strong tendency to find comfort in the 'old certainties', with time-honoured traditional design elements coming to the fore. 'Mix and match' is bound to increase as people invest in antiques or quality pieces of furniture of recent manufacture.

Looking for comfort, and comfortable furnishings, householders will revert to 'old habits' and fill their spaces with gee gaws, trinkets and fussy throws. The clean almost antiseptic and industrial appearance so beloved of German kitchen designers may take a back seat in 2009 as traditional country kitchens made of wood - painted or unpainted pine, oak and maple - become popular again. The picture above is of Cabbage White in Midhurst 01730 814555.