Kelly Hoppen on kitchens

What does your kitchen look like? Do you cook?
"Ooh, that's a bit of a sore point. I do cook but I'm not somebody who can rustle something up quickly. My new kitchen is beautiful - it's a lacquered one in a mocha colour. I have shelves which I designed myself, and have all my plates out so you don't have to keep going into the cupboards. There's a lot of nickel, very cool appliances and one big centrepiece that people always gather around".

"It's actually hard to get people out of my kitchen which I think is a good thing. The heart of the home is the kitchen - it's where people tend to meet and cook and entertain, more so now than in any other room".

What are the latest trends in kitchen design?
"The latest trend in kitchens is to have a more eclectic look. It shouldn't all be so defined. With these very retro fridges, fridge drawers, cool coffee machines, it's a bit like buying a new car now. Your kitchen has to have cool appliances if you want to be trendy".

Everyone seems to be after an open-plan kitchen diner at the moment. What sort of design considerations should you make if you're thinking of going open plan?
"I think kitchens are much harder to design than people think. Even though I've been in the business for a long time, we always go to kitchen planners to help and to work with our clients. My daughter's always telling me when she goes into my kitchen that I've got the pans in the wrong place and you have to walk miles to get to my oven. The whole thing has to work and be easy".

"The statistics show (and I know from myself) that more and more people don't have dining rooms. They prefer to knock the wall through and have one massive room where people can eat and I think it's much chicer to have people around for a kitchen supper".

Do you have any tips on making a low-budget kitchen look more expensive?
"You can do that with the appliances and also the worktops. Go for inexpensive units and then spend your money on good worktops, good appliances and good lighting".

How can add your own stamp or personality to your kitchen scheme?
"Everyone has their own style and adding personality comes down to how you accessorise. You can have ten of the same kitchens in different houses and they'll all look different. It depends what you put your fruit in, what bowls you've got and how you decorate it".

"You can also put shutters up. We've just brought out a range of shutters for kitchens as an alternative to blinds or curtains which aren't very good with cooking smells".

Your design style normally favours neutral colours. What do you think about the bright coloured kitchen units around at the moment? Will they date?
"People always say to me that I never use colour but I do!"

"I think that because the kitchen is one of the most expensive rooms in the home, you're only going to spend the money once. If you haven't got a huge amount of money, you're better off going for neutral cabinets and then adding colour with fruit, vegetables, pictures on the wall, blinds or even the flooring. I would always go for neutral units".

What if space is limited in your kitchen?
"Write a list. It's very important that you know exactly what you need. If you haven't got space for a table and chairs you could have a flip-down with stools so you can squeeze in more people".

Kelly Hoppen has teamed up with Hotpoint to promote the Hotpoint Hot Style campaign. For more styling tips and information on how to make your kitchen the stylish hub of your home visit www.hotpoint.co.uk/hotstyle and be in with a chance of winning a £10,000 kitchen supplied by Magnet plus a collection of stylish Hotpoint appliances!