Our kitchens are the workhorse of our homes, but this doesn’t mean they can’t feel luxurious and high-end. This is a memo that Rylan Clark certainly received, proven through his brand new sleek Howdens kitchen in his London home.
Some of the biggest kitchen trends for 2026 include recreating hotel-inspired spaces where our daily lives suddenly feel that little bit more special, and sleek kitchens are a great place to start.
‘I had been looking for a place in central London for a fair while, I’ve finally found it and I’ve got my dream kitchen,’ Rylan explains.
‘I wanted the kitchen to look like my favourite hotel suite, so I’ve gone for quite a gold-y colour, with neutral tones. The light changes on the kitchen cupboards throughout the day, sometimes they look satin and sometimes they look metallic and I love it.’
He opted for the Clerkenwell Metallic Bronze kitchen with Lamona appliances from Howdens – a super sleek handleless kitchen with a subtle metallic finish.
The kitchen layout has a standout island but features only bottom cabinets on one wall, ensuring that the worktops are the star of the show, rather than the subtle cabinetry.
‘I absolutely love the quartz worktops, there’s these gorgeous little reflective bits which capture the light, and it just screams luxury through and through,’ Rylan adds.
Statement stone worktops are a big kitchen trend for 2026 and while Rylan’s choice is less colourful than the Calacatta Viola Marble stone we’ve seen rise in popularity, his neutral worktops add to a luxe look. The kitchen island is wrapped in this stone in a waterfall style, making it the star of the show.
While worktops and cabinets form the foundation of the design, a kitchen isn’t functional without the right appliances. Rylan chose the Lamona hob with an integrated extractor fan so that the room wasn’t obstructed with a large overhead extractor fan, which helps to create a clean, premium hotel-inspired kitchen design.
‘I had this idea of having a tiered bar area in quartz to match the worktops and the design team from Howdens brought that to life,’ he adds. ‘I was adamant that I wanted to see the glasses and have it all illuminated and when I was walking round the Expo I saw those gorgeous black smoked glass cupboards, with wooden interiors and the glass all lit up, and I was like, I’m having that!’
If hosting is a big part of your life, or you just want fetching a drink to feel like you’re in your very own hotel, a small bar area is the ultimate way to level up your kitchen design.
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Kitchens need to be functional, but there’s no reason why we can’t bring our favourite hotel interiors to this hardworking space. It will make every rushed dinner time feel a bit more special.
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