Hello!
2024 is well underway and it’s time for the Autumn edition of the Harrington Kitchens newsletter and our quarterly update.
Typically, Australian summers can be notorious for relentless natural disasters. While our most recent summer wasn’t without incident, we are thankful that things were generally a little less impactful across our state than in previous years. There was definitely still some fire and a lot of rain, both here in New South Wales and across the country. Our thoughts are with those that have been affected and we hope that they are recovering and getting back on their feet.
Despite the challenges for some in our wider community, closer to home it is great to see the positive impacts of the unseasonal rainfall in all of the vibrant green trees and grass, something that we wouldn’t usually see at this time of the year.
Something else that impacts us all, is interest rates. No doubt it is a welcome relief for many to have the cash rate remain stable for the past few months. I’m sure we’d all prefer to see them drop, but to focus on the positive, at least it isn’t going up!
Australia’s Ban on Engineered Stone
In significant building news, you may have heard towards the end of last year that Commonwealth, state and territory governments unanimously agreed to prohibit the use, supply and manufacture of all engineered stone. In NSW the ban will come into effect on 1 July 2024. The ban has been put in place because it has been found that the silica dust that is generated during the process of manufacturing engineered stone has different physical and chemical properties that likely contribute to more rapid and severe disease.
It is important to note that engineered stone products do not pose a safety risk after installation in your home or workplace as long as they remain undisturbed. Health and safety risks may arise if silica dust is generated during any modification, repair or removal work. Arrangements will be put in place for safely working with legacy products (those that were installed before the ban comes into effect).
The good news is that innovation within the engineered stone industry means that all of the major stone manufacturers have already developed a NO SILICA engineered stone product. This is exciting for those who love the look and feel of stone products in their kitchens. It means they will continue to have a number of safe product options to choose from when it comes to incorporating a beautiful stone look product in their home. At this stage we expect the new no silica engineered stone products to be available from around April or May this year.
Recent Kitchens Trends
When it comes to kitchen trends, nothing is more popular at the moment than fluted timber highlights. These feature embellishments are the perfect way to add level of intricate detailing to your kitchen space. Our clients are choosing to add them to island backs, around rangehoods and on feature walls too. We’re utilising fluted timber highlights in one of the new kitchens in our Narellan showroom too, so you’ll be able to see that up close very soon!
Narellan Showroom Update – We’re Almost There!
On that note, our Narellan showroom upgrade is progressing really well. We are very excited to show you what we have been working on and hope that you’ll find some inspiration when you are planning your new kitchen. We are expecting to have it all complete and ready for visitors in about 6 to 8 weeks. The main thing that is holding us up is that we needed to wait to see (and select!) the silica free stone options that will be available so that we can be sure to include some examples of these in our new kitchen displays. We have now selected the benchtops and will wait eagerly for them to arrive. So, all going to plan, by our Winter newsletter in 3 months time we’ll be able to welcome you all with open arms to our new Narellan showroom and our amazing new kitchens.
In this Edition…
In this edition of “Meet the Team” we’ll introduce you to Angela Wilkins. Angela is an integral part of our accounts and administration team.
We’ve got some great articles for you. We take a look at our designers tips and insights into what they believe are key considerations when it comes to Luxury, High End Kitchen Designs in Sydney. If you’re planning a new kitchen, you should read Elevate Your Kitchen with These Simple Kitchen Decorating Ideas where we highlight the significant design and decorating elements that can help to inject plenty of personality and character into your space. The featured kitchen, with 2 huge island benches, is absolutely stunning! You simply MUST take a look at the Stunning Dramatic Two-Toned Kitchen.
With all the exciting changes and trends happening in the kitchen industry at the moment, we are certainly looking forward to helping our clients to create an amazing kitchen that is as unique as they are.
We invite you to visit our online gallery where you can see gorgeous examples of our recent kitchen projects. Be sure to get in touch with the Harrington Kitchens team by calling us on 1300 662 112 or you can book a consultation via our website.
We look forward to speaking with you soon and helping you turn your dream kitchen into reality!
Warm regards
Mark Clarke
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