Home Tech Week - Wall of technology – the 21st-century kitchen

Michael Wright, of Michael Wright Kitchens and Interiors says: "There are so many appliances and gadgets to be found in kitchens now, clever designers will choose their location very carefully.

"Having a ‘wall of technology' not only looks amazing, it ticks all the boxes for practicality. It also puts an end to much of the usual kitchen clutter, seamlessly incorporating everything from a fridge freezer to a wine cooler, oven, grill, microwave, coffee machine, steam oven and warmer drawer. Yes, some kitchens will have all of those!

"The wall of technology approach ensures all the wiring is concentrated in one area, which makes for an easier job for your electrician and delivers a cleaner, smarter-looking room. More importantly, though, for the busy cook, everything is in one place. There is less running backwards and forwards between appliances spread around a room.”

Michael has the following suggestions for arranging appliances…

Consider having your hob and extractor set on a floating wall panel, possibly in a contrasting colour. This is an easy way to hide away any wiring or other utilities and the panel doubles as a giant splash-back.

Your bank of electrical appliances look very striking when they are all set on one wall.

Cluster your appliances by type - place your ‘hot' appliances (oven, combi, steam oven and warmer) together and your ‘cool' appliances (fridge, freezer, wine cooler) too. You may want to incorporate some integrated appliances within the wall for visual contrast.

Consider the ideal height for each appliance and plan your wall accordingly. Avoid having to lift a heavy casserole down from an eye-level oven if you can. Consider raising your dishwasher off the floor - stacking and unloading is so much easier if you don't have to keep bending down.

One potential downside to the wall of technology, however, is all those digital displays with their 24-hour clocks. Synchronising the time on them all can be a labour of love and if you don't get it right, that minute's difference can prove very distracting!