As the new year approaches, here are three kitchen trends to follow in 2012 Colours - simple middle tone colours are in creams, greys and light browns, with a splash of colour to provide contrast and personality to your kitchen. Colour can be provided by splashbacks, fronts and the kitchen sink. Using neutral tones gives you a relaxing space and adds value if you decide to sell. Materials - A new trend for 2012 is combining modern material materials with more traditional ones. Glass with stone, corian with wood, there are many possibilities. The combination gives you the advantages of the new materials hardwearing, flexibility of design and finish, with the reassurance of traditional materials. Lighting - LED lighting technology is enabling light to be used in ways that have been previously unconsidered. Use different layers of lighting ceiling, wall mounted, plinth, recessed, linear etc to create zones and atmosphere within the kitchen. The flexibility of LED lighting means you can create features as well task areas simply.