We've been inundated with modern kitchen designs in recent years as the room becomes the heart of the home and the place where cooking, socialising and technology collide.

But it seems homeowners are feeling a little nostalgic these days and are reverting to a simpler time when kitchens were a little more rustic and homey.

Oliver Kearin, managing director of the Freestanding Kitchen Company, said he is seeing a move away from the high-end, high-gloss kitchens that have proved so fashionable.

Now, people are looking at solid wood units and seeking out the kind of kitchen furniture they used to purchase in the past.

This doesn't mean they're travelling back in time. Homeowners still want ease of use, they still want flexibility and they still want modern technology. They just want their kitchens to look and feel a little more substantial and less space-aged.

"A lot of things like pull-out units which would have been very popular five or six years ago, have been replaced by a larder with solid wood interior," Mr Kearin explained.

"Instead of having some large pull-out metal work, they would much prefer to have something a bit more tangible than is found in the more modern kitchen."

If you're thinking your kitchen could do with a makeover and you're leaning towards solid wood units and a larder, rather than high-gloss cabinets and hundreds of gadgets on show, you'll need to think about everything, including your kitchen taps.

Your rustic kitchen illusion could be shattered if you fit a tap fixture with an overly contemporary appearance. Tessa kitchen mixer taps with pull out hoses could therefore be ideal. They give you all the modern flexibility of a pull out hose and drip-free technology with a sleek yet somewhat more traditional look.

Other small design elements you may wish to consider are your cabinet door handles and your lighting, as both of these can play a major role in the overall look of your kitchen.