The fun kitchen essential our editor swears by - it's got Sophie Ellis Bextor's stamp of approval too

The kitchen is often an overlooked space in terms of home decor. After all, although it's a hosting space for many, most of the planning process revolves around the practicalities of day-to-day life, like cooking, taking a coffee break or getting the homework done. But the days of all function no fun are over with the rise of the kitchen disco – and it might just be the most fun kitchen idea that we've seen for some time!

We can’t talk about kitchen disco without mentioning Sophie Ellis-Bextor and her Instagram lives showing her and her family dancing the night away during the Covid lockdowns. After all, these helped kickstart the idea into trend status.

The disco ball seems to be one of the hottest Christmas ideas for this year as we’re seeing mirror ball-shaped Christmas ornaments everywhere from the John Lewis Beyond Christmas Mirror Ball Bauble to the Marks & Spencer Disco ball Tree Topper. But why a mirrorball is for life, not just for Christmas. So why not have an actual disco ball installed as part of your kitchen decor, transforming your kitchen into a dancefloor? Let’s get this party started...

The kitchen disco trend

The beloved 70s motif - the disco ball - is having a comeback in perhaps the most unexpected of places - the kitchen. And yet it makes so much sense when you think about it. Ideal Home’s Editor, Heather Young, has had hers long before we were introduced to Sophie Elllis Bextor’s kitchen disco concept. And she swears by it!

‘We've had a disco ball in our kitchen since before lockdown - it was hung on a battery-operated motor I bought on Amazon,' Heather explains. 'I love playing music at home (for me it's a great stress-buster), and my kids and I would often enjoy a kitchen disco when they were younger.’ 

‘When we renovated the kitchen in our new home at the end of last year, the first thing on my wish list was a fully wired-in disco ball (complete with spotlight for max twinkle). It caused great amusement with all the tradesmen, but I absolutely love it.'

'Now that my kids are teens they're less keen on joining me for a kitchen disco, but it's great when we have friends over and if I open the sliding doors out to the garden, the light reflects onto the patio as well so it adds such a fun vibe for summer parties.’

The trend is linked to the rise in popularity of home entertaining, as pointed out by interior designer Juliette Thomas. ‘With more homeowners choosing to entertain at home, it’s great to see a touch of nightclub glamour being mixed into our interiors. Homeowners can wine and dine their guests before dancing the night away under a disco ball.’

With the mirrorball trend becoming more and more prominent, you can now even find kitchen companies such as deVOL and Smile Kitchens including them in their brand imagery.

Jane Thyeson, design lead at Smile Kitchens, says that the kitchen disco trend is about more than just disco balls. ‘Party-themed elements and disco balls have certainly been cropping up within the kitchen more and more of late, we can thank Sophie Ellis Bextor for that!'

'However, the essence of the disco kitchen is about more than just disco balls,' explains Jane. 'It centres around creating spacious, sociable areas to dance with friends, incorporating drinks cabinets to get the party started and plenty of practical storage for hosting, something we always advise our customers to consider when creating such a space.’

‘With the rise in home entertaining, our living spaces are embracing a playful spirit,' continues Jane. 'Disco balls, neon signs, maximalist art, and eye-catching sculptures are taking centre stage, infusing homes with joy and conviviality. It's all about creating a sociable space to kickstart the party.’

So even if disco balls are not your thing, you can embrace the kitchen party spirit in other ways. But we stand behind the disco ball! And, more realistically, below it, dancing the night away just as Barbie and Dua Lipa would have wanted.