Expert opinions on interior design for the new year have been polled by the Observer, with all change expected for much of the house but not the kitchen.Laurence Pidgeon of design showroom Alternative Plans said that kitchens do not develop radically and would not be flocking to brash colouring, but simply become more developed.Smart design would triumph over dashes of style, he claimed, citing the growing popularity of technical items such as infra-red-controlled drawers and of smarter materials including eco-woods and artificial Zodiaq stone.He added that the kitchen was now a key showpiece in the house, suggesting that top sinks from Franke and Astracast could hold centre-stage, perhaps on increasingly popular kitchen islands.Elsewhere in the house, leading design trends were said to be favouring the eclectic and a brash mix of different periods and styles, while bathroom patterns, origami folds and jigsaw furniture were also tipped for success.And black was still back claimed a designer, while gold was also said to be making a breakthrough and could even penetrate the more conservative kitchen space through the rise of gold taps.