What’s cooking in kitchens?
Simpler styling, hidden appliances and a bit of color to make life interesting, to name just a few things.
Here are the trends we found when we visited a few kitchen showrooms:
• Clean lines. Fancy is fading. Kitchens are moving away from ornate looks such as Tuscan and French country in favor of more transitional design, a trend some call “simplistic luxury.”
The move toward clean lines and less ornamentation is due at least in part to homeowners thinking ahead, said Debra Shababy of Studio 76 Kitchens and Baths in Twinsburg, Ohio. Many are looking toward selling their homes as the economy improves, and they want their kitchens to appeal to a broad range of buyers, she said.
• Built-in dining. Eat-in kitchens are still in demand, but where we do that eating has changed. The bar-style counter is still popular, but it’s giving way in many new kitchens to an extension of the counter that looks more like a table.
Sometimes the extension is counter height; sometime it’s higher or lower. What sets it apart from bar seating is that it’s designed so the diners sit around the edge and face one another, rather than sitting in a line.
The idea of trading a table for a counter extension makes some homeowners nervous initially, Kitchen Design Group’s Deanna Carleton said. But the setup has advantages: It saves space, the extension can do double duty as an extra buffet surface and the deep base that holds the countertop provides a good amount of storage.
• Safety and sustainability. More than ever, consumers are paying attention to the materials that go into their kitchens, Shababy said. She said many respond positively when she suggests cabinet finishes with low levels of volatile organic compounds, vapors that contribute to indoor air pollution. They also like cabinets that are joined with dowels instead of glues containing formaldehyde.
Safety features are popular, such as lockouts that prevent stove burners from being turned on accidentally and mechanisms that keep drawers and cabinet doors from slamming on little fingers, Shababy said.
And people are leaning toward energy-saving features such as LED lights, as well as natural products such as wood floors and stone countertops, she said.
Granite is still the top choice for countertops, especially since common types have become affordable for most people, the designers agreed. But quartz — stone chips mixed with binders and colorants — is coming on strong, they said.
• Lighting. Kitchen lighting isn’t just a matter of function anymore. It’s also an expression of personality, Carleton said. Hand-blown glass shades on pendant lights, contemporary drum shades and elegant chandeliers are all ways homeowners can infuse their style into a kitchen without making a big commitment. After all, it’s easier and cheaper to change lighting fixtures than it is cabinets or countertops.
Layers of light continue to be common in kitchen design — for example, a ceiling fixture combined with under-counter task lighting and ambient lights behind a glass-front door. LEDs are finding their way into the kitchen, mainly in under-counter lighting but also in recessed ceiling lights. They’re available in both cool and warm lights to fit different decors and preferences.
Article source: http://www.miamiherald.com/2011/05/22/2224931/new-recipes-for-updating-the-kitchen.html
