By Marsha Fottler –
Next to the master bedroom, the kitchen is the largest room in the average size American home, coming in at 300 square feet in a 2,500-square foot new home. The kitchen – unquestionably the most important gathering place in the home – takes up about 11 percent of the space in a dwelling.
The kitchen is the room most often remodeled and it’s the room that usually “sells” a home to a prospective buyer. No surprise that it’s the room that product designers, interior designers and space planners spend a lot of time contemplating because they know homeowners will spend money on their kitchens to make them ever more beautiful and efficient.
Every year brings fresh trends to the kitchen and reinforces ones that have held on to popularity for the past five years. Here are some you’ll want to know about and perhaps incorporate into your kitchen.
The all-white kitchen that includes white Carrara or Calcutta marble counters is a big trend. Marble used to be a risky choice for kitchen counters because it stains so easily. But, new sealers (that you apply yearly) have reduced vulnerability. White marble in the kitchen in highly desirable and says luxury.
Butcher block is back for counters, especially on center islands. In a rustic/industrial kitchen homeowners are pairing butcher block with stainless counters. Professional chefs and serious home cooks love butcher block.
One big extra-deep sink instead of double sinks. Farmhouse sinks remain popular in both white and stainless steel.
The kitchen faucet is the new statement piece in the kitchen. It should be big, glamorous and perform many functions. It’s performance art.
Double wall ovens in a tower that includes a microwave and warming drawer are important in the trendy new kitchen. If one oven is convection and one is traditional, so much the better.
Painting your kitchen ceiling anything but white is trendy. Metallic reflective surfaces overhead are popular and wallpaper on the ceiling is highly prized right now. The new papers are durable, washable and highly textural. It’s a real glamor feature.
Open shelving integrated into a scheme that has some closed cabinetry and some glass-front cabinetry is the look most homeowners want. Glass-front cabinets should be lit inside with LED lights.
Banquette seating in the breakfast area is a continuing trend. Upholstered is best. A favorite with families, couples and singles. Banquettes are really in high demand.
Built-in coffee-brewing station in a section of the kitchen reserved for just that purpose. Coffee and cups should be within easy reach. The home coffee bar is highly desirable.
Two pantries. One definitely has to be a walk-in, the other can be a slim floor-to-ceiling slide-out to hold canned goods, bottles and spices.
Induction Cooktop. The smooth surface creates a magnetic field that induces heat into a pan. This cooking method is energy-efficient, fast and precise. Cooks who make the transition to induction cooking, never go back. They love it.
French door refrigerator. It can be stainless (the top choice) or integrated into the kitchen with cladding that matches the upper and lower cabinets. Homeowners find the French door look attractive and inside, the shelving system holds more and items are easy to access.
Contemporary styling featuring clean lines, few accessories and simple hardware is overtaking the farmhouse and cottage looks as well as the Tuscan and French country themed kitchens. Homeowners realize they can warm up contemporary styling with light fixtures, color and art.
Brass fixtures for knobs and cabinet pulls and light fixtures are making a comeback in the trendy kitchen and all over the 2014 house. After being unpopular for decades, designers are discovering the elegant sheen once again and you’ll be seeing a lot of brass in 2014. I guess you can only look at oil-rubbed bronze for so long and then you want a change.
F&M