Stir Up Some Style in Your Kitchen
Kitchens are the beating heart of the home. We are drawn to the kitchen several times a day. It’s where we find the nourishment of our meals and the good company of others.
“How did everybody end up in my kitchen?”
“How did everybody end up in my kitchen?” reads a small sign in the showroom of Neal’s Design Remodel. It’s a familiar sentiment for those who entertain, and a large influence on the homeowners who decide it’s time for a kitchen remodel.
“Food brings people together,” says Leanne Matthews, Marketing Manager at Neal’s, a design-build remodeling contractor. “It slows the pace down. People are opting for floor plans that flow easily from the family room to the kitchen.”
Alan Schmidt, Jr. of Schmidt Builders agrees that kitchens have become a place of distinction in the home. He says they have more floor plans today that offer large kitchen dining areas, and fewer that include formal dining rooms. Today’s kitchen has become the new family room.
Trends in Kitchen Design
Connie Hampton, a Certified Kitchen Designer at Neal’s, says of design, “It’s personal now, and less about rules.” She adds that there is a lot of one-on-one time with designers who must learn about the lifestyle of their clients when planning a project.
Hampton sees a trend in kitchens for multiple workstations as opposed to the appliance “triangle” of the past.
“Today we seriously consider traffic flow, the people, entertainment habits, everyday activities and future needs,” Hampton says. Homeowners are anticipating the needs of their homes as their families age. Return visits of adult children and grandchildren are factored into the kitchen layout.
The internet now also plays a large role in the early stages of design. This trend has homeowners utilizing Pinterest and Houzz to seek out design features that entice them. These online design sites offer homeowners endless ideas by way of photos, articles, recommendations and forums. A client typically shares a portfolio of favorites with a designer to embark on the process of building, decorating or remodeling.
Today’s Kitchens
Our experienced panel of designers sees that current trendsetting kitchens feature shades of gray, white and a mix of neutral colors. Dark flooring or cabinetry is chosen to ground the room.
Stone countertops and backsplashes expose a kitchen’s personality. Stone becomes a focal point in a kitchen, especially when surrounded by neutral colors.
“We’re selling stone,” Lyn Kolpak of Unique Stone Concepts shares. In Kolpak’s experience, homeowners are opting for natural stone and marble due to its beauty and durability. It’s also cost-effective, and improves resale value of a home. “Natural stone is thousands of years old,” she says. “It can take a beating; it’s less perishable.”
Designers note that while granite and other natural stones are beautiful and durable, they are selling a lot of quartz for its unique stamina. It’s a natural-looking, man-made product that serves busy families well due to its resistance to staining and scratching. It is also non-porous, and requires no maintenance.
Today’s kitchens are featuring large islands topped with a product of beauty that celebrates patterns of movement and visual interest. Such attention-getting choices create a focus in the room, and should complement the colors of the walls, floor and cabinetry.
At Ideal Cabinetry Design, Owner and Lead Designer Pam Carr reports that when it comes to cabinetry, people are opting for simplicity: clean lines and neutral colors. She suggests that the current colors and styles are timeless. A simple change in hardware can entirely update a look and character of a room.
Stainless steel continues to abound in today’s kitchens. It offers a hybrid-like quality in its ability to adapt to any style. In contrast, some homeowners opt to camouflage larger appliances like refrigerators and dishwashers behind cabinetry panels. Even drawers can cleverly hide smaller appliances, such as microwaves.
One example of today’s popular choices in kitchen themes is the farmhouse kitchen. Connie Hampton describes the farmhouse look as utilizing white or pale colors, transitional cabinetry styles and a few “iconic” elements like raw wood or clapboard walls. A farmhouse sink is the perfect choice to complete the look.
A charismatic element in the world of home decor, a farmhouse sink itself offers a wide range of looks depending on its color, material and decorative features. It has the ability to be dropped into any kitchen, easily matching a kitchen’s unique style.
Get Cooking
The home décor industry is booming. Brimming with enticing products and inspiring trends, the first-rate professionals here in northern Cincinnati can get you on track for a kitchen that really cooks. Perhaps it’s time to create a kitchen where you want the whole gang to gather.