Trends in Kitchen Remodeling

Kitchens today are not what they once were. Kitchens used to be rooms in which to merely cook and prepare meals for friends and family. Today, kitchens are a gathering place and are meant to be shown off while still being a fun place to cook in.

Cabinets are considered fine pieces of furniture where one can spend thousands of dollars by choosing a dark cherry, birch or maple. More people are opting for the more luxurious woods since they know they can get their money back when it comes time to sell their home.

According to Abby Swangard, an interior designer based out of Eugene, OR., says that rather than having the usual cabinets that open to shelves, sturdy pot and pan drawers are the new trend. This is not for everyone since it takes away the open shelving space. Kitchen Plus, a kitchen remodeling business in Kirkland, WA, says that another trend is to extend the cabinets up to the ceiling taking away the empty space that simply gathers dust. It extends the cabinets and allows for more storage space.

When considering the oven, the trendy way to go is to have dual cooking. Many homeowners now want a stove top with a double oven. This is extremely popular for dual cooks and for those who cook a lot of holiday dinners.

A newspaper article discussing trends in kitchen remodeling, GMToday.com (a newspaper in Milwaukee), suggests that granite and synthetic granite are the new countertops for kitchens. Synthetic costs slightly more, but it requires far less maintenance than granite. Fake granite, a less expensive route has positives and negatives, as do the new granite-looking Formica surfaces and other hard surface materials, like tiles. If there is room, go for an island since that is a very desirable point in the kitchen. Everyone wants a central place to hang out and the island tends to be such a place.

Kitchen lighting is one more aspect of the kitchen taking front and center. It brightens the room and adds decoration. Some opt to add a row of lights above or under the cabinets. Another fantastic option is fixtures that hang down, often above an island or countertop.

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