Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
My problem with kitchen designs is they don’t always follow function first, form second, and allow for a change of paint to alter look. Keep it simple a d affordable just isn’t in the designer’s’ vocabulary. Uniform appliance colors (white, black, or stainless steel) to allow easy change of color without clashing. Simple ergonomic design sink faucets for ease of use and ease of repair or replacement. Metal sinks are easiest to maintain. Decorative lighting is useless. Functional lighting with a bit of style in the fixture. Vent hood should match the look of the stove and include a nightlight setting. Cabinets and drawers should not have knobs especially at waist level. They catch pants pockets and belt loops. Smooth edge pull handles with decorative patterns will work without catching on clothing. Formal dinning room lighting should be somewhat decorative with a dimmer switch for intimate dinning atmosphere. Kitchen flooring should be durable to withstand accidents like spilled hot grease or dropped caste iron pot. If it’s not durable then it should be cheap and easy to replace when damaged.
I like that kitchen except for the stove right next to the refrigerator. People waste so much money trying to keep up with current trends that it has become shameful. Who cares if your kitchen appears "dated"? If you like it and it's functional don't worry about it.
One way to see what's currently trendy is to go onto builder web sites and look at the gallery of the model homes. As we toured model homes from 2013-2018 in preparation of buying/building, we saw the trend for kitchen cabinets, for example, move from wood to white, grey or the off white with darker staining on the edges of the cabinet and the beveling that looked old/dirty to us. Standard for counters is granite with quartz being the upgrade option, with standard in appliances being white or black and stainless offered as an upgrade - at least in the many, many builders we looked at in our area of the Mid-Atlantic.
Another way to see current trends in materials and layout is to watch HGTV, if you have that available to you. That said, it seems they all use the same white cabinets and white counters with grey running through it, which I predict will scream 2019-2020 in a few years.
I think it's always best to get what you like/love. Then you don't really care if it's the current trend or not. I think it can be really difficult to buy anything but the current trend, as so often that's all that's easily available. When I initially asked a home builder if they didn't have any wood cabinet options, the sales rep reacted with horror and said NOBODY would put wood cabinets in their home. I thought that was utterly ridiculous.
That said, it seems they all use the same white cabinets and white counters with grey running through it, which I predict will scream 2019-2020 in a few years.
Yes...many of the homes I remodeled in the past 10 years went with this gray/white theme. None of my business. But it is so dull and uninteresting. It will scream 'early 2000's' in a few years.
Quote:
Originally Posted by lyndyb
When I initially asked a home builder if they didn't have any wood cabinet options, the sales rep reacted with horror and said NOBODY would put wood cabinets in their home. I thought that was utterly ridiculous.
Real wood is one of the few options that has and will always stood the test of time....
One way to see what's currently trendy is to go onto builder web sites and look at the gallery of the model homes.
I disagree.
Builders cater to the tastes of the mass of likely buyers. No trend setting for them.
For trends (and a look into the near future), you need to be looking at Kitchen & Bath Design News and similar publications.
They can be painted if you want them in a different color. A friend of mine has an auto painting shop, he can make appliances any color you want and even using heat resistant paints.
Refrigerators are easier to paint than stoves because of the harsher conditions of the stove. In a perfect world, you'd be able to get that almost indestructible baked on enamel finish appliances used to have but I don't know where you'd go to get that done nowadays.
Why on earth would I do this to brand new appliances? I wanted stainless steel and got exactly what I was looking for. I was just stating that white appliances aren't even an option for many appliances today.
Yes...many of the homes I remodeled in the past 10 years went with this gray/white theme. None of my business. But it is so dull and uninteresting. It will scream 'early 2000's' in a few years.
Real wood is one of the few options that has and will always stood the test of time....
I totally agree and some of the all white countertops may be of a premium substance, but they look like plastic to me.
I agree that real wood stands the test of time, but it's not what homebuyers want today, but I predict it'll come full circle as it always does. It makes me feel sick when I see these home remodeling shows rip out lovely wood cabinets and granite counters for generic looking white/white and grey. Friends recently painted over beautiful wood cabinets.
I disagree.
Builders cater to the tastes of the mass of likely buyers. No trend setting for them.
For trends (and a look into the near future), you need to be looking at Kitchen & Bath Design News and similar publications.
Maybe huge tract home builders. But no, every house I did as a smaller builder had an architect and/or designer that set the design parameters. SO you could, in fact, look at custom builder websites to get an idea of what is cutting edge. To take it a step further, look at builders in wealthy areas, where the customers can afford the best in architects and high-end designers.....it was common for an architect to charge in the $50k range, a good designer maybe $30k.
1. The frigerator is next to the stove on the left side. Those two appliances create heat. It shortens the life of them both (I have heard/read and forgotten somewhere). Plus, as a left hander, both of the left burners are unusable for me specifically. There probably is no icemaker, as the frigerator is too far from the sink
2. The base storage is minimal and does not take advantage of the lower corners.
3. No pantry storage for food/small appliances/cupboard overflow.
4. The peninsula may be right into frigerator door path, making this entire space a one person kitchen.
So, this is a smaller household kitchen, as there is no walking path or standing room for more than 2 people. Kids and pets are in/out as fast as revolving doors, and the chef in the household will lose their patience quickly.
1) You could easily use your left arm to cook on the left burners. Unless your arm is deformed or something.
2) I see tons of base storage.
3) Few kitchens have pantry storage
4) It's not. Close the fridge. How often do you open it when cooking.
This reply makes me realize people are utterly insane.
Not having counter on both sides of the range *is* an issue. Most cooks actively utilize both sides of the range/cooktop; not having a run of counter to the left of the range in what appears to be a good-sized kitchen was poor design. It's also nice to be a bit closer to the kitchen sink (but not too close!) for those of us who like to clean as we cook.
Most newer kitchens (including my mom's 1980 kitchen reno that has a pantry with fold out shelving in front of fixed shelving as well as additional shelves on each door--pretty neat for its era!) have a pantry of some sort as space permits. The thing is, I wouldn't be surprised if there is a pantry in this kitchen in the part of the room past what we can see in the image as they are often somewhat outside of the main working area(s). The pantries in my last two houses were like that; the standing cupboard that I use as a pantry in my current kitchen is also just outside of the work triangle. Even my partner's galley kitchen has a pantry at one end.
I'm not insane (well, not when it comes to cooking), but I've worked in a heck of lot of kitchens over the years, was once married to a kitchen designer, and am in and out of people's homes as part of my work. It's a rare kitchen that doesn't have a pantry of some sort these days.
They can be painted if you want them in a different color. A friend of mine has an auto painting shop, he can make appliances any color you want and even using heat resistant paints.
Refrigerators are easier to paint than stoves because of the harsher conditions of the stove. In a perfect world, you'd be able to get that almost indestructible baked on enamel finish appliances used to have but I don't know where you'd go to get that done nowadays.
Powder coating is what you are talking about, it is extremely durable, wont chip or fade like paint. It is applied thru a special process and then baked on at 400 degrees.
There are shops that specialize in powder coating, they can do small to large objects, depends on the size of their baking oven.
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
), but I've worked in a heck of lot of kitchens over the years, was once married to a kitchen designer, and am in and out of people's homes as part of my work. It's a rare kitchen that doesn't have a pantry of some sort these days.
