21st Century Kitchens

Q: My goals for my new kitchen are all over the place! I want trendy, modern, functional, energy-efficient and more. How can I sort these all out and can we have it all?

A: Contemporary kitchens are full of energy-efficient appliances and state-of-the-art flooring and countertops. With interest in gourmet cooking high, today’s kitchens are well-thought out and extremely useable spaces. Not only that, they are beautiful to behold. If you are performing nightly cooking chores in an outdated kitchen, you can move yourself into the new millennium with a design that includes some of the following trends.

Great Room/Kitchen Combo: Some of the trends you’re likely to encounter in the most current of kitchens include combining the space and activities of family rooms and kitchens into one space commonly called a “great room,” creating space for a computer corner, and building in special storage areas.

Perhaps you enjoy wine and serve it often-you can incorporate space for your wine collection in your kitchen. Or maybe you need space for your collection of gourmet cookware-there are new options such as special drawers for pots and pans now available in today’s kitchens.

Appliances: Kitchens today place a great emphasis on functionality and efficiency of appliances, with some home owners choosing commercial grade appliances for their kitchens. But that doesn’t mean that kitchen design needs to be plain and dull. Far from it!

Unstructured Look: Cabinetry today is a finely honed craft, with myriad design choices and a huge selection of woods and other materials to choose from. One current trend is toward cabinets that look more like furniture, with designers adding tables and decorative molding on cabinetry to achieve a more unstructured look. Painted and glazed finishes are also very popular.

Natural Materials: Countertops can feature the beauty of natural materials such as granite and limestone. Butcher block and concrete are also popular materials. The same is true of flooring-in today’s kitchens, durability does not mean sacrificing beauty. The selection of lighting is staggering and ranges from traditional ceiling lights, to track or recessed lighting to chandelier. Live in a hot climate? Perhaps you’ll want to choose a combination fan and light for your kitchen ceiling.

Earthy Feel: Many people choose to do a kitchen remodel to get rid of cramped, dark spaces. Adding light and an airy feel to kitchens is a big trend. With the emphasis on caring for the environment, another development is to bring the outside in. Consider using soothing earth tones in planning your kitchen remodel. It will bring a calm and peaceful aura into your home.