Kitchen Update

 

By Sophia Rutti

 

Colorful Appliances
For about the last 20 years there has been a reigning trend in the color palette of kitchens: stainless steel. Before stainless steel took over, there was nothing but black and white to be found in showrooms all over the country. Now, though, trends are shifting from the sleek and modern chrome to a more nostalgic, colorful palette.

Colorful appliances are making their way into kitchens and livening up the focal point of every home. The stainless steel trend can feel a little lifeless, but when it is paired with a cobalt blue stovetop or a lime green refrigerator, the room brightens up.

“There are certain areas where it is terrific to bring in extra personality,” says Shannon Munn of Ambi Design Studio. “Things in kitchens have gotten so similar looking. People panel their fridges and their dishwashers, [and] then the space doesn’t even look like a kitchen anymore.”

But now life has been brought back to the hub of the home through a rainbow of colors for many appliances and fixtures, some even with a nod to the past that still keeps with today’s design shifts.

“Now [there are] interesting, retro-colored stovetops. Some people look at that appliance as art, like it’s a sculpture in your room. You can add interest and life easily by just adding color. From that perspective, colorful appliances are really an asset,” Munn says.

There’s no need to stick with the worn-out stainless steel kitchen design when it is so easy to bring personality into your kitchen with a well-placed colorful appliance.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Hands-Free Gadgets
As with all things these days, kitchen trends seem to be moving toward the high-tech. Now, we can connect our coffeemakers to Wi-Fi or embed a flat-screen television into our stainless steel fridge.

The gadgets that stand out above the rest, however, are the hands-free appliances. More and more people are going with the trend and installing hands-free faucets, paper towel dispensers and trash cans. Munn agrees that hands-free appliances are the only way to keep a kitchen really clean.

“One of the things that I like to do when I’m doing my own kitchens is adding a foot pedal at the sink,” Munn says. “That’s great in the kitchen because if your hands are dirty, you don’t have to touch anything to get it turned on. Also, you won’t waste any water because you step on and off the pedal as you’re rinsing or doing dishes.”

According to Munn, not all high-tech gadgets are created equal. “I steer my clients away from things that are too gadget-y because I don’t use them in my own life. I wouldn’t recommend a high-tech coffeemaker because I don’t think they have longevity. There are other things that are terrific, like dual-use appliances or a touchless faucet,” she says.

Progress hasn’t left the kitchen behind with the integration of useful high-tech gadgetry finding its way into recent kitchen trends.

 

 

 

 

 

Backsplashes
Backsplashes are a central part of any kitchen, and when it comes to designing kitchens, Lauren Nicole of Lauren Nicole Designs has been in the business for nearly a decade. In terms of backsplash trends, Nicole says that natural stone and ceramic are in, and glass is on the way out.

“Just like in any design choice, you’ll have people who look at a backsplash as a place to really bring the bling and make a statement,” she says. “Then you also have clients go the opposite direction and want more neutral color schemes with some texture using more natural stones.” But when it comes to her own favorite, she prefers the look of the simple and elegant subway tile, as seems to be the trend alongside soft, neutral color palettes.

“I would say when choosing a backsplash make sure you know what your countertop is going to be before you choose, then decide whether the backsplash is a focal point or just there. A backsplash is like jewelry—my personal opinion is to make a little bit of a statement without going overboard. You don’t want to walk into a kitchen and go, ‘Oh, hello backsplash,’ but you want it to feel like an integral part of the space,” she says.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Alternative Spaces for Refrigeration
Julie Hendrickson, a design consultant for Kleppinger Design Group, has 35 years of experience dealing with trends in interior design. One kitchen trend that seems to have settled in the past five years, though, is the use of alternative refrigeration.

New homebuilders and remodelers alike seem to be leaning away from the traditional kitchen setup of one large, central fridge. “The idea of spreading out smaller refrigeration around the room is becoming much more convenient and logical,” Hendrickson says.

Now, people are seeking to organize and compartmentalize their kitchens based on different items. For example, there may be one large fridge for miscellaneous items, one refrigerated drawer hidden in the cabinetry for dairy and another one for vegetables, as well as a beverage fridge that is actually housed in the laundry room or the foyer.

Fridges aren’t limited to the kitchen. They can be found in the laundry room, the mudroom or even in the master bedroom in what is called a “morning area,” which may include a small fridge, a sink and a coffeemaker.

“We have learned that, depending on how large the room is and what the budget is, sometimes dividing up that refrigeration is the smartest way to go,” says Hendrickson. “For instance, maybe one main refrigerator is far away from the cooktop so that when traffic comes and goes, it won’t be in the way of the cook. But the cook may need access to vegetables, butter and things like that so, we are finding that a refrigerator drawer or perhaps even an under-counter fridge close to the cooktop can provide the cook with what they need without the rest of the family coming into the cook’s space and interrupting the flow.”

 

Maximizing Storage
Kitchens are the heart of any home, and as such it is easy for them to become cluttered and messy. With all the clutter, the trend in kitchens has become clear: There needs to be more storage space and less clutter on the countertops.

Consumers want their homes to feel open and organized rather than bogged down with items out in open view. To achieve this look, people have been getting creative, and unlike 20 years ago, cabinetmakers are now offering innovative ways to store things out of sight.

Alison Martin, a kitchen and bath designer with NVS Kitchen and Bath, believes that when it comes to maximizing storage, custom or semicustom cabinetry is the best way to go about it. “People typically try to fit a lot in a kitchen but make it look minimalist,” she explains.

“What has changed recently is that cabinet lines are now providing things that they didn’t provide 20 years ago, stuff like soft-close drawers and doors, or inserts for cups or pots and pans or lids. Pretty much everything you can think of is now inside the cabinets, but none of these things were offered in the past,” Martin says.
“There are a lot more windows in kitchens now, so people have to put dishes and things in base cabinets. There are a lot more options in terms of deeper drawers with dividers for dishes or deep pot and pan drawers where there are two really deep drawers as opposed to three drawers in a base,” she says.

The modern design trend is moving toward minimalism in every way. Fewer items in sight has become synonymous with organized. Deep drawers and big cabinetry are now being positioned in a “use-based” location to hide everything from coffeemakers to the sugar that goes into the coffee.

 

(October 2015)