ACCORDING TO AREA EXPERTS, the kitchen is becoming America’s most important room. Much more than just a place to prepare meals, it’s quickly emerging as a vital ally in the changing real estate market.

“Kitchen remodeling is, by far, the most cost-effective way to increase the value of your home,” said Rogers G. Wells, vice president of Coastal Bath and Kitchen. “Kitchen remodels have an 85 to 90 percent return on investment — the highest of any home improvement project.”

Barry Brennan, president of Counter Fitters, agreed.  “Whether you are buying or selling a house, the kitchen always plays a large role in the final decision,” he declared, crediting the room’s vital role as a gathering place. “The kitchen is one of the main focal points in a home; an area where we do a lot of entertaining and congregating with friends and family.”
 
EDIBLE EVOLUTION
As our society becomes more casual, kitchens are replacing formal dining rooms and living rooms as the place where families and guests interact with each other. This shift calls for a new recipe for kitchen design.

“Today’s kitchens are expected to be multi-functional,” Wells confirmed. “We require them to perform on many levels: as homework stations, bill-paying desks, entertainment areas and wine-tasting arenas. Nowadays, it’s just as important to make the kitchen spacious and comfortable as it is to make it functional and practical.”

Wells observed a trend toward easy-to-navigate floor plans, wider clearances and revised storage solutions.

“The ‘work triangle’ is slowly becoming a thing of the past,” he added. “This can be justified by changes in society. Meals are no longer prepared by just one person, so more space and prep areas are required. Meals are also less likely to be ‘made from scratch,’ demanding more space in both the pantry and refrigerator.”

Scott Richards of One-Stop Remodeling is already seeing the demand for smart rooms that marry fashion with function.
 
“More clients are asking for a ‘contemporary’ look, but don’t be fooled by the word,” he cautioned. “By this I mean a clean, simple, organic but elegant look.”

“Homeowners are looking for warmer, less ‘mechanical’ kitchens with more of a ‘furniture’ look and feel,” Wells added. “An easy way to accomplish this with cabinetry is to abandon toe kicks in favor of decorative feet or legs. Also, custom appliance panels are one of our most commonly requested items. And rustic wood species or distressed finishes can turn a newly constructed house into a warm, lived-in home.”

COOKING UP A SCHEME
To make the most of your family’s time in the kitchen, it’s important to be strategic.  “I can’t put enough emphasis on the importance of design and planning,” said Richards.

“It’s not just cabinets and countertops. Consider the appliances, tile splash, flooring, painting, lighting, plumbing and fixtures, just to name a few. In an existing space there may be structural issues. New appliances often draw more power than older units. Older cabinets may not have the same footprint as the new ones. How many people work in the kitchen? Are they right- or left-handed? What about ‘aging in place’ considerations, such as wheelchair-accessible counters?”

For Lukejohn Dickson, of DC4 Design, a good plan requires strategic lighting.
“Make sure the lighting is one of the top five elements in the design,” he counseled. “More often than not, the lighting plan is left to the end of the design process or — even worse — until after the project has started. Yikes!”
Ross Daniel of Daniel Kitchen and Bath and Richards echo Dickson’s concern and stress the need for two different types of light: task lighting for functional cook tops and chopping surfaces, and accent lighting to highlight the kitchen’s design details.
 
PERSONAL TASTE
For kitchen experts, every design begins and ends with the client.

“A kitchen must revolve around the client’s needs and how they entertain and cook,” said Richards.

Daniel emphasizes that time and money considerations are vital information for any designer.

“Come up with a budget, or at least a budget range, and share it with your designer,” he advised. “I know that some consumers will have a tough time with this, but with the vast range and number of products available in today’s market, there needs to be a starting point. With this knowledge, your kitchen designer will be able to lead you through the process and give you a well-planned, well-designed and aesthetically pleasing kitchen within your budget.”

The good news is that not all upgrades need to be expensive and exhaustive. Even the depth of commitment can be tailored to individual needs.

“You do not have to remodel the entire kitchen to get a new look,” explained Brennan. “Just replacing the countertops and changing out the existing cabinet doors and hardware can give your kitchen a fresh new look without a huge expense. Replacing the countertops can be done in just one day on most jobs.”

Now, that’s some easy advice to swallow. n
 
What’s Cooking in Kitchen Trends?
 These new developments can spice up your cooking — and increasingly, your social life.
 
A SERVING OF GREEN
“Of all the recent trends in kitchens, sustainable design is at the top of the list. Now that products are available that aren’t too expensive, it’s an obvious choice. Products such as bamboo countertops and flooring fit in this category. Bamboo is a beautiful, durable product with a minimal effect on the environment. When harvested sustainably, the plant re-grows from the same root stalk in just a few years, as opposed to the decades required to replace hardwoods.”
— Ross Daniel, Daniel Kitchen and Bath
 
APPLIED PHYSICS
“With today’s appliance technology, bigger is not always better! Contemporary kitchens pack the latest technology into smaller, more efficient appliances. All your appliances can now fit underneath your countertop and function like drawers for refrigeration, freezing, dishwashing and microwaving. These compact appliances allow us to rethink the way we use our kitchens.”
— Lukejohn Dickson, DC4 Design
 
COUNTER CILTURE
“Countertops are becoming more diverse. Gone are the days when shiny granite ruled. Designs are more organic, and stone is often acid-washed for texture and character. Concrete is also a good consideration because it is totally unique; no one will have the same countertop.”
— Scott Richards, One-Stop Remodeling
 
MIX AND MATCH
“Another trend in kitchens is having the island in a different cabinet style and different countertop material than the perimeter cabinets and countertops. Mixing the cabinet design and countertop material in your kitchen makes for a unique and beautiful look.”
— Barry Brennan, Counter Fitters
 
SAVING SPACES
“With the amount of valuable square footage kitchen cabinetry takes up, people can’t afford to look at their cabinets as just ‘what the countertop sits on.’ Items such as tilt-out trays, pull-out racks and slide-out shelves can make a big difference.
—       Rogers G. Wells, Coastal Bath and Kitchen
 
 
Sweet Dreams Are Made of These 
Our kitchen experts share the must-have design elements in their dream kitchens.
 
“My dream kitchen would have touchless faucets such as the Brizo Pascal Faucet for better sanitation (I’m a clean freak!), recycled glass countertops by Icestone, bamboo and aluminum cabinets by Bentwood and the streamlined ‘Luna’ gas cooktop by Fisher and Paykel.”
— Lukejohn Dickson, DC4 Design
 
“For my appliances, I would use the efficient induction cooktop from Fagor. It uses 90 percent of the energy it produces, compared to 50 percent efficiency in other cooking methods. This is a great way to save a little money and stay eco-friendly.”
— Ross Daniel, Daniel Kitchen and Bath
 
“My ideal kitchen has two islands to allow for multiple sink stations and prep areas, as well as plenty of raised serving bars to accommodate quick meals and entertaining. ”
— Rogers G. Wells, Coastal Bath
    and Kitchen
 
“I’d choose an engineered stone product such as Silestone, Hanstone, Viatera or Cambria for my counters. Also known as quartz or e-stone, the price per square foot is nearly twice that of granite and Corian, but it carries a 15-year manufacturer’s warranty. It’s non-porous, so it will not stain and does not have to be sealed. It’s basically maintenance-free after installation.”
— Barry Brennan, Counter Fitters
 
“Two separate sink areas — one for prep and one for cleanup — allow more than one person to work in the kitchen without waiting for a space. Large, single sink bowls are popular because they accommodate large pots and pans with ease. Also, pot filler faucets at the cook top are very convenient.”
— Scott Richards, One-Stop Remodeling