Updating Kitchens A Priority With Homeowners.
By Alex Harrison
Photo by Cheri Smith Photography
A research study conducted by Better Homes and Gardens magazine in January of this year revealed that homeowners now place updated kitchens as their top priority, along with adequate storage and well-designed, personal spaces. For Jef Forward, owner and founder of Forward Designers & Builders in Ann Arbor, this study falls right in line with the vision and requests of clients as they begin major remodeling projects in their homes.
"The focus is reorganizing the kitchen according to how they want to live in it," says Forward. "But the recent trend is also about the personification of the kitchen-what statement the kitchen makes when all the design elements come together as a whole."
Designing to a Lifestyle
In light of the housing crunch, remodeling is hotter than ever. And more often, homeowners are electing to create their "dream kitchen," rather than making simple, lower budget updates for anticipated resale. This involves evaluating what has changed for the homeowner in the last several years-for example, a newly emptied nest or aging parents moving in-and how those changes affect the way they live in their kitchen.
The aspect of living in the kitchen, rather than merely working in the kitchen, has been the prevailing direction for design over the last 15 years. "Kitchens are now the hearth of the home," says Gary Rochman, owner of Rochman Design-Build in Ann Arbor. "Kitchens are less formal than ever, and homeowners are becoming confident enough in that sentiment to do away with their formal dining rooms or living rooms in order to open up and enlarge their kitchen space."
Larger kitchen spaces also enable designers to help a client create multiple workstations, or zones. "More than ever, there's more than one cook in the kitchen," says Pattie Redmond, designer at Expo Kitchen and Bath in Ann Arbor. "Couples, a parent and child, or while entertaining, you're likely to find one person at the stove, for example, and one person working at a prep sink with vegetables or other ingredients." Kitchens with open layouts also tend to become a central point for entertaining, and it's common to find guests helping in the kitchen alongside the host, while others lounge at a bar or around the kitchen table.
The absence of formality has prompted several of Rochman's clients to request built-in booths for seating as opposed to a dining table. "It evokes a cozy, neighborhood pub or diner feeling that people really enjoy. It can also be a friendly arrangement for those with a disability-someone in a wheelchair could pull up to the table easily and it functions well as an additional workstation," says Rochman.
There is also an increase in demand for incorporating "back of house services" into the kitchen area or rooms immediately adjacent to the kitchen for storage and utility. This includes high density, walk-in pantries with glide-out shelving, mudrooms, butler's pantries and more expansive laundry rooms. "Our clients call for maximum storage combined with maximum accessibility," says Forward, who often creates cabinet systems that function on both sides and provide a layering of spaces between a dining area and the kitchen itself. On the kitchen side, the cabinets might house a microwave or other small appliances, while the side facing the dining area showcases stemware or china.
High-end Countertops Dominate
While plastic laminate countertops continue to provide many color and style choices at a price point ideal for the budget-minded remodel, high-end stone is the dominant choice, both nationally and in the Ann Arbor area. Granite is always popular, but the use of quartz over the last couple years is growing rapidly, due largely to the fact that this natural stone composite can be mixed into dozens of colors and styles. Quartz also has the advantage of being low maintenance and does not require sealing like more porous granite surfaces.
The countertop market also offers other natural materials that are growing in popularity. "For clients in older homes, a shiny material like polished granite doesn't really fit with the vintage of their house," says Redmond. Soapstone can be a perfect material for these homeowners. With the richness of stone, it blends style with a more rustic finish, as soapstone develops its own character over time. A relatively new choice for countertops is Richlite©, a material composed of compressed, recycled paper and resin. Available in several colors, it's an eco-friendly choice, though not an inexpensive one. The price, explains Tim Bradburn of Fingerle Lumber, tends to run a bit higher than granites and quartz.
Cabinets: Where Form Meets Function
"Cherry and maple are certainly the dominant choices for wood these days," says Bradburn. "People are also choosing the shaker-style cabinet door more than any other style here in Ann Arbor, although we see a lot of people who lean towards more modern, European cabinet designs." Applying dark, espresso or cocoa colored stains to cabinets is quite popular as well, and mixing in several painted accent cabinets can also create a more customized look.
For those who are looking for "greener" choices, manufacturers are offering up more options in cabinets as well. Renewable wheatboard and strawboard as well as non-formaldehyde sheet stock can be used as the core materials replacing standard particle board, and are then overlaid with veneers and assembled and painted with low VOC glue and finishes, explains Rochman. Many eco-friendly materials are distinctive and can give a kitchen a clean, modern look. "But more common at this point," he says, "is that manufacturers are trying to make green materials that align with current tastes, rather than shifting tastes toward a more modern look."
Cabinet manufacturers are also offering up more lower cabinet storage options as people are increasingly willing to trade upper cabinet space for natural lighting installations. "These days, cabinets need to roll out," says Becky Gregory, owner and designer at Expo Kitchen & Bath. "Most quality cabinet lines now offer full-extension gliding shelves that make it simple get what you need," says Gregory. "And the Blumotion feature on doors makes it impossible to slam a cabinet shut. It closes softly every time with minimal effort."
Appliances: Customizing for Every Cook
The popularity of stainless steel continues in area kitchens. Mid-range manufacturers like GE and Frigidaire have been offering the look for several years, but for the aspiring gourmet, only the Wolf range and Sub-Zero refrigerator will do. While they do offer high style-the new Sub-Zero Pro 48 stands at four feet across, a self proclaimed "monument to food preservation"-expense and space are certainly barriers when planning a kitchen renovation. Rochman predicts that the commercial-grade appliances are nearing a wane, and Redmond explains that remodeling on the smaller footprint of many older homes creates some limitations in how large an appliance can be and truly work well within the design.
Still, the choices are limitless, and can be customized to fit anyone's living style. For example, secondary prep sinks have been prevalent for a while now, but a true entertainer might opt for one that's several feet wide and only twelve inches deep-the perfect size for keeping beverages or trays of hors d'oeuvres chilled on ice-rather than choosing a more traditional deep sink for washing vegetables. From additional drawer refrigeration, wine coolers, and even built in espresso machines, high-end appliances truly speak to the personality of the kitchen's owner.
Floor to Ceiling
Flooring choices are many, but the dominant trend of extending wood floors into the kitchen seems here to stay. "Choices in wood flooring are really taking off," says Forward. "Where bamboo flooring was only available in either the natural color or a darker tone achieved through a baking process, manufacturers now offer half a dozen colors, and it creates a great modern look." Forward also points towards the rising popularity in hand-scraped, pre-finished wood flooring. There is both a visible and tangible texture to the flooring, and while it still maintains a rich style, it hides scratches very well and can be perfect for homeowners with pets or areas of high traffic.
Bringing in as much natural light as possible is also an ongoing trend in kitchens, as it provides great balance to the use of luxurious materials like natural stone, hardwoods, and stainless steel appliances. Skylights, backsplash windows and transoms are popular choices. There has been a sharp decline in the use of oppressive, large surface mount fluorescent lights in favor of LED lighting, which casts a more friendly glow into living spaces. LED lighting is also extremely energy efficient and unlike incandescent bulbs, emits no heat. LED options are increasing and can be expected to continue to do so over the next several years, and prices are gradually dropping.