What do people want most when it comes to a kitchen remodel?
Beauty and function equally. Everyone wants their kitchen to look like it belongs in a magazine, but it should still work in a way that meets their lifestyle and budget. The budget is always the most difficult component.
What are the latest trends in kitchen countertops? Is granite still the king?
Granite is still desirable; however the technology of today’s quartz products has made them surpass most granite with their ease of care and consistent look. The ratio of use is 70 percent to 30 percent quartz to granite used during projects in 2011 and 2012.
What about appliances? Is stainless steel still king?
Even more desirable is integrating appliances into the casework by facing the dishwasher and refrigerator with cabinet panels. Designing the kitchen as an extension of the living space by minimizing the look of appliances is what most homeowners want today.
How about cabinets? What’s the latest trend?
When it comes to cabinetry style, each person has their own individual ideas. What everyone does want are integrated storage solutions, all the gadgets that make storage more organized and functional.
Do people want a more traditional or contemporary style kitchen?
The trend is to be more transitional in style; pay homage to the existing structure while introducing cleaner lines and sophistication typically associated with contemporary style.
In what ways, if at all, are people incorporating technology into their kitchens?
Not as much as you might imagine — or the appliance manufactures would hope. Primarily we are considering the day to day lifestyle needs — a place for an iPad or laptop, TV viewing, etc. Several appliance manufacturers have been developing systems for monitoring that could provide diagnostics to repair technicians, communicate when service was needed, and even more, however it has not proven interesting to a broad base of clients.
What’s the trickiest part of designing a kitchen?
Budget, fitting all the wants and needs into the space to a budget. With access to incredible images and design ideas available online and in magazines, the line between wants/needs and to what is affordable is very blurry. While these images are beautiful, they are often on the higher end of the budget range. That is why these homeowners, designers and professional contractors are having them professionally photographed and why they are published.
What advice would you give people considering remodeling their kitchen?
Unless you are planning to do the work yourself, take the time to find professionals who you feel comfortable with. The most important part of the process is trusting those who are designing and building your project, so make sure that they are listening to you and are qualified to deliver what you need. Spend all the time needed in design before proceeding into construction. You should know every detail of your project and every expectation of your project scope. This is the only way to guarantee a fixed investment amount when the project is finished.
What is the typical cost of a kitchen renovation?
While we have completed kitchen renovations (assuming complete tear out, infrastructure changes and installation of all new products) from $30,000 to well over $250,000, the typical kitchen renovation budget falls somewhere between $60,000 and $110,000.
