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Kitchen Remodel-Big Investment, Big Pay Off

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Below is  an article published by Pulte Homes on the subject of  5 Kitchen Design Trends that home buyers are interested in.  The article shares some great ideas to think about if you are planning a kitchen remodel. S Interior Design likes that their design is not only focused on the look, but also the functionality aspects. Your kitchen is the most functional area in your home and if it doesn’t work well, it doesn’t matter how beautiful it looks.

Kitchen Design Trends that Improves a Kitchen’s Beauty and Functionality

A kitchen is the heartbeat of a home so it’s no wonder that the kitchen is the number one consideration in choosing their next home.

Pulte Group’s Interior Designs Team will merchandise about 425 homes in 2016 and the models they decorate reflect the hottest design trends and interior innovations.

“Today’s home buyers are willing to spend more in the kitchen – from energy-efficient appliances to quartz countertops,” says Janice Jones, PulteGroup’s national vice president of interior design, which effectively acts as one of the largest design shops in the nation with 33 design professionals. “We continuously conduct consumer focus groups to best understand what they want in their kitchens and are constantly refining our kitchen designs and its elements to ensure it delivers on functionality, creative design and easy maintenance across all our buyer groups.”

Jones says that in 2016, five kitchen trends are emerging as must-haves when consumers are planning a kitchen renovation project or if they are looking for some easy kitchen updates. These design trends can already be seen today in new Pulte homes being built throughout the country.

The “Wow” Factor: Bold and oversized lighting choices add drama to the completed space. Decorative lighting is key in the kitchen and adds dramatic flair as well as functionality to the kitchen, especially over the kitchen island.

Transparency: Consumers love to personalize a space. By switching out some cabinet doors with glass doors, you extend visual boundaries while displaying “a few of my favorite things.”
Bridging the Gap: Consumers say you can never have enough storage, especially in the kitchen. Double stacked cabinets extend to the ceiling, which maximize storage space for those special occasion items.

More drawers, less doors: The functionality of drawers outweighs doors. These designs are emphasized through the use of bold hardware.

Mixed marbles and metals highlight gray wood tones. Materials are being mixed, colors contrasted, and styles interchanged to create a unique and personalized point of view.
To see more kitchen designs, visit www.pulte.com.

Kitchen Trends that Aren’t Trendy

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Brought to you via HOUZZ–great article about kitchen design for today’s home owner.

Top 5 Urban Kitchen Design Trends

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The guest post below is written by an author who lives in London.  So often, design trends begin in Europe and then filter over to the United States.  With more and more downtown revitalization projects happening  across the U.S. metro areas, urban living is once again becoming more popular for younger adults as well as active retirees who want to be close to the ‘vibe’ of downtown living.   Take a read of some of the kitchen design trends that fit the urban living profile.

TOP 5 URBAN KITCHEN DESIGN TRENDS

While some homemakers have transformed their kitchen into bistro-style hangouts, others have made them look like art galleries.  And even more people have redesigned their kitchens into culinary studios.  Whatever style you choose for your kitchen, popular design trends can help you make a bold statement.  With the selection of different textiles these days, everyone is going for a ‘transitional’ design rather than a traditional one.  So here are my top five urban kitchen design palettes that will help you create a functional and entertaining hangout.

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EMERALD

A stark white kitchen with bold hues of emerald is a striking choice this year.  You can play with white, shades of grey and incorporate emerald into your seat cushions, a set of vertical drawers or cabinetry, or an accent wall.  As a vibrant backdrop, the emerald trend will look refreshing against white walls but also add invigorating warmth to your kitchen.

BLUE SERENE

If you’re inspired by waterfront bars or cafés, you’ll enjoy turning your kitchen into a coastal retreat.   This year the colour blue is on everyone’s renovation radar and never fails to impress.

Pastel shades like powder blue can feel smart and sophisticated against a crisp white canvas.  Modern details like recessed spotlights, stainless steel fridge freezer, contemporary bar stools and a painted pantry door keep the overall look fresh.  Have a look at Wickes doors online for a variety of styles to add doors and dress your windows.

Wooden floors with a woven blue Persian rug, sanded furniture and minimal décor helps you achieve a tranquil atmosphere.

NEON STUDIO

A fluorescent touch is all the hype this year, so if you’re high-tech kitchen could use a splash of colour, don’t be shy to accessorize with neon placemats or even include yellow, pink and green bar stools on a grey backdrop.

This trend complements kitchen technology enthusiasts so you can turn your kitchen into an internet café.  A deep stainless steel basin with tall faucets built-in to your marble island counter is a contemporary and practical design.  Mirrored sliding doors for your food pantry and suspended single-track lighting like built-in LEDs will enhance the neon theme.

NEUTRAL TONES

Neutrals like shale, flannel grey and pewter also take dominance this year. So if you can find nice suede wallpaper and layer your kitchen with chrome hardware.  You can sharpen the overall design of your kitchen with stained, painted or frosted glass cabinetry.

Incorporate wood and copper elements such as tables, stools, frames or décor pieces.

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ENERGIZE WITH BOLD GRAPHICS

High energy colour palettes including bright yellow, red chilli and electric blue add character to your kitchen.  Install stainless steel cabinetry and a unique countertop like marble, basalt, glass, steel or limestone instead of the typical granite.

Whether its bold geometric patterns or botanical prints, you can create a fun retro space and further experiment with contrasting wallpaper, cushions or backsplashes.

With inspiration from India’s roadside kitchens or Lebanon’s bustling street counters, you can use bold colors like tango orange, purple or green along with printed backgrounds for a lively look. A popular design element is the accent cabinet so you can add a vertical accent column by painting a set of drawers or selecting coloImage

red cabinetry.

Author bio: Amna Alam is a London-based freelance writer who enjoys film, fashion and interior design.

LED Lighting– Good to Know

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An article from HOUZZ describing the benefits of LED lights and showing some of the most common applications.  As  designer, I am specifying LED lighting for all of my remodel projects.

It’s Good to be GREEN

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No, I am not talking about green beer on St. Patrick’s Day, or green eggs and ham, but green in terms of selection of eco-friendly materials to complete  your home remodel.   Below is a guest post that describes some good ideas about how you can ‘think green’.

Making your home remodel as green as possible

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When remodelling a home you have to make environmental concerns a priority now, not just because of government regulations and stipulations, but also because we have a duty to build buildings and homes that use as few resources as possible, will operate without depleting natural resources on an ongoing basis, and will stand the test of time and be durable and liveable for many years to come. This might sound like a challenge if you’re remodelling a home, but it doesn’t have to be difficult. It doesn’t mean your remodelled home has to be a complete off-the-grid tepee without electricity or running water, it just means that you should use approved green products and appliances when doing your constructions. Information about green solutions is readily available; just browse design and construction firms like Unique Design. Green design doesn’t have to affect the appearance of your remodel either, just the mechanics of it. Here are some pictures of green remodelled homes:

It is now very easy to power your kitchen or bathroom by using solar energy, so if you are doing works on your plumbing or light fittings you should think about this. Solar energy will also attract generous rebates from the government, meaning that your energy bill will dramatically decrease.

Plumbing fixtures are good place to focus your attention as well, as faulty or inadequate fixtures are responsible for huge amounts of leaking and water wastage. A good thing to do when in the midst of a remodel is to get an energy audit, which will show you exactly how and where your energy consumption is going. It might be a revelation to find out exactly how energy is used in your home, and then you’ll know what the big consumers are and how you can save on energy expenses. Most people find that energy is used for a few hours in the evening, across two rooms, the kitchen and the bathroom. As a general rule, good quality products are better for the environment because they use energy more efficiently and last longer, meaning that they stay out of our landfill for longer.