Trends in Kitchens -- Your Opinion on Next Big Thing

In My Humble Opinion
1

Reading some of the recent threads here & there on house hunters and such got me to thinking about kitchen countertops and appliances.

Like how countertops have evolved from formica to solid surface (like Corian) to granite, which seems to be the most hottest thing right now. Or appliances, which have gone from white to avocado to stainless.

I know there are quartz countertops seem to be becoming hot, and dual-oven ranges are popular, but stainless still seems to be the “color” of the moment.

We may be buying another house soon, and I’m looking at something with good bones at a good price that requires some fixing up and I don’t want to put in something that will be regarded as quaint or even silly in a few years; I’d like to put in something that’s going to be well regarded in the years to come. And, something reasonably mainstream because we’re basically down to earth, reaosnably practical folk with some regard for a dollar…forget custom concrete countertops or refrigerating pull-out ovens.

So, what do you think is going to be the most popular material for countertops, or finish for appliances, or types/configurations of appliances in the near future? (let’s leave out the Star Trek holo-cookers for now)

2

How about finding something durable and not too expensive that pleases you that a future owner could easily replace at some future date? Or that you could replace at a future date, if you so choose.

I’ve been doing some home remodeling over the last two years while working for a general contractor. There are still LOTS of formica countertops out there, along with avocado appliances. Not everyone has gone to granite and steel. Get something durable, easy to clean, and reasonably coordinated as to style and color.

3

I’m a fan of the copper counter tops myself. You get an earth tone colored one I can’t imagine anyone 20 years from now thinking it’s terrible. Much like we do with just about everything 70’s.

4

From what I understand the next big thing is color. You can get oil rubbed bronze finishes as well as various colors. Here is an interesting blogthat discusses colored appliances.

I don’t think that stone surfaces are going to be completely out of style. They are still practical and you can get them in a variety of colors.

That being said, get what you can afford and what makes you happy. Its your house and you are the one who has to live with it.

5

We put in a faux quartz countertop called ‘espresso’, cherry cabinets and black appliances in our last house. The colors all complement each other, which is the important thing. The black isn’t intrusive and will hold up well over the years. I’d stick with neutral colors and stay away from personal touches such as flowered wallpaper or little hearts, which turns off buyers.

6

Don’t buy a side-by-side or top-mount (freezer on top, refrigerator on bottom) refrigerator. Those are considered obsolescent, all the “nice” custom kitchens now have a form of “French door bottom mount” (two doors on top, to a double-wide refrigerator, with a pull-out freezer drawer on the bottom.).

Dunno why, just the trend.

7

Unless you’re expecting to move within 3 or 4 years of buying your house, just go for what *you *like. When you eventually do put the place on the market, you can use an appliance allowance as a bargaining chip. I never understood the obsession with buying for resale, beyond basics like 3BR/2BA being a good standard.

We redid our kitchen 5 years ago with formica and almond appliances. Now that we have a bit more money to play with, I’m looking at solid countertops, but I wouldn’t have stainless appliances if you gave them to me. We have remodeled and decorated our house for ourselves. If for some reason we decide to sell, we’ll deal with things then.

8

I left my crystal ball at home so I can’t predict the future right at the moment, but wooden countertops (whether face-, edge- or end-grain) are practical and warm-looking. There’s quite a bit of color variation available, and IMHO wood goes with … almost anything.

I also feel pretty strongly that you should *avoid *tiling the countertops. Lived in a couple of houses with tile countertops and that grout is impossible to keep clean, not to mention that if the tile chips you get a nice little bacteria breeding pond. Ick.

But as far as long-term trends go: energy-efficient appliances, definitely. If you’re replacing the dishwasher, for example, install the quietest, least-fuel-guzzling, least-water-needing one you can reasonably afford.

Stainless steel got popular because it’s durable and easy to sanitize (same reason commercial kitchens use it) but it only gets out of hand when you go for the all-stainless-steel look.
That look in a home kitchen will, I’m sure, one day look as dated as avocado and shag, but I doubt that having one or two stainless appliances will ever really look out of date.

9

Too lazy to do the research, but I think that in all the money-printing that’s happening of late, there is a tax rebate/credit for EnergyStar compliant appliances – check it out, and look for the EnergyStar logo.

10

Someone said the same thing in this thread about linoleum, and I didn’t understand it there, either.

Stainless is neutral, as equally neutral as white or black. It doesn’t look as good with lighter kitchens-- I wouldn’t mix it with blonde woods (then again, I wouldn’t use blonde woods in kitchens-- as avocado screams 70s, blonde screams 80s suburbia), but otherwise, it’s nearly as versatile as white or black is.

Wood, stone, stainless are timeless, IMO. The color combinations may result in something hideous, but the materials won’t be at fault.

Anyway, in response to the OP: energy-efficient appliances. Like said above, you’ll see more french-door style fridges withe freezer on the bottom. Not a bad design, I just bought one a few weeks back. It’s sooo much better than the traditional top-freezer and side-by-side designs, in both utility and efficiency. I like my fridge now, and find it a lot easier to manage/rotate the food in it.

11

Hmm, that’s good to know about the new bottom freezer fridges being actually nicer. I was wondering about that.

The engergy efficiency thing is a good thought I hadn’t considered, thanks.

Agree with tiled countertops. Some may look classic, but I do not like them for the reasons mentioned. We like the heavy, solid, shiny look and feel of granite and/or quartz (haven’t checked them out, but I assume they’re even harder than granite and don’t require sealing, I think).

Funny thing about the solid wood countertops that purplehorseshoe mentioned: We were looking at a new $450,000 house last weekend (just for ideas, that is a very expensive house in Huntsville and waaay out of our budget) in the Parade of Homes here and it had butcher-block countertops and they did, indeed, look very, very nice.

Don’t care about trendy, just don’t want something that’s gonna look dated in a few years. But basically, yes, we’re going to get what pleases and works for us. It’s just that where some things are roughly comparable in price, we don’t want to get something that is on the way out, style-wise.

(…the wife already having put the kibosh on purple walls with black shag carpet in the master bedroom…)

Oh, any recommendations or experiences with kitchen flooring? Wood versus tile, for instance? Can’t seem to decide what we might want there.

Thanks so much for the helpful responses so far, it is appreciated!

12

I’ll go out on a limb and predict Acrylic fronts on refridgerators. You know, like the deli fridge where you can look in to see what you’re buying. It is remarkably energy efficient, both due to the insulating quality, and the fact that you don’t have to stand around with it open. Maybe tinted eventually, but starting with the clear mixed with stainless steel supports, just like in a retail establishment.

I personally hate the bottom freezer, even though it makes more sense thermodynamically. You can’t get an ice dispenser that way. And I’ll never get over the picture of my Dad’s bulldog dripping drool into the ice tray as he tries to push past you to grab a piece. Ewwwwwww! ! !

13

We built our house 2 years ago and I always joke that it’ll look like a time capsule from the early 21st century. Stainless appliances (French door fridge), quartz & granite countertops, tile floors, open floor plan. I have porcelain tile throughout the house with a rug in the main living area. The tile is (unfortunately) hard on my back–I never thought about that beforehand. I did get one of those gelpro mats to use in front of the island in the kitchen. It helps a lot. Here the tile is good because it tends to stay cool (105 yesterday).

14

Oh, yes you can. I bought one a year ago. Mine is an LG, but there were quite a few with ice dispensers in the door. It does take away a little room in the fridge part, but I was willing to give that up for ice in the door.

15

I can’t believe they made this baddass fridge with out the ability to make a grocery list.

I still want it tho’.

16

Wow–love it! I have the Maytag H2O which is a French-door with water and ice thru the door. Damned thing doesn’t have crushed ice, though. I didn’t realize that until I’d had it a few weeks. (guess that means I don’t really need crushed ice). My friend has a fridge that cost 1/3 the price of mine and they have crushed ice thru the door.:smack:

17

Fuchsia appliances and a video refrigerator entertainment center that dispenses margaritas and frozen custard. The microbrewery machine will be next to it. After all all kitchens have to be party ready right.

18

This is brilliant. Two brewing set-ups, one food grade and one automobile grade! Fine grains and hops into one, miscellaneous compostables in the other. Voila! Free ethanol for all!

19

Granite/cherry/stainless will look dated a decade from now because they are so ubiquitous in remodels. They used to be limited to more upscale homes, but now that everyone is using them, they are on their way out.

20

I don’t understand why someone would want a granite counter. Don’t you break glasses and dishes if you put them down too hard, or drop them?