Trends in Kitchens -- Your Opinion on Next Big Thing

[Anne_Neville]

@Weedy

It’s probably not trendy, but my favourite kitchen flooring is sealed cork. Easy to clean, and you can drop a glass on it without it breaking.

How well does it resist water and staining?

[Nava]

Wonderfully, although depending on what fell on it it may stain if you don’t clean it fast. It’s popular for indoor play areas.

[Kalhoun]

@norinew

I don’t know what’s up-and-coming in kitchen floors. But I know what I like. What I like is one piece flooring. Yes, it has to be installed by someone who knows how to cut/install it. But the plus of not having to worry about anything dropped/spilled seep into the cracks is definitely worth it! Not to mention: the apartment we just moved into has wood parquet-type 12"X12" tiles, and a few of them have warped a little (duh; it’s a kitchen; moisture, sudden temp changes, etc.) and that makes them harder to sweep/damp mop.

I also know that, be it counter tops or flooring, it should either be: A, bleachable (mostly white/very light in color) or B, stain-disguising. Take your pick. But don’t choose something that’s going to stain, and then the stain is going to stand out forever and ever!

I just did one-piece flooring in my bathroom. It looks just like freekin’ stone. I love it. Guaranteed for 15 years.

For a kitchen, I sure like the look of colored concrete counter tops. I like concrete floors, too.

[Dewey_Finn]

@LiveOnAPlane

Yeah! That’s exactly what I mean. Thank you so much, I didn’t know they made them; it’s certainly worth looking at/thinking about.

Appeciated.

And um…looks like hardwood floors are not what I want.

I looked on sears.com for “freezerless refrigerators”. They had ten models, ranging from $500-1,800, so they are available.

[Fionn]

@elmwood

Nobody answered my question about these real estate markets where houses with kitchens that are more than five years old are shunned by homebuyers.

Anyhow, from what I’m reading, it seems like kitchens tend to get dated fast in the eyes of homeowners and homebuyers. If I wanted to build a timeless kitchen, something that wouldn’t seem dated or scream “OH MY GOD THAT IS SO LATE 2000s” in 2040, how should it be appointed? Or … is it even possible?

I don’t think it’s possible to come up with something that won’t look dated eventually, but I think it’s possible to design something that will age well, so that it might look a bit out of fashion but not hideous. When I was looking at houses this summer, I quite liked some of the old-school kitchens.

[Dr.Woo]

@TruCelt

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! ! !

You have my eternal gratitude for pointing this out. I’ve been scoping out fridges and thought the bottom freezer config looked good. But we have beagles who are VERY interested in the contents of the big cold food box so I’ll just stick with the non-drool option.

[Magiver]

@Patty_O_Furniture

And I went for soapstone counter top instead of granite, mainly because I wanted something impervious to stains and heat. The down side is that soapstone is softer than granite so it can be scratched if you drag something hard and heavy across it. If you buy something nice, you need to take care of it. If you want a counter top that you can slam down your pots and pans on, then better stick with synthetic materials.

I’m not sure on this philosophy. I would love a 1 piece molded sink/counter top but on the flip side of that I know it will date the kitchen the nano-second the money is spent. I kind of like the cooking show I was watching the other day where the host uses his kitchen like a workshop. He doesn’t try to keep the counter top looking like a museum piece. It was some kind of wood that doubled as a cutting board.

[Patty_O_Furniture]

Yeah well then you’re back to the staining problem. No material is impervious to everything. Counter top selection is an exercise in risk assessment - what kind of accident are you most likely to have?

I don’t need to wear kid gloves or anything, just use cutting boards and other counter top protection measures and most kinds of materials will do well.

But at some point you will spill grape juice or leave a rust ring from the bottom of a can, or set a hot skillet down and there goes most counter tops. That’s why I chose soapstone - impervious to stains and heat. I figured thos were my two most likely causes of counter top disfigurement.

[Caffeine.addict]

@elmwood

Nobody answered my question about these real estate markets where houses with kitchens that are more than five years old are shunned by homebuyers.

I’m in the Washington DC metropolitan area. When we were looking, and from curious looking on mls sites, most people update the kitchen and bathrooms before sale. It isn’t uncommon for people around here to update their kitchens every ten years or so.

[cherry]

I’m not sure if it is a trend in other parts of the country but kosher kitchens are a trend here in my neighborhood. I didn’t pay much attention to it when I was house hunting but I did see many homes with very fancy materials. The home I did buy has a kosher kitchen. It is pretty neat and didn’t occur to us until we googled it. We kept thinking why do you need 2 dishwashers and thought oh it must be for entertaining. Anyways I have a gourmet kitchen with a 6 burner gas stove, two separate stacked ovens on the wall and an oven underneath the stove and two dishwashers and two separate sinks on different counters with separate garbage disposals. and a fridge with a bottom freezer. All the appliances are Jennair which apparently come with a Sabbath function. So that’s a trend around here and while I don’t keep kosher because I’m not Jewish I really like having 2 dishwashers and a gas stove. I can show pictures of it later if someone wants to see it.