Kitchens should look beautiful and be functional
With people staying home and cooking more of their own meals, the kitchen has taken on new importance. “The kitchen is the heart of the home,” said Sandra Diaz Velasco, an architect and interior designer with EOLO A&I Design in Miami. “But now people are being forced to use their kitchens more whether they like it or not. More than ever, the kitchen needs to be functional.”
Since the kitchen is used so much now, more items need to be kept there. “Storage is a huge trend,” said Sarah Fishburne, director of trend and design for The Home Depot. “In previous times, pantry space was shrinking because people were going out to eat or had more prepared food delivered. Now we’ve seen a shift.”
“People want to avoid clutter,” said Renata Vasconez, an interior designer at IG Workshop in Miami Beach. “They want small appliances to stay in cabinets.”
Open floor plans are everywhere, but do you ever wish you could hide the kitchen workspace before guests arrive when it’s still messy from preparing food? Diaz Velasco has a solution: Installing pocket doors between the workspace and the island. “It makes the kitchen [workspace] disappear,” she said. When the doors are closed, guests or family members can gather around the island without having to stare at cluttered countertops or dirty dishes, but when the owner prefers to have the entire space open, the doors can simply be pushed aside.
APPLIANCES
Appliances are working harder than ever.
“French door refrigeration is becoming more popular due to the flexibility of the space in the drawer,” Fishburne said. “The drawer can be changed to different temperature settings, which allows consumers to use it in different ways.”
“There’s a big move toward microwave drawers that can be incorporated into the island,” said Samantha Gallagher, an interior designer at IG Workshop. On the other hand: “We’re getting more requests for steam ovens, and not so many for microwaves.”
Air frying, a cooking method that simulates deep frying without the fat and mess of oil, is gaining popularity. “This was a trend that started in small appliances and has now moved into full-size ranges,” Fishburne said. “Slide-in ranges are driving growth in the class. A slide-in range doesn’t have a panel on the back, so it allows the consumer
to show more of the backsplash. It creates a more elevated, premium, builtin look.” An added bonus: “Price points have come down.”
For a streamlined look, a cooktop can be incorporated into the countertop, Diaz Velasco said.
Today’s dishwashers do more of the work. “Steam is being added to the beginning of cycles to help loosen food particles, and then at the end of cycles to help eliminate water spots,” Fishburn said. “Sensor technology monitors the soil level and the temperature of your dishwater to provide just the right amount of cleaning power. You’ll still have to remove large food particles from your dishes, but the days of rinsing them completely are a thing of the past. Some dishwashers offer extra options, such as a hard food disposer, meant to help you skip the garbage disposal and put the dishes straight into the machine.”
TO MATCH — OR NOT?
One kitchen trend is to panel appliances like the refrigerator with the same wood as the cabinetry so all of it matches. “It gives a seamless look,” Vasconez said. “Some appliances come panel ready.”
Paneling appliances is a way to bring texture to the kitchen, Diaz Velasco said. “But they don’t have to match the cabinets,” she said, adding that they might be wood, metal, stone or mirrored. “There are no rules.”
A more mixed look for the kitchen is part of a trend toward a design that is purposely imperfect, Fishburne said “People aren’t sticking to the old design principle that all finishes have to match. It embraces the idea of not being perfect. An imperfect design is easier to maintain.” Hand-scraped woods that are simply sealed rather than stained are in demand, Fishburne added. “People want things to be a little more rustic now.”
How about ubiquitous white? “White kitchens are still popular, but we’re seeing them warm up,” Fishburne said. “The whites are getting creamier with brown undertones, and we’re incorporating woods with paint — white or a different color. We’re also seeing black come back into kitchens.”
In fact, black is a growing kitchen design trend.
“Black has been such an important element and a true embodiment of modern, contemporary and industrial interiors,” said Edyta Drutis, North American director of brand and communications for Blanco, a sink and faucet manufacturer based in Germany. “It has become a staple element of interior design. It brings a special dynamic, timeless elegance and stylish sophistication.”
“Black metal with an oxidized patina is beautiful,” Diaz Velasco said, adding that she designed one kitchen that was entirely black. “It’s very dramatic,” she said.
CABINET FEATURES
Cabinets need to be functional as well as beautiful. There are a variety of accessories for organizing pots and pans, flatware and utensils. “It’s about what goes into the cabinets rather than just the outside,” Vasconez said.
Under-cabinet and lighting within cabinets are important both for functionality and ambience, Gallagher said. “When there are glass [fronted] cabinets, you can put LEDs inside to light whatever pieces you want to display,” she said. “Stay away from clear glass — use glass with a smoky or bronze look.”
Large, decorative pulls on cabinets have been popular for a while, but that’s changing, Vasconez said. “Less is more. We’re not seeing so much hardware now. Handles are integrated into the wood of cabinets.”
NO RULES
Perhaps the most important thing to remember is to choose what makes you happy. “There are no limits now,” Diaz Velasco said. “We have so many choices now. But it’s important for your character to be in the design.”