INVESTING IN A NEW KITCHEN

In years past, the main purpose of a kitchen was functionality. Hidden away from the rest of the home, the kitchen served as the food storage and preparation area — little more.

But these days, kitchens are the centre of the home both in terms of design and usage. It’s where families and guests congregate, and it can be the focal point from which plans for the entire home are drawn up.

Put simply, kitchens are a big deal, said Daniela Lamorte, realestate broker with Abbey & Olivier Real Estate Agency.

“It’s probably the room that gets the most scrutiny and attention by prospective buyers,” she said. “They perceive the kitchen not as a room in itself, but as a function of the overall layout and flow of the home. It’s no longer an isolated space simply geared toward meal preparation.”

That’s largely why the trend today is to have the kitchen situated in an open, central point of the home that feeds into surrounding areas such as the dining and living rooms.

This open design has prompted homeowners to pay more attention to their kitchen’s esthetics than ever before. “People are investing more money and time in planning their kitchen in order to get that wow factor,” said Jean Drouin, president of Audacia Design. “An open kitchen concept permits us to work on the architectural structure of the home and allows us to introduce greater details.”

In response to this trend, manufacturing capabilities have greatly improved over the years, allowing designers to explore more complex ideas. “As a result, kitchen designs have become more unique for each home — giving the kitchen a custom built- in furniture look,” he said.

This look is sought after both by people building custom homes from scratch, and buyers shopping on the real- estate market.

“Buyers are very concerned with comfort and functionality, but esthetics are crucial,” Lamorte said. “The kitchen is the room of the home that most purchasers anticipate having to renovate when they buy a property.

“They want their kitchen to be a reflection of their personal tastes and needs.”

The most popular trends in kitchens today all work toward achieving a chic, clean look, with hints of warmth commonly associated with kitchens of the past.

“People are going for the mod- ern and transitional styles, which consist of combining part modern and part traditional looks,” Jean Drouin said.

“The pure white colour, the bright accent of chrome details, the light colour tones of quartz similar to natural marble, mixed textures, and the presence of dark wood are all elements that create the style.”

Another big trend is to continue the flooring, whether it’s wood or ceramic, from the rest of the home and adjacent living areas into the kitchen.

“It unifies the space,” Daniela Lamorte said. “It creates an uninterrupted flow and demonstrates that people are placing an emphasis on integrating the kitchen into the living space.”

While appliances were once thought of solely for their functionality, they now play a substantial role in kitchen design as well.

“They’re very important to the feel and look of the kitchen because they complete the design,” Drouin said. “Depending on the style, there are different models — and many options are available.”

If you’ve decided it’s time to give

Shop for the best fit rather than for the best price. ( Redoing your kitchen is) a big investment and you need to trust who you’re working with. JEAN DROUIN

your kitchen an upgrade in order to modernize the space, Drouin rec-

ommends establishing a budget as the first step.

“You also need to know what your esthetic and functional requirements are,” he said. “This way designers can ensure they have the tools to create the kitchen design that reflects the clients’ needs and style, and the atmosphere they wish to create.”

Consulting experts early in the process is always a good idea, too.

“It’s important to feel comfortable with the team you will be working with,” Drouin said. “Shop for the best fit rather than for the best price.

“It’s a big investment, and you need to trust who you’re working with.”

P H O T O S ( 2 ) : C O U RT E S Y O F D O WNSV I E W K I T C H E NS With kitchens now part of an open- concept approach to layout and flow in a home, people are investing more time and money in planning their kitchen in order to achieve the wow factor. They want it to reflect their personal tastes and needs.

MA R I E - F R A NC E C O A L L I E R , MO N T R E A L G A Z E T T E F I L E S People are going for a modern look that combines pure white. like the countertops in this Nouvelle Cuisine installation, with a darker contrasting colour highlighted with metallic details.

CHRISTINNE MUSCHI, MONT- REAL GAZETTE FILES Ensuring that flooring in the kitchen is the same as in adjacent living areas will help unify the open- concept layout space and create an uninterrupted flow.

H O ME D E P O T, MO N T R E A L G A Z E T T E F I L E S Appliances now play a substantial role in kitchen design.

COURTESY OF DOWNS- VIEW KITCHENS With today’s emphasis on open- concept layouts, the kitchen is not seen so much as a room in itself but as part of the flow of a home. As such, its design must complement that of the areas nearby.