Cooking Up A Kitchen Remodel Stainless Steel Appliances Remain The Hottest Trend, But There Are Other Ways To Update Your Cooking Space

Good grief: $30.7 billion buys a whole lot of two of my favorite things - Popsicles and Cheez-Its. It also buys a whole lot of kitchen remodeling.

According to Kitchen and Bath Business magazine, that’s how much we’re expected to spend this year to give our kitchens a new, what we hope will be a more attractive, user-friendly face.

In 1998, 4.48 million kitchen remodels were tackled across the country. Projections for 1999 are down a smidge to 4.45 million. But when the numbers get that high, who’s counting?

All this remodeling becomes especially important when we consider that the kitchen is showing no signs of giving up its title as the “hearth” or primary gathering place in the home. If we are going to spend all that time in the kitchen area, it had better look good, and it had better function even better.

On the color front, neutrals are the big deal. “We are seeing a real trend toward beiges, browns and greens (in the kitchen), anything that looks natural,” says Charlotte Barnard, executive editor of House Beautiful, Kitchens and Baths.

“Since most new homes are continuing the look of a great room into the kitchen, these neutral color schemes make for an integrated look and also are great for resale for those who are thinking long term.”

Oaks and paler woods are still popular for cabinetry, but they are making way for darker woods including cherry, maple and pear. Colored glazes are also taking off in butterscotch, chocolate brown and off-white.

Mixing wood finishes - giving the work island a different finish than the cabinets, for example - is yet another way to go. Detailing comes into play, too. The use of decorative moldings is making cabinets more distinctive, giving them added character.

Stainless steel remains the hottest trend in kitchen appliances. If you’d like a more integrated look, wood or furniture-type panels and finishes can provide a perfect match with cabinetry finishes and help carry the furniture look from the great room into the kitchen.

Customization has become the rule, not the exception, in the kitchen. Differing heights of countertops have hit rather big, according to Wanda Jankowski, editor of Kitchen and Bath Business. “The island may be at a different height from the rest of the countertops or lower counters for kids and higher-than-normal counters to facilitate cooking and baking needs.”

Natural materials also are in. Granite, stone, marble and anything that creates a natural look are showing up as countertops.

People are also mixing it up, using different types of countertop materials in one kitchen. Some high-end kitchens are even using concrete.

Sinks, of all things, are becoming a way to express personal style in the kitchen. “We are seeing more traditional looks in kitchens with farmhouse-type sinks that feature an exposed apron of china or clay,” says Amanda Lecky, editor of Good Housekeeping Home Plans.

“On the opposite extreme in the contemporary kitchen, we are seeing stainless sinks that complement the look in appliances.”

On the walls, wallpaper is being traded for paint, especially some of the newer techniques such as sponging and glazing.

Borders are still popular for the kitchen. The most recent styles feature a bottom edge that is not straight but cut out by laser to create an interesting pattern.

Tiles are becoming the trend for back-splashes, especially with mosaic patterns to create a highly individualized look.