2014 kitchen trends in custom homes

2014 trends - Kitchens

Now that we are into 2014 there are emerging trends in kitchens that are being installed in new custom homes and custom renovations. A lot of the things that we did in the 2013 construction year were the same as in previous years, there are definite trends that have arose and more that have become popular because of the growing number of people using them.

Kitchens

Here is a list of the trends that have stayed the same over the last several years;

• Viking and Wolfs are the most popular ovens and cook tops in high end kitchens.

• Islands are still the most popular way to create counter space in kitchens. The size of islands continues grow.

• Multiple dishwashers which were only a novelty and an excess in years previous are now the norm in large kitchens that plan to see a lot of traffic.

• White is a colour that is back in for kitchens, it has rapidly replaced the darker bolder colours of the last couple of years, you can’t open a magazine or watch a television show without seeing one.

• Stainless steel is still the most popular for appliances.

• Multiple sinks are still popular, usually a large main sink and then a small separate sink that is used to wash fruit. But with larger kitchens two larger sinks are growing in popularity.

• Multiple ovens are still popular.

• Convection ovens that double as microwaves have quickly replaced the traditional stove with the microwave/hood vent over top.

• Granite had been the most popular choice in kitchens for a long time. But with the invention of new manufactured products for counter tops that are comparative in price with the traditional granite, you are seeing a lot more home owners choosing Caesar stone, Quartz and Corian. These products have a lot of the same characteristics as granite, some of them are also cheaper and they come in a variety of colours and styles. Trends right now is to do a mix of manufactured and granite. This adds a little variety to the kitchen and can also solve the problem in large kitchens of trying to find enough granite that matches for every surface in the ever expanding surface area.

• Painted kitchen cupboards are still the most popular choice over stained wood.

• Under mount stainless steel sinks are still the most popular option.

• The main sink is now placed in the island instead of on a wall under a window. The main sink in the island faces toward the living room so that people working in the kitchen can interact with their guests. This goes along with the kitchen being the hub of the home.

• Specially designed cabinets are common now to help fit things easier in your kitchen such as pot drawers, spice racks, custom dish racks and small speciality drawers that hold your wash cloths and dish soup.

• Custom panels covering fume hoods is a common site in most new kitchens. The exposed stainless steel fume hood is not seen as often as before.

• Granite that waterfalls over the end of islands and cabinets have become very popular.

• Large kitchen taps with pull out sprayers are common in all new kitchens.

Here are the new trends in kitchens;

• People are starting to turn away from buying sub-zero fridges, the size, cost and problems that people are having with them are starting to make homeowners look at other alternatives.

• Samsung fridges are becoming a popular option for people because of their reliability and there price.

• After years of kitchens becoming more efficient with space the size of kitchens are growing bigger with people looking for more working surface area and cabinet space.

• Under mount microwaves were all the rage for the last couple of years but the popularity of the under counter microwave seems to be fading as the motorized door and the awkward way to place food in and retrieve it are turning people away and back to microwaves that are either on the counter or mounted in the cabinetry.

• As multiple ovens are popular so has the popularity of multiple wall ovens made a resurgence.

• The hottest trend these days in granite counter tops is called Titanium. It is an expensive granite that has a unique pattern that is usually dark with lighter to white stripes running through it.

• Wall ovens with microwaves that share the same trims are all the rage right now, making the two appliances seem like one.

• A couple of years ago the trend was large white country sinks that protrude out the front of the cabinets showing a finished white face as an apron, this sink style has stayed popular but not in white, the newest trend is in stainless steel.

• Wood counter tops on islands are coming back in style. The natural, warm feeling and look of wood tops gives a kitchen a more homely feel.

• Stained kitchen cabinets are starting to make a comeback in country homes. The increased cost is not deterring homeowners as much.

• Glass in upper cabinets is also making a comeback as designers try to make homes with high ceilings of 9 feet or more seem smaller and more homely in the kitchen area.

• With glass upper cabinets in style so is interior lighting of them. This adds an accent to the kitchen and a richness to the home in general.

• The hot new colour for appliances is matte grey. It gives the appliances a completely more understated look then having stainless steel. This is for people who like their cabinets to be the centrepiece of the kitchens instead of the appliances.

• Large custom kitchens have work areas, having multiple islands is the way that they are accomplishing this.

Kitchen areas in custom homes are becoming larger with the area becoming a more multi use place for the whole family. Sitting area’s for breakfast or homework and adjoining rooms for pantries are making the kitchen area a whole hub for the home not just a place to prepare meals. The wiring for audio/video and the availability of cheaper wireless technology has allowed internet and television into the kitchen. Screens are being installed in kitchens for people to either watch television while they have breakfast or with the advent of the internet and the pvr they are able to prepare that recipe that they saw on a cooking show.

As designs change and styles come and go you must find a balance between what you want as the homeowner and what will reflect well in the value of your home.

Rob Abbott
Operations Manager
Village Builders Inc.

Interior finishes when designing a country home

Series: Tips on designing a country home.

In this multi-part series I will help give you tips on how to go about having a custom home built in the country, where it should sit, what it should look like, how it should function and what type of home performs the best and fits in with the surrounding country side.

Interior finishes

If you truly want your home to blend in with the country homes in your area then there are certain things that you should be putting into your home to make it a “country home”. The actual fit and finish is up to you and the colours are all your decision but there are certain things that every country home must have to be called a country home.

• Fireplace. Every country home must have at least one fireplace. It can be propane, natural gas (if you actually can get it) or wood. What most people don’t realize is that alot of the things that are in a country home have evolved from practicality. Fireplaces are still installed in country homes so that if the power fails you still have a way to heat your home. There are other wonderful things about fireplaces like they create extra heat in one area of the house without heating the whole house up, they are a show piece in the room and they can help create a mood. Your fireplace in your main living room should have stone around it, it should have a hearth and a large mantle. Fireplaces in country homes are not the place to try and do a modern theme or look.

• Large eat in kitchens. There is a reason that there called “country kitchens”, the country the kitchen is a gathering place for people at any part of the day. You can still have formal dining rooms, but true country homes have a place  to eat in the kitchen so that you can interact with the cook. Your kitchen should be of a large size.

• Mudroom. Country living is a dirty living, especially on your footwear, that’s why every country home needs a mudroom. A lot of people put the laundry machines in the same location, this makes the washing of the dirty clothes from outside much easier. Mudrooms should have hooks not closets so that it is easier to hang up wet dirty jackets to dry.

• Hardwood floors. Country homes have as many local natural things in them as possible. Hardwood floors that are the same species as the trees in your area are a most. One popular thing to do is to have reclaimed floors like Elm or Maple. These reclaimed wood is taken out of local barns that are 100’s of years old and the barn has reached the end of its life. Then they are milled down and turned into flooring. The look is simply wonderful, it’s a warm and inviting floor.

• Colours. Remember when picking colours for your home that you want your home to be warm and inviting on the inside. Country people like visitors and except their neighbours to pop in every once in a while. So you want your home to be a place that they feel welcome and they want to hang around and chat.

• Trim. Your trim doesn’t have to be stained, it can be painted. But it should be of a fair size. The larger the wood trim the better, natural products like wood trim are always a highlight of country homes.

• Tile. When picking tile for your bathrooms or your laundry room, try to keep the natural theme going, you don’t have to spend the money on natural stone tile, but you should be choosing something that gives the feel or has the look of natural stone tile.

• Remember the dirty theme of living in the country. Any type of flooring that you put down should be durable. Because it will be beat up by people, kids and animals coming in from the outside.

• Your side entrance to your home should be as nice as your front entrance just more functional. Country people do not use their front doors, that’s only for special company, country people all enter from the side or back entrance of your home. Make sure your mudroom looks nice and is designed in a way that will withstand a lot of abuse.

What I have listed is not the only thing that you can put in a country home, it should though be a guideline that you can follow when choosing what your country home will end up looking like. Obviously your own style takes precedent over anything that I have talked about, guidelines are so that your home looks like a country home at the end and not a city place.

Rob Abbott
Operations Manager
Village Builders Inc.