2015 Kitchen Trends In Custom Homes

2015 trends - Kitchens

Even though the year is young there are many trends that are already emerging, trends in kitchens are one of them. Some of the trends started in the years previous and area considered longer running trends and some are trends that have started more recently. These trends are new; sometimes these trends have been around for years but are finally gaining in popularity.
Kitchens
Here is a list of the trends that have stayed the same over the last several years;

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

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

• Granite that waterfalls over the end of islands and cabinets have become very popular. This has waned a little recently as there is a high cost to it.

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

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

• 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's a television show without seeing one.

• Stainless steel is still the most popular for appliances.

• Islands are still the most popular way to create counter space in kitchens. The size of islands continues grow as larger homes have larger areas to fill.

• 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.

• 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.

• 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.

• Multiple wall ovens even with their increased cost are now a staple in large kitchens.

• 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.

• 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.

• 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.

• There isn’t a dominant choose in the fridge manufactures, in previous years it was always a sub zero fridge in high-end kitchens, this has ended because of the high cost of the fridges and also from endless problems and warranty issues. Samsung looked to be the manufacture that would take over that mantle but that seems to have stalled and now no fridge manufacture has stepped up to take the title yet.

• Kitchens continue to grow in size, as houses are growing again over the last couple of years so are the kitchens in the homes. With the amount of conveniences rising in homes it is forcing the kitchen to become larger to accommodate them as all the modern machines require their own spaces.

• The microwave has returned to a prominent place in the kitchen after years of it being placed under counters or in pantries, with the increased size in kitchens the possible positions that microwaves can be placed has also grown. This is allowing people to easily find space for their microwaves.

• Leathering of granite counter tops has become the best way to have a “non shiny” surface but still have granite.

• Wall ovens with microwaves that share the same trim are common; these then look to be one appliance instead of two different ones.

• Glass in upper cabinet doors that are backlit are common in high end kitchens.

• Two or three hanging pendants are the norm now over every island in kitchens.

• Having kitchens that have different coloured islands compared to the cabinets on the walls. Usually the colours are dramatically different to create contrast.

• Chrome or polished nickel is what almost always installed in kitchens.

Here are the new trends in kitchens;

• Dark stained wood cabinets are coming back into style as the stark white kitchens that have been all the rage for the last couple of years are leaving some people less inspired.

• The biggest trend change is the growing popularity of soapstone counter tops. These give a completely different look to the surface of the kitchen, a much more rustic look to the kitchen surface.

• The multi level island has come back with not only a higher bar section but islands also being made with a lower section that can be sat at with a normal dining room chair instead of a bar stool.

• Windows have taking a giant step forward as kitchens in custom homes are being designed around as many windows as possible bringing as much natural light as possible.

• A hot trend these days is the buying of IKEA kitchens and having them installed by the general contractor to try and lower the cost of kitchens. Homeowners are sacrificing overall quality and longevity for a lower bill upfront.

• New sinks with holders for knifes and speciality items are growing in popularity. Blanco is one of the most popular in this category.

• Drain boards that are built right into the counter tops are becoming more popular, this allows
you to place wet dishes right on top of the counter next to the sink and have it drain away.

• Modern kitchens are really starting to become more popular. There flat doors and clean lines are really appealing to homeowners.

• In smaller kitchens there is now a fill-in piece for the sink to allow you to work right over the sink.

• People are trying new materials on their kitchen backsplashes instead of the traditional tile. Some of the materials are natural stone, back painted glass and hammered copper.

Something that you should remember when you are planning out a new kitchen whether it is in a new custom home or it is part of a renovation in your home you should be putting the maximum amount of effort into the design. The kitchen is one of the most used rooms in any home and will take the most amount of abuse as well. Paying a little more for quality items will usually always pay off in the end.

Rob Abbott
Village Builders Inc.

Don't build a larger kitchen, build a more efficient kitchen

A new survey on the popular website houzz has found that only 37% of people that are thinking about remodeling their kitchen want to make the kitchen larger.

The reason for this is that for decades the kitchens got larger, grander and more open. This was in response to the closed off spaces of the 70’s and 80’s where who was ever working in the kitchen was in a room to themselves and would not be able to interact with their family or guests. So kitchens were opened up and made larger, with more space in the middle of the room to help create more principal counter space around the perimeter and allowing more room in the middle for guests, children and pets too flow into and out of the kitchen without disturbing the food preparation.

This thinking worked, it allowed more counter space and freed up area for the flow of people and pets to come in and out of the kitchen. But overtime what people started to realize is that when they were working in the kitchen they had to do a fair bit of walking. The space between the stove, sink, refrigerator and counter prep area had grown farther apart then was practical. When preparing a large meal people found that a lot of time and energy was being wasted walking around the kitchen to the farther spaced out work stations.

Enter the new kitchen designs; making kitchens smaller but more efficient and designating space for the many different activities that will go on in a modern kitchen and a modern home.

How did they achieve this?

They added islands in the middle of the kitchens, in the island they installed another sink, more storage underneath and an ample supply of preparation area. This island eliminated the need for more storage around the perimeter of the kitchen and the counter tops that go with them. The kitchen is now able to become smaller, shrinking around the island, the kitchen then is redesigned so that the stove and fridge are closer together and the extra sink in the island allows for less travel from stove to fridge to preparation area.
Locating the fridge around the side away from the main preparation area allows people to walk into the kitchen to retrieve snacks or drinks without walking into the space of the food preparation.

The other design trend that has come about from this shrinking of the kitchen is the creation of stations for people to streamline the use of the kitchen. Putting all the morning coffee and breakfast needs in a certain area of the kitchen allows people to retrieve what they need without having to interfere with anyone that is cooking eggs, bacon or pancakes. Placing the main large sink next to the dishwashers and a large counter area allows all the used dishes to come to one area where they can be rinsed and placed in the dishwashers or sink for cleaning. This thinking allows people the freedom of movement around the kitchen even though there might be several people working in one area of it.

So when you are planning that new kitchen remember that bigger isn’t always better, think smarter and use your kitchen more efficiently.

Rob Abbott
Operations Manager
Village Builders Inc.