The kitchen has long been the heart of the home. In recent years, however, families have spent even more time in their kitchens: working from home, building science fair projects, scratch-baking the occasional loaf of bread. Familiarity may not have bred complete contempt for your space, but you may be thinking that it could use a refresh.
You aren’t alone. “Remodeling a kitchen has hit orbit [in demand] due to people being home more,” says Jenny Rausch, designer and owner of Karr Bick Kitchen & Bath. Jim Howard, a kitchen and bath designer for Alspaugh Kitchen & Bath, says it this way: “People are hanging around the house looking at their kitchen all day and thinking, I can do better than this.
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We asked three St. Louis design experts to share their clients’ most frequent requests and offer clever ideas to make life just a little easier (or at least prettier) in the busiest room of the house.
In addition to Rausch and Howard, we consulted with Caroline Kerckhoff, interior designer for Stone Hall Cabinetry.
Colorful Cabinets
Rausch says Karr Bick is designing kitchens with such custom colors as greens, blues, and even pinks in the tile, wallpaper, and cabinetry. For those who might hesitate to choose green kitchen cabinets, Kerckhoff says the human brain sees a muted blue or green as a neutral. Black is technically a neutral, but it makes a bold statement. Howard is seeing the use of black-painted cabinets throughout the kitchen. At Karr Bick, Rausch likes to grace a black-and-white kitchen with gold accents. Whatever the color, says Howard, today’s cabinets are extending to the ceiling, a trend that’s popular in both new construction and remodels.
Warming with Wood
All three experts say wood tones are in high demand for kitchens. Wood adds warmth to a space, says Rausch. Homeowners like to mix wood tones with neutrals or color—perhaps an island with a wooden base, or a furniture piece in the kitchen, like a hutch or sideboard. In St. Louis, walnut has been a strong trend, in tones that range from a natural medium brown to very dark, almost black stains, says Howard. Coming in a close second is rift-sawn white oak, he reports: “This is a very straight-grain wood. You can go anywhere from a natural-looking color to very gray stains or even black and still get the visual texture of the grain.”
The Kitchen Suite
Consumers keep buying specialized appliances—coffeemakers, wine coolers, a second refrigerator, pizza ovens—and they need extra space to house them. “We’re starting to see all these ancillary rooms—butlers’ pantries, dirty kitchens, walk-in pantries, beverage centers,” says Howard. “It’s turned into what I call a kitchen suite. I liken it to the primary suite, where the rooms are connected yet serve different functions.” The bulk of the cooking occurs in the dirty kitchen, sometimes called a caterer’s kitchen. “You can make a mess here,” says Howard, “and the core kitchen that the guests see stays clean.” The dirty kitchen often includes a second refrigerator or dishwasher, although second dishwashers are appearing in main kitchens as well. “I’m doing more double dishwashers than I’ve ever done before,” says Kerckhoff. “In the past couple of years, we’ve all been in our homes more than normal, and people are doubling up.”
Doubling Down
Howard says kitchen spaces in general are getting larger as people invest more in their homes. “We’re seeing a lot of double islands,” says Howard. “You can only make a single island so big before it becomes such that you can’t walk around it or reach over to the other side, so we split the same concept into two islands. This helps traffic flow and functionality.” To top the island (and the rest of the counters), consumers have more choices than ever before. A few years ago, it was all granite, all the time. Now, says Kerckhoff, choices are all over the board: marble, dolomite, soapstone, quartz, and quartzite, as well as granite. In the end, though, the design should drive the decision-making process.
Master Metalwork
Howard says metals first appeared in range hoods, often incorporating such contrasting finishes as a copper hood with brass strapping or perhaps a dark steel with pewter. “Now you see metal accents built right on the cabinet doors, and it’s usually brass to bring high contrast,” he says. Kerckhoff notes that mixing metals yields a more timeless feel. “You’re not stuck in one era, like the polished-brass period,” she says. “Mixing metals is really fun, and it changes the feel of a space.”
Curbing Clutter
“We’re doing a lot of built-in larder cabinets and appliance garages to conceal appliances and keep them off the countertop,” Kerckhoff says. Howard says clients are asking for specialized storage: “You see a lot of pull-out pantry storage, where you pull the door out and get total access to the interior.” In some instances, cabinet doors open to reveal a pull-down shelf, a feature taken from ADA-compatible or universal home design. Other design elements include the use of concealed doors—for instance, the door to a walk-in pantry concealed between two cabinets. Adequate storage, when carefully designed, helps keep a space organized and streamlined.
