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Today's Top Kitchen Design Remodeling Trends and a Few to Avoid

Kitchen Design Trends For Madison, WI Homeowners

Your kitchen is the heart of your home and renovating it is one of the costliest (and most cost-effective) home improvements you can make. When it comes to the enjoyment of your home, a beautiful, functional kitchen can up your home's livability quotient. It can also add value when it comes time to sell.

When remodeling, your kitchen is the one room in the house where you want to be careful about some popular choices. The last thing you want is to undergo the expense of a kitchen renovation only to have a kitchen that is out of style in just a few years because you jumped on a trend.

Well, here are today's top kitchen remodeling trends that have staying power because they address lifestyle needs, functionality, convenience, and savings ensuring that they will look great for many years.

Timeless Kitchen Trends

These kitchen trends are sure to last the test of time. Functionally and aesthetically timeless, here are some can't miss trends for your new kitchen.

• White on White Kitchens

White kitchens with light-colored, off-white or grey tops are here to stay, when done right. Pure white, monotone designs might be a thing of the past, but multiple shades of white and grey will always work.

Will white appliances make a comeback? White appliances are easier to keep clean than stainless which smudges, plus it's a look that can blend in with any style. And since stainless has become so popular, it no longer has that expensive and exclusive cache it once had. White is timeless, but it does not appear that stainless is going away any time soon. If you do like stainless, smudge-reducing stainless steel appliances are now available.

• Transitional Style

Transitional styling is one true constant that can travel throughout and fit in with any style. It's a blend of traditional and contemporary elements that work together to create a timeless look and feel. It can be a combination of natural stone tiles with gleaming white walls or wood wainscoting with a modern glass table. When it comes to your cabinetry, transitional styling isn't a new trend; it's a mainstay. It's a blend of styles from subtle to dramatic. Think traditional shaker style doors painted white with an ornate chandelier above the marble countertops on your island and flat black hardware. Transitional style is perfect if you're looking for a comfortable, yet aesthetically appealing kitchen.

• Smaller Appliances

Smaller kitchens are the norm today, especially for millennials and retirees who are downsizing. Owners of multigenerational homes are installing smaller, secondary kitchens for returning adult children and in in-law apartments. Typically these smaller kitchens feature two-burner cooktops, a combo microwave/convection ovens, an 18-inch dishwasher, and a 60-inch refrigerator.

• Quartz Countertops

Quartz is a manufactured material that offers the look of natural stone, resists scratches, burns, and chips. Quartz countertops are made using crushed quartz stone mixed with resin and come in a range of solid colors to the look of real granite, but they're much more durable. Quartz is easy to maintain and unlike natural stone never needs resealing.

• LED Ribbon Lighting

LED ribbon lights are showing up in kitchens in some pretty creative ways. Designers are using them along toe kicks as night lights, on the inside of glass cabinet doors, concealed in crown molding and as cabinet under-lighting. It's a cool trend that will stick around thanks to the benefits of LED.

LEDs offer you a chance to spice up your kitchen design. They come in a variety of colors from bright to soft white, red, blue, and green, and because they emit no heat, you can safely get creative with where you place them. They're also incredibly energy efficient lasting up to 50,000 hours on average, five times longer than CFLs. And thanks to more extensive use, they're coming down in price.

• “Point of Use” Refrigeration

Homeowners today are skipping the big hulking refrigerator and instead customizing their cooling needs with “point-of-use” refrigeration. This allows them to add refrigeration where they need it. For example, adding a counter height produce fridge in the prep island, next to a wine refrigerator for the adults and a juice/soda fridge for the kids. These aren't “dorm quality” fridges. U-Line point of use refrigerators come with 11 shelf positions, full-extension slide out bins, and five food and beverage settings – deli, market, pantry, root cellar, and beverage.

• Touch Activated Faucets

Touch-activated faucets have transcended trends to become a must-have in today's kitchens. They're great for those times that you've got dirty hands and for those who refuse to turn the water off between tasks. They can save you gallons of water every year, and that can mean lower water bills.

• Large Single Basin Sinks

As homeowners begin to focus on functionality, large single bowl sinks are a great choice. Hand washing dishes isn't typical if you have a dishwasher, so a double bowl sink is less critical. The Farmhouse sink has become an increasingly popular choice thanks to their timeless style and large, deep size. They're more comfortable to use and add a beautiful focal point to your design.

Kitchen Design Trends To Avoid

While some of these trends are extremely popular now, as tastes change, they are likely to fall out of favor with homeowners. Here are some trending kitchen ideas to avoid when planning your kitchen remodel.

• Over the Range Microwave

It's been a standard design for years, but this practice is on the way out. As homeowners embrace universal design principals, and more people are choosing to age in place, accessibility becomes more critical. Designers are moving microwaves to under-the-counter nooks, microwave drawers, even hidden in pantries.

• Hanging Pot Racks

Another staple in kitchen design that's on the way out. It was a popular design trend a few years ago, but today pots and pans are being stashed in drawers as opposed to living out in the open. Hiding pots and pans is keeping with the trends for sleek, clean lines in the kitchen. Opting for a minimalist design is a safe choice for years to come.

• Kitchen Desks

The kitchen workspace was all the rage about a decade ago. While most family life does revolve around the kitchen, the trend today is for clean lines and clutter-free countertops. Unfortunately, a kitchen desk often just ends up stacked with paper that no one wants to see. Unless you have exceptional organizational skills, we recommend that you pass on the desk, and consider adding a small home office (elsewhere) for household business.

• Brass Hardware

While the Trend reports say this is the year for metals in the kitchen, brass hardware is on the way out. If you're considering hardware for your kitchen design, opt for more timeless metals like brushed or satin nickel which is much more current.

If you're planning a kitchen remodel, it's important to know the latest trends in kitchen design. It's also important to know which trends will stay relevant and which ones can be problematic a few years down the road. A kitchen renovation is an expensive undertaking and to get the greatest return on your investment means creating a kitchen that is functional and aesthetically beautiful into the future. Your kitchen is an essential element when it comes time to sell your home. Designing a kitchen that is timeless can add value to your home and help it to sell quickly.

If you're planning a kitchen remodeling project and you live in the Madison, Wisconsin area, give the experts at Degnan Design-Build-Remodel a call. Our design team is current with the latest trends in kitchen design, and we can help you design your dream kitchen.

This article was updated by Abe Degnan on 2/1/2019.

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