It used to be that the kitchen was a small room situated in the back of the home, away from the center of activity. Today not only are kitchens much larger, but they’ve become the hub of family life, connected and open to the big common areas and a gathering place for friends as well as family.
Consequently, it’s not at all surprising that we invest time and money into remodeling our kitchens. A recent survey conducted by Houzz.com revealed the median spend on major kitchen remodels, in which all the cabinets and appliances are replaced, is $35,000, whereas median spend for all other minor remodels is $8,000. We want the heart of our home to be up-to-date, modern, and geared to function in a way that suits our lifestyles.
Countertops are the biggest change homeowners will make in their kitchens this year. According to Houzz, more than 90 percent of survey respondents planned to change them, with light-colored quartz as the top choice due to aesthetics, durability, and low maintenance. At the beginning of 2020, many engineered-surface companies launched collections featuring dark colors. Then the pandemic hit, and the mood shifted. A desire for light, uplifting colors that give a sense of cleanliness and optimism took hold. So, throughout 2021, you’ll see many new collections centered on warm, welcoming whites, with marble looks dominating the styles.
Caesarstone, a popular countertop manufacturer, has debuted three white-based styles of engineered quartz for its new Whitelight collection. The collection also includes four previously released light colors. You’ll see more of a focus on creamy whites in matte finishes rather than crisp whites in polished looks, and that was intentional. “We didn’t want it to be super sterile or clinical or look like a lab,” said Elizabeth Margles, vice president of marketing for Caesarstone North America.
Aterra Blanca features a warm white background with subtle, almost translucent veining. Arabetto, also from Caesarstone’s new Whitelight collection, mimics the look of Arabesco marble with a vivid white background and large, busy, graphic veining. Corian, which makes solid-surface products, debuted several light colors in its new Endura collection, including Ancient Marble.
Concrete-look and other worn, nonprecious styles showed up frequently in new engineered-surface collections. Alabaster Cement from Corian’s Endura collection forms a countertop with waterfall edge on a narrow island. Silestone’s new engineered-quartz collection, named Loft, takes inspiration from urban industrial-style dwellings. The collection features several concrete-look styles in the countertops, backsplash, and island cladding.
However, don’t completely rule out natural stone just yet as folks still love the unique patterns offered by its look. Large-scale veining patterns give the kitchen an artistic look and make any space more distinctive, although it’s important to be sure fabricators match the veins properly or the space can easily turn from luxury to bargain barrel. Dramatic edges, such as the waterfall and knife profiles, are popular in both the quartz and natural stone in contemporary kitchens. In farmhouse and traditional styles (which, interestingly, are losing popularity), rock and eased profiles are popular.
Color is another popular way to freshen up a tired kitchen. Renovated kitchens continue to feature neutral tones of gray, white and beige on wall surfaces. That said, some homeowners are going for more colorful looks. Blue is a favorite and works well as a complementary color to orange, which shows up in tones found in wood and brass, two common materials used in modern-day kitchens.
Faucets and hardware are great ways to breathe new life into your kitchen. In the Houzz survey, high-tech features appear in more than half of upgraded faucets, and “touchless” is the current buzz word. More than ever, people are aware of how easily hands spread germs and bacteria from surface to surface. Many faucet manufacturers are making touchless tech a standard option in all new lines, and some are making it available in older styles as well. Kohler’s new Riff collection features an upgraded model equipped with voice-activated Kohler Konnect, allowing a user to sync the faucet with an Amazon Alexa, Google Home or Apple HomeKit device. This allows you to control the faucet with voice commands. Azure and Trattoria, two new sleek, modern lines from Riobel, also feature touchless technology.
The modern touchless technology also comes in more traditional styles. Moen’s Weymouth style, available in matte black (a new trend), features U by Moen’s voice and motion technology. You can wave a hand to turn the faucet on and off, or you can program preset voice commands. For example, if you know your dog likes two cups of water at room temperature every morning, you can set that up in the Moen app, then walk up to the faucet and say, “Alexa, fill the dog bowl.” The correct amount and temperature of water will come out.
Two-tone finishes are a new thing expressed in products that balance rough and smooth textures, matte and polished finishes, and warm and cool tones. For Rohl’s new Eclissi line of kitchen faucets, you can mix and match finishes for three separate components.
Choose from four finishes for the spout, four finishes for the inner knob, and six finishes for the outer ring portion of the knob.
Kohler’s new aptly named Tone collection offers two distinct finishes. Choose combinations of Polished Chrome, Vibrant Stainless, Matte Black and Moderne Brushed Brass. Many companies now offer the popular matte black and brass two-tone combination. Moen’s Sinema style, with new touchless wave- and voice-activated technology, comes in a matte black finish with a brass lever.
The two-tone finish scheme wasn’t limited to faucets. Some appliances touted a mix of finishes. Monogram’s new professional range features a stainless-steel finish punctuated by solid brass knobs and burners. Samsung’s new Bespoke four-door Flex refrigerator comes with customizable front panels in eight colors and two finishes.
Beyond mixing finishes, many manufacturers introduced a combination of textures, balancing smooth and polished surfaces with roughed-up or wavy ones. Another buzz word for faucet knobs and ends is “knurled.” The new Tenerife line by Rohl, features a crosshatched texture on the lever and spout end, a pattern inspired by crosshatching seen on palm trees.
Appliances are at the top of the list with more than half of survey respondents who want to upgrade. Several appliance manufacturers have released lines for small homes and apartments, rental properties and empty nesters or retirees who have downsized and don’t need larger family appliances. Miele’s new G 5000 series of dishwashers offers a slim 18-inch size and features a quick wash-and-dry option that completes the cycle in 58 minutes. Thor debuted a lean 24-inch-wide gas range, Fisher & Paykel’s is offering a 24-inch bottom-mount refrigerator and freezer, and Samsung has a new Slim OTR (over-the-range) microwave, all which come with Wi-Fi and voice connectivity. In fact, the Houzz survey indicates that nearly one-third of all upgraded appliances are equipped with high-tech features.
Homeowners are individualizing their appliances by dressing them up with decals created by artists online as well as ordering custom appliance panels. BlueStar is offering a BlueStar by Design feature for ranges and refrigerators, which allows you to send any high-resolution image, text, or art to BlueStar and the company will turn it into a pattern on the appliance paneling. From wallpaper, art, wood textures, kids’ drawings, your favorite quilt … you name it, they will convert anything into paneling in about eight to 10 weeks. In fact, their range panels can be swapped out as your mood changes, but the fridge panels are permanent.
Storage was key in 2020, with nearly all kitchen renovators performing some work on their cabinets (94 percent) and nearly two-thirds replacing all kitchen cabinets (63 percent).
“Storage has really come into focus as people have spent more time at home during the pandemic,” said Liza Hausman, Houzz vice president of Industry Marketing. “We’re seeing an increase in the amount of cabinetry added in renovations, and more homeowners are reaching out to professionals for help making their kitchens work better, most often within the same layout and square footage.”
According to Houzz, more than a third of kitchen renovations include specialty shelving trays, such as revolving trays (Lazy Susans) and pullout or swing-out trays, making deep or hard-to-reach spaces more accessible. The most popular organizers are for cookie sheets and spices, while the most common specialty drawers are pullout waste or recycling drawers.
Many manufacturers are taking a cue from the popularity of drawers. Fisher & Paykel has been making drawer dishwashers since 1997, and its newest version, the Series 11, features a 60-minute wash-and-dry option and comes in stainless steel or integrated panel exterior. Signature Kitchen Suite’s new 24-inch undercounter dual-drawer refrigerator allows users to program the temperature of each drawer separately, from minus 7 to 50 degrees Fahrenheit. You can also monitor and adjust the temperatures from a smartphone app. Sharp’s new microwave drawer has a touchless feature that allows you to wave a hand in front to open it. The sensor detects only up and down motion, so it isn’t activated when a person or pet walks by. Sharp’s new convection microwave drawer and oven features an air fry option and has voice command technology. Beko’s new French door refrigerator has a produce drawer with temperature and humidity control as well as a light that simulates natural light to keep produce fresher longer.
Interestingly, hardwood flooring steps down among survey respondents as vinyl steps up. Following the spike in interest for hardwood flooring in 2019, it dropped six percentage points and returned to the number two position (23 percent), after ceramic or porcelain tile (24 percent). Vinyl continues to grow as a desired flooring material, with 19 percent choosing vinyl or resilient flooring in 2020, up six percentage points from the previous year.
