There is a significant amount of uncertainty about the direction the housing market is truly moving in. Many homes remain unsellable and some homeowners are choosing to remain in their homes as long as necessary for the market to recover. How long the anticipated housing market recovery will take to arrive is unknown, but some predictions say it may be another four to six years away. In the meantime, homeowners remaining in their current homes, by choice or by necessity, are thinking about which room to remodel first. Current trends suggest that investng in remodeling your home’s kitchen is the smart choice. Here are some kitchen remodeling tips to keep in mind when planning your kitchen remodeling project.
Kitchen counter tops
Having decided that it’s a good time to remodel your kitchen, the first thing you should think about is installing new kitchen counter tops. In the past decade or so polished granite counter tops were considered a mark of distinction. They were expensive and added just the right touch of elegance, so they were the must have home improvement. These days, however, many kitchen designers feel that granite countertops have fallen from favor, so think about replacing outdated counter tops with materials such as soap stone and marble.
Kitchen cabinets
The darling of earlier kitchen designs, black and white kitchens are still stylish, with black kitchen sinks matching black and white cabinets becoming the latest popular upgrade. Beyond black and white, however, kitchen cabinet facings are being selected for their ability to blend into the overall design and appeal of the family kitchen as a work space and multi-purpose family gathering, entertainment and work center. The preference for open kitchen spaces is still going strong, so carefully matched cabinets to linked living room or dining room spaces is an essential design factor for increasing home value.
Kitchen sinks
It has been previously noted that trend following homeowners appear to be choosing black sinks over those forever lasting and universal stainless steel sinks. However, once you introduce color into a kitchen’s overall design, the choice isn’t quite as clear and it’s likely that stainless steel will remain the sink of choice for the foreseeable future. A new type of sink made of copper is making an appearance in some homes, but whether or not copper sinks will be favored by new home buyers is an unanswered question.
Kitchen appliances
A trend towards covered or concealed appliances lends to the ideal of the kitchen as a multi-purpose family and social gathering area. Disappearing kitchen appliances improve the comfort and atmosphere of the kitchen as a focal point for technology driven work, entertainment, and family networking.
Kitchen fixtures
Kitchen fixtures, such as faucets must be selected to complement the kitchen counter top and sink color and overall design. Elegantly designed and functional pull-out spray nozzles are increasingly in vogue and are likely to remain a distinctive element of the carefully outfitted kitchen. Chrome and brass fixtures may have been in fashion at one time, but installing attractive, color matched fixtutres will turn an ordinary kitchen into a distinctive and desirable one.
Kitchen flooring and window dressing
It shouldn’t be necessary to mention that kitchen floors, lighting, and window dressing should be included early in the kitchen design stage. A carefully planned kitchen remodeling project will include these from the start and use them to frame the finished kitchen as the most important room in the house.
Finally, a well designed kitchen, being a kitchen that is multi-functional with a distinctive emphasis on satisfying the need for family members to stay in close contact with each other, will add value to your home as much as much as it will to the quality of family life.
