Publication Date:
Thu, 2012-08-30 11:40
Article Image:
Islands such as the one seen in this Centex home are becoming the multi-functional center of activity in the kitchen. Photo courtesy of PulteGroup.
As the kitchen continues to occupy a more prominent role in the life of a homeowner, the interior design team at PulteGroup has recently identified a series of key design trends that homeowners are moving toward.
Janice Jones, vice president of merchandizing, says, “The kitchen is the center of activity for families. In the past, home design was driven by practicality, but now homeowners want function and design to meet — and it starts in the kitchen.”
Jones and her team identified three significant kitchen design trends that homeowners are gravitating toward:
- Islands: Many new kitchen designs offer a central island as a multi-functional counter space near the main area of the home, suitable for cooking, storage, doing homework, or any number of other projects. Pulte’s Planning Centers provide additional space to stay organized.
- Two-tone/contrasting colors on cabinets, counters, and appliances: Pulte will be adding new Black Ice and White Ice appliances from Whirlpool to its offerings. Jones says high-tech gadgets like smartphones inspired the new designs.
- Storage: According to Jones, homeowners are continually asking for more and more storage space, even in smaller rooms. The key to this trend is maximizing available space, through measures such as larger, deeper drawers; pop-up cabinets and vertical pull-out drawers; and shallow storage compartments under the sink, stovetop, and other typically underused areas.
Aside from these main ideas, Jones and her design team have found several other kitchen design trends rising in prominence, including:
- Oil rubbed bronze fixtures
- Tile with natural-looking materials and larger formatted designs
- Glazed cream colored cabinets
- Painted cabinetry in grey tones
- Contrasting wood floors
- Larger islands that serve as nook spaces
- Space in the kitchen that allows for connectivity
- Contemporary cabinet hardware
- Quartz solid surface manufactured surfaces
