GAZELLE MAGAZINE Vol. 2, Issue 4 | Page 32

FAMILY & HOME LUXURY KITCHEN TRENDS By TRACY ELLIS Guests in your home always seem to gather in the kitchen. Even in luxury homes with large dens, game rooms and beautiful family rooms, friends always seem to prefer to hang out in the kitchen because kitchens are a magnet for casual conversation and allow close proximity to food and drinks. Luxury kitchens are evolving, and the amenities that go in them are changing too. Four of the hottest trends in luxury kitchens are steam cooking, handless drawers and cabinet doors, larger walk-in food pantries equipped with food prep stations and running water, and discreet cooling drawers in several locations for food and drink storage separate from the traditional refrigerator. Kitchen in the model residence at 432 Park Avenue. Photo by Scott Frances for CIM Group and Macklowe Properties 32 Tracy Ellis, of The Tracy Ellis Team, is one of St. Louis’ premier luxury real estate professionals and the host of her radio and television shows on the topic. Tracy is also the publisher of her own real estate magazine, “Tracy Ellis, A Guide to Luxury Real Estate.” For more information on the Tracy Ellis Team, visit her website at www.tracyellis.com. To speak to a team member, call (636) 299-3702. GAZELLE STL The antithesis of the latest luxury trends are items found in almost every kitchen which minimalists argue have remained beyond their time. Kitchen items which may be on the way out are those large wooden blocks for knives (most of which you never use), the old toaster, the piles of extra dishes no one uses, and that popcorn maker, deep fryer and rice cooker.