Tammy Mitchell Hines & Co. House to Home Newspaper Apr. 2014 Edition | Page 4

Kitchen Design
Trends for 2014
by Kathryn Weber

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t’s the one room in the house
where everyone gathers every
day. As the most popular spot
in every home, why not make your
kitchen the most attractive and
inviting room, too? Here are some
hot trends in kitchen decor:
THE SHOWCASE KITCHEN
Without a doubt, today’s
kitchen is much more than a
place to prepare food. With the
continued emphasis on lifestyle and
food, the kitchen is more of a draw
than ever. Contemporary design
capitalizes on this trend with lots
of exciting elements to make the
kitchen more of a living space.
Take lighting. Out are those
little glass pendants suspended over
an island. In are sizeable lighting
fixtures that make a splash in
the middle of the room. A good
example is the drum pendant
light fixture now taking center
stage in kitchen design centers
and magazines. Simply changing
your main fixture to one that’s
brighter and more prominent may
be all it takes to give your kitchen a
welcome makeover.

appearance. Drawer appliances are
part of the same trend. Warming
drawers have risen in popularity in
the past few years, and refrigerated
drawers to hold produce or drinks
are finding their way into more
kitchens. We could even see
microwave and dishwashing drawers
soon. Such appliances will become
more popular due to their ease of
use and accessibility.
COUNTERTOP SHIFT
While granite and marble
remain the standard-bearers, we’ll
see more engineered countertops
take hold, such as quartz and
glass. These surfaces sport an
attractive natural look, emphasize
sustainability and are easy-care.
Despite granite’s reign as the
ultimate countertop material, it’s
not easy to keep looking good.
The high polishes on granite
mean stains, smears and cleaning
marks from sponges show up
easily. Matte and less-polished
finishes will become more popular
as homeowners weary of all that
rubbing.
SHIFT TO NEUTRAL
Wild colors are taking a back
seat to the high-contrast blackand-white kitchens rising in
popularity. The clean backdrop
of black and white makes food
and accent colors pop, and the
look is timeless. Kitchens will
also shift into quiet mode as
the trend toward neutral colors
continues in other parts of the
house. Countertops and cabinets
in similar color tones are also
trending for their ability to look
unified, neat and relaxing. n

SPECIALTY-FOCUSED
Kitchens
continue
to
be focused on features like
sustainability, cooking options
and ease of use. Trends that
favor energy savings are a key
development. Touchless faucets
save on water and energy-stingy
appliances can trim electric bills.
Integrated appliances are
another important development.
Topping the lists are appliances
integrated into the cabinetry,
making your kitchen more © 2014 Distributed
livable with their furniture-like by Tribune Media Services

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