Month: February 2020

Kitchen Design Has Come a Long Way

Kitchen design has come a long way in the last 20 years. We’ve seen some pretty amazing trends, but there are some trends that come and go pretty quickly when people realize they can’t complement their cobalt blue refrigerator, range, and dishwasher for more than a couple of years.  We have had our eye on a few trends that we will happily take into 2020 and beyond.  What we love is an updated classic design for kitchens being amped up in the glamour factor without making you feel out of place having coffee in a bathrobe.

Sleek Kitchen Design with Sleek Cabinetry

Flat-faced cabinets and low-profile handles help to create a very sleek kitchen appearance. By using less crown molding on the tops of the upper cabinets helps achieve that look!  It also gives more storage space to the cabinets.

Darker and Thinner Countertops

With natural materials and earth tones taking over the entire home design, kitchens are doing the same.  Countertops are no longer two or three inches thick. Thinner materials are lightweight but just as durable. One-and-a-half-inch thick granite is more standard and three-quarter inch thick quartz works well for modern style kitchens. What’s new, is dark natural woods like walnut!

Matching Countertop and Backsplash

Extending the countertop material up the backsplash streamlines the number of materials in a kitchen creating a clean and contemporary look.

Double Islands

Expanding a kitchen’s function and maintain kitchen flow, double islands in the kitchen can be an integral feature.  The area is divided between meal prep and serving or gathering.  Add another sink and function is doubled!

Gravity Defying Islands

Maximizing the sense of clean, open space within a smaller kitchen have been drawn to gravity-defying islands. With these unique islands, the functional elements of the kitchen recede to reveal more space and become an extension of the architecture itself.  (Think less bulk underneath the island’s countertop.)

Steel Hoods

Kitchen hoods are moving away from stainless steel and basic painted wood.  Implementing steel and plasterwork into the design makes the steel hood a focal point and conversation pieces for the kitchen.

Warm Finishes

The time for grey and white kitchens is giving way to warm finishes.  When done well, wood cabinetry can be modern and fresh.

Open Shelving for Decor

There has been a long-running trend of open shelving for plates and glassware but now the possibilities are expanding!   Open shelving is displaying antique cookware, gilded vintage glasses and copper pots to blend the old world with modern appliances.

Task Lighting and Natural Lighting

Overhead lighting just isn’t enough light to illuminate food preparation areas sometimes, so this is where we rely on strategically placed task lighting. Under-cabinet lighting, as well as pendant lighting, are very popular options for task lighting.  The addition of windows above or below cabinetry or in the eat-in-kitchen nook brings in a great amount of natural lighting. Many homeowners enjoy the addition of windows or skylights because they also improve the curb appeal of the home.

Pull-out Cabinet Storage

Lower cabinets are often dark and dishes tend to become lost in the abyss. Stop losing dishes, and install pull-out cabinet shelving or better yet, deep pot drawers instead of stationary shelves.  Nothing is more convenient as well as better looking than including built-in trash and recycle containers. Installing them where they are easy to access from your prep area makes your work in the kitchen that much easier.

Greater Phoenix Area Remodelers

Call Tri-Lite Builders at (480) 895-3442 for a free 60-minute consultation to begin your kitchen remodel! Our designers and craftsmen would love the opportunity to show you how we can turn your existing kitchen into an amazing room that you’ll never want to leave. Peruse our featured projects to see some of our award-winning kitchens remodels.

Reimagine Your Space With Reclaimed Materials

Stardust is a material reuse organization local to the Phoenix metro area.  Stardust’s mission is driven by their vision of a future without waste; a sustainable community where resources are reused or redistributed.  For the past 20 years, they have rallied behind reducing landfill waste with a simple call to action: Starve the Landfill.  This led them to provide quality reclaimed materials to thousands of customers and diverting more than 80 million pounds of usable materials from piling up landfills.   Stardust has locations where you can donate your materials as well as shop their materials.  Learn more about Stardust here.  If you think you’d like to follow this green trend, as your remodeler, we’d love to help you reimagine your space!