A Good Kitchen Remodel Starts with Planning

Maine Sunday Telegram

Kitchen remodels continue to be popular home improvement projects despite the economic stagnation, according to the August 2010 issue of the Consumer Reports. This isn't exactly dish-shattering news given the impact of a kitchen to a family's lifestyle and home value.

Many homeowners are uncertain about where to start. A simple first step is to consult a Bucks County kitchen designer. A professional designer understands the entire process, inside and out, and will provide many important services: in-home measurements, personalized consultations, layout designs, computerized renditions, installer referrals, oversight management, and more.

Some companies hire professionals to provide free kitchen design services to their customers.

"Kitchen designers provide invaluable support throughout the entire remodeling project," said Bob Hunt, director of Kitchen Destination, the new cabinetry and design division of New England Building Materials. "We provide these services free as an added value to our customers."

Following are some things to consider doing before starting a kitchen remodeling project.

Start asking questions. Why do I want a new or remodeled kitchen? What do I want to change and why? What are my needs and wants? Is my budget fixed or flexible? When is the best time and way to begin? Tip: Search the internet for other questions related to kitchen remodeling.

Set a budget. Establishing a preliminary budget will help keep you on track and make temptations more resistant. The National Kitchen & Bath Association claims the average kitchen remodel costs between 10 percent and 20 percent of a home's value.

Still, kitchen remodels are one of the best home improvement investments with an average return of 76 percent according to the Remodeling Magazine's 2009-2010 Cost vs. Value Report. Tip: Budget 10 percent to 15 percent of the total cost for unanticipated surprises.

Explore ideas and identify needs versus want. Perhaps the most challenging and exciting part of the entire process is exploring possibilities. However, it's important to balance functionality and style. Make a list of what you need first and then move on to wants. Don't forget to consider cabinets, flooring, appliances, sink, faucet, lighting, plumbing, windows, and wiring. Tip: Make sure to include any special needs of small children, handicapped or elderly members of your household into your budget and design.

Schedule a home visit with a kitchen designer.

The designer will take accurate measurements and provide a professional perspective on your design with additional attention to walls, doors, windows, lighting, wiring, plumbing, and so on. Tip: Save money by consulting a professional designer from a building company that provides these services for free.

Visit a cabinet showroom. "Visiting a kitchen design center showroom is a great way to explore cabinet options," says Joy M. Martel, a certified kitchen designer for Kitchen Destination. "Unfortunately, images in magazines and on the internet are not as reliable as seeing and touching the real thing." Tip: Having a good understanding of your taste will help in the selection process.

Find a Maine concrete contractor or bath installer. Ask friends, neighbors or your designer if they can recommend a reputable contractor or installer. Tip: Ask for references and a copy of the contractor's license and workers' compensation and liability insurance to confirm they are current.

Get a quote. Your designer and/or contract need to confirm all aspects of the Saugatuck kitchen remodeling plan before providing accurate quote. Otherwise you may end up incurring unnecessary costs and delays due to misunderstandings or misinformation. Tip: Ask your contractor to the written contract give you a list each phase of the project; every product, including the model number.

European Kitchen Trends

Appliance Mag

One of the striking trends at the Eurocucina 2010, according to Electrolux Design Director Thomas Johansson, was the use of revealing and concealing design elements, such as slide-open fronts to hide kitchen appliances.

The Milan Furniture Fair is Europe’s largest kitchen and furniture show and is considered to be at the epicentre of interior design.

The Eco-Sense trend was another trend apparent at the 2010 Fair, Johansson said, with a number of manufacturers taking a greener approach by addressing issues like sustainable materials and energy savings.

Authenticity was another important trend, particularly in the use of authentic wood, often combined with stainless steel, quartz, marble, Corian, and laminate. The wood used is either dark or very light, "veined, and valuable," Johansson said. This trend could also be seen in the use of "rough, structured surfaces with authentic beauty."

Johansson noted that glass was widely used on kitchen countertops and fronts, and could be enhanced with etching, satin or silver mirror finishes, and tints. Other hide-away features included the use of strategic ironing centers.

White and colored LED lighting was used widely in the exhibits, often partially visible under shelves or hidden in door fronts.

Johansson said colors were mostly white or off-white, brown/gray, and dark-brown. He also noted some primary color use and "emerging mid-tones like turquoise, dark acid yellow, fuchsia, and violet."

Johansson said kitchen layouts at the Milan event often used a central kitchen island and tall wall units, and the layout allowed the kitchen to fulfill its many roles as the room for cooking, socializing, and entertaining.

Lastly, Johansson witnessed a shift occurring away from "completely minimalistic design to softer aesthetics."

Sustainability a Major Theme at Kitchen Show

Medill Reports Chicago

 

 

Innovation, sustainability and high-end amenities were themes of the 2010 Kitchen and Bath Industry Show at McCormick Place Convention Center in Chicago April 16-18. Nearly 700 vendors hawking leading industry brands Dacor, Kohler, GE, Moen and many others presented the latest in kitchen and bathroom trends.

Debuting the latest trends in sophisticated, contemporary designs for the home, exhibitors displayed affordable luxuries as well as products that might be out of reach for the average consumer.

“Consumers are more conscious of where their money goes now,” said Bob Quasius, head of exhibits and displays for Kohler Co. “They come looking for high quality but value as well.”

Cast iron baths with chromatherapy and bubble technology, tankless toilets, etched bronze sinks, undercounter refrigeration units, electric cabinets, water-saving rain shower heads, ironing centers, and mirrors with built in televisions were some of the eye-catching items on display.

Though official attendance figures won’t be available until next week, Wagstaff Worldwide, Inc., public relations for the show, projected a 40 percent increase compared with last year’s show in Atlanta. Brian Pagel, vice president of Kitchen and Bath Group at Nielsen Expositions, the show’s production company, said there was a positive buzz on the show floor.

“We believe that this is a sign that the market has begun to stabilize and hope that it is an indication that market conditions will continue to improve,” Pagel said.

The jump in attendance might be due to more movement towards sustainability in renovation as the economy begins to recover from the recession, according to Sarah Barnard of Sarah Barnard Design, a Los Angeles firm specializing in eco-friendly design.

“In years past, we really had to promote these ideas to the clients and beg them to get on board,” Barnard said. “Now everyone is asking for them.”

Barnard said she is seeing a lot of what she calls “piecemeal” home improvements now, rather than “whole house attacks,” mainly from people who have been in their homes for some time and are finally ready to invest in renovations.

“Frankly, they’re tired of not spending and not having,” Barnard said.

For average consumers, the goal is to buy the best they can afford in a remodeling project, and that creates “a lot of pressure to make the right choice,” according to Barnard.

Although homeowners can sometimes get caught up in that, it’s important to be realistic when making a plan to remodel, she said. Barnard advises consumers to look to shows like this one more for inspiration, and not necessarily splurging on the high-end luxury items displayed. She gave the example of a high-tech toilet with buttons, a heated seat and motion-sensing lid that lifts automatically when someone enters.

“On the show room floor with a smooth-talking salesman, it seems like something that your dream bathroom can’t live without,” Barnard said. “But really, it’s a toilet. You have to keep it in perspective.”

The average household in the Midwest spends about $10,600 on kitchen appliances and bath remodeling jobs, according to a 2009 research report issued by the show's sponsor. However, the Midwest lags behind other regions including the West, where average spending per household tops $18,000.

The same research found that just over 6 percent of households in the region are planning a kitchen and bathroom remodeling job this year, ranking second only to the Northeast with about 8 percent planning remodels.

“Financing is just not as readily available for new construction, so most people are just upgrading the homes they have,” said Keresa Richardson, national president of Benjamin Franklin Plumbing.

Typically, homeowners can expect their home value to rise by 80 percent to 90 percent of the amount they spend to remodeling a kitchen or bathroom, according to Richardson.

“Most people want to know, is it worth the money to remodel my home? And most of the time, it is,” Richardson said.

She went on to say that it's also worthwhile to invest in energy-saving products for the home because they bring a lot of value that people want, including savings on energy and water bills.

Next year’s Kitchen and Bath Industry show will be held in Las Vegas April 26-28. The show was held in Chicago in 2006, 2008 and 2010 and Atlanta in 2009. It was at the Las Vegas Convention Center in 2005 and 2007.

Philadelphian Honored for Kitchen Design

Philadelphia Inquirer

Joanne Hudson won a prize for her work on a 19th-century Center City brownstone.

The kitchen is the hub of most homes, evolving into an area that offers as much personal style as a living or family room, says a regional winner of a national design contest.

Joanne Hudson of Joanne Hudson & Associates Ltd. in Philadelphia is the Eastern Pennsylvania and Southern New Jersey winner of the 2010 Sub-Zero and Wolf kitchen-design contest, beating 60 area entries. Hudson will receive $500 and a March 24-28 trip to the Breakers Hotel in Palm Beach, Fla. During that visit, the winners of up to $15,000 in prizes will be announced.

"This is the first time I entered the contest," Hudson said. "I usually don't enter contests. My staff kept encouraging me to enter the contest. Finally, I said OK, I'll do it."

In the kitchen-design business, winning this competition is grabbing "the brass ring," says Doug Durbin, a judge and former winner. Judging is based on the integration of kitchen appliances, functionality, and aesthetics of the design, Durbin said.

Hudson's winning entry is for an urban kitchen in a Center City brownstone built in the 19th century. Originally the kitchen was in the basement, but it later was moved to the home's first floor.

In considering a new design, Hudson wanted to maintain the house's classic style. Her urban kitchen is unique because "it's respectful of the architectural space," she said.

The completed kitchen, 27 by 20 feet, features a butler's pantry for storing china and separate work stations for preparing food, cleaning, and entertaining. There are two islands, one with an ice shaver, a wine cooler, and stools for entertaining guests, Hudson said. The second is for preparing food.

"We didn't want it to look like a commercial kitchen," Hudson said of her plan.

David Stimmel, an award-winning designer, appreciated Hudson's design. "I like the positioning of the doorway. The light streaming through the French doors runs straight down the hallway," Stimmel said. "I liked how she concealed the kitchen appliances. It balances out the room."

The focal points of Hudson's architectural design are the French doors leading into the garden. Hudson wanted to give the room a "symmetrical feel," so it was essential that "everything line up" or "flow . . . ."

"It was important to the clients to have plenty of storage for linen, silver, and china."

Key elements in the design included using dark cabinets to reference the past, Hudson said. But to avoid creating a very dark room, she did not want to use the traditional dark oak for hardwood floors and woodwork. Instead, she selected raven-stained maple cabinets, a stone floor, and marble countertops. The end result was a "dramatic and contrasting contemporary kitchen," Hudson said.

Hudson, who grew up in Toronto, graduated in 1962 from the University of Manitoba Faculty of Architecture in Winnipeg with a bachelor's degree in interior design. After graduating, she began working on commercial designs such as office buildings and hospitals. In 1979, she started her own business in Toronto.

She later moved to this area, and since 1984 Joanne Hudson & Associates Ltd. has been at the Marketplace Design Center. Now, she has three showrooms: Joanne Hudson Kitchens, Joanne Hudson Bath and Plumbing, and Joanne Hudson Tile and Stone. She is well known for her designs for kitchen remodeling in Pennsylvania.

Drawing has always come naturally, Hudson said. She still loves to pencil sketch. French designer and interior architect Andre Putman, whose clients include Bisazza and Louis Vuitton, influenced Hudson's interior designs. She described Putman's designs as "classic and beautiful."

"They are pure designs with an edge," Hudson said.

In April, she will travel to the Milan Furniture Fair to see the latest designs in kitchens.

"Life goes through the kitchen," Hudson said. Today, people use their kitchens for everything. "It's where life happens."