Tips for Kitchen Remodeling

According to a recent report from the National Association of Realtors, nearly half of new homeowners undertaking a home improvement project within three months of buying a residence set their sights on a kitchen overhaul.

There are lots of things to consider when remodeling your kitchen – you want it to be something you like, but not so “out there” that it will cause problems selling your home in the future. Also, you want it to look good, but you also want it to function well. The following things have been chosen as the “Top 10” based on many surveys and much research involving residents themselves, realtors, and expert designers and renovators.

1. Chef’s stoves. These look incredible and are the perfect complement to a good chef. These professional-grade range stoves, with options like flat griddle or a cooktop, beat out double ovens, induction cooktops, wine refrigerators, convection ovens, and warming drawers as the most coveted kitchen appliance.
2. Eco-friendly features. These features may be as big as energy star appliances and green-certified building products or as small and simple as using cloth rather than paper towels, replacing plastic with glass, and using non-toxic kitchen cleaners.
3. Granite and quartz countertops. Quartz countertops are on the rise in popularity – though not quite beating out granite yet. Quartz is resistant to stains and scratches, and is very easy to take care of. Many residents are choosing it over granite now because of these reasons – you don’t have to “think about it” as much as you do granite. However, most people still agree that granite is the best at making a kitchen look good.
4. Tile backsplash. Backsplash has often been referred to as the “jewelry of the kitchen” because you can get away with a little more color here since it won’t overwhelm the whole kitchen. Also, though tile is no longer preferred in other parts of the kitchen, it is the top choice for backsplash material.
5. Floors. Hardwood is winning by a long shot – no surprise there.
6. Stainless steel. Stainless steel appliances just look so chic and modern – you can’t go wrong with them, aesthetically.
7. Islands. Though not a must for a beautiful, functional kitchen; these have certainly become more and more popular. Make sure the kitchen is the proper size and configuration for a reasonably sized island before deciding to put one in. If you put one in to make the kitchen “look better” and it turns out to make the kitchen less functional by being in the way, you won’t be happy in the end.
8. .Transitional style. This aspect is pretty self explanatory – it’s a blend of both traditional and contemporary/modern aspects. Talk to decorators and home improvement experts to get a better idea of how to achieve this if it interests you.
9. White cabinets. These have only grown in popularity over the past few years – now the color of choice for 73% of survey respondents. They just make the kitchen lighter and brighter – a real mood enhancer for a room that can be sometimes stressful.
10. Gray color schemes. These are coming in hot as second place to the whites mentioned above.

Do what’s going to make you happy and enjoy your kitchen while you’re in it, but remember, don’t do something so edgy and radical that you’ll have trouble selling your home in the future.