Kitchen Design

Not only are kitchens one of the most popular rooms in the home, they are becoming grander than ever. Restaurant-quality stoves and refrigerators, double ovens and dishwashers, partitioned trash bins for recycling and oversized, 42-inch cabinets and work islands add convenience. Cabinetry, “dressed up” with bead and rope trim, thick crown molding, glass mullion doors and decorative base legs, add style. Homeowners often draw attention to their appliances by choosing stainless steel refrigerators, dishwashers, ovens and microwaves -- or minimize them with wood paneled fronts that match their cabinets. The latter is particularly popular in kitchens that are open to formal living areas.

Flexible Living Spaces

Hectic lifestyles are causing more and more people to “cocoon” -- to spend as much time as possible at home. This has spawned an increase in specialized areas, such as home offices, dens, sitting rooms, exercise rooms, game rooms, home theaters, hobby rooms, and media rooms.

Lighting

Creative uses of lighting has added a new dimension to several rooms in today’s home. In the master bedroom, rope lighting concealed by soffits or crown molding creates an intimate atmosphere. It is also used inside bookcases and china cabinets and above and below kitchen cabinets. Eyeball recessed lights make kitchens bright and cheery and direct beams of light to work areas. In dining rooms, dimmer switches provide a full range of lighting options. On the exterior, landscape lighting is used to draw attention to homes’ architectural details, decorative trees, fountains or pieces of sculpture.

Storage Spaces

While it’s always been important, storage space is in higher demand than ever. In addition to walk-up attics, walk-in kitchen pantries and room-size bedroom closets, builders are adding recycling bins and appliance garages in kitchens, butler’s pantries adjacent to dining rooms, hair appliance hideaways and over-commode cabinetry in bathrooms, computer niches near secondary bedrooms and built-in entertainment centers in family rooms. They’re also making closet space more efficient with built-in dressers and smart shelving systems.

Larger Garages

The need for more storage is also evident in the shift toward larger garages. Many people keep their recycling bins in the garage, along with seasonal decorations, lawn and garden tools and a growing collection of sports and recreation equipment. Companies that sell closet-storage systems now offer garage-storage units to keep everything organized. The popularity of sport utility vehicles has also produced a need for wider garages with higher doors.