Green comes in so many different hues…from deep emerald jewels to blue-green teals, to leafy tones, to olive, to sage, and on. Alison customized 10 very distinct shades that can be used across many different materials. Apply to any BlueStar® range, wall oven, kitchen hood or refrigeration to create a lasting statement in your home kitchen. Pair these on-trend hues with brass trim, Alison’s finish of choice, for a luxurious look.
Gone are the days of matchy-matchy kitchen metals. Yes, it’s ok to mix metals in the kitchen—especially with hardware, lighting, fixtures, and appliances. Rules? There aren’t any hard and fast rules, but a few design suggestions will ensure you achieve balance and keep it from looking unintentional. Before you grab those brass candlesticks and that copper bowl, review our design tips to make your kitchen shine with your own personal style.
The Temperature of Your Palette
Are the base colors of your room warm, cool, or neutral? The metals you introduce into your kitchen can have a dramatic effect depending on the overall tone of your room. Think about the color temperature of your current kitchen space and what you may want to add to spice it up.
If you have a cool gray or blue kitchen with stainless appliances, a few gold or copper accents around the room can add needed warmth. Try adding brass light fixtures or change out your cabinet and appliance hardware with copper knobs. You’ll gain visual interest and balance out an otherwise seemingly cold room.
For a warm room with buttery yellows, adding brushed stainless appliance hardware and aluminum bar stools can cool it down and balance the kitchen space. A white neutral kitchen might need a mix of metals sprinkled across the room to create drama and visual appeal.
Photo by Carley Page Summers
Add Texture with Metal Accents
Metals can also bring in interesting depth and texture. Pewter and gunmetal drawer pulls and handles are understated, yet bring an aged feel to cabinetry. Pewter faucets are more matte, but have a more satin appearance. Bring in gunmetal light fixtures or other accents for a warmer, worn feel. These cooler, gray tones provide balance to warm kitchen colors. They also ground and lend visual substance to a lighter feeling, minimalist kitchen.
Choose a Dominant Metal
To keep your kitchen from looking overdone, choose a base or dominant metal first. Most likely, your cabinet and appliance hardware are in one set color. Add one or two other accent metals all around your kitchen. For example, if your room is filled with brass, adding one copper pitcher won’t cut it. Add several touches of copper in various places around the room so it looks intentional and well planned.
If your kitchen faucet is shiny stainless steel, you can even add some brushed metal pieces around. Play with metallic elements like picture frames, vases, spoon rests, and pendant lights in a variety of metals and with different textures. Just be sure to stick with one or two metals in addition to your dominant tone.
Bring in a Pop of Color with Metal
If your kitchen needs a punch of color, try adding a few bright, shiny metal accents around. Brass, copper, and shiny silver tone pieces can draw your eye to an area or just bring in a new color to a neutral room. Aged brass or copper with a patina can really bring in new colors, too. Mix shiny copper with some aged copper accents to keep the warmth but bring in interest.
Don’t be afraid of mixing it up. You don’t have to just consider your cabinet hardware when you want to try out a new metal accent in your kitchen. The Café Matte Collection allows you to customize your kitchen appliances with a choice of additional hardware colors. Choose from Brushed Bronze, Brushed Copper, Brushed Stainless, and Brushed Black handles and knobs to create your own personal kitchen style.
SALE! Going on Now!
BROOKLYN BROWNSTONE
A Greek Revival townhouse in the historic Brooklyn neighborhood of Cobble Hill
took three years to complete. The owner is a cook and lifestyle writer, making the
kitchen central to the renovation.
THE FOOD STYLIST’S WORKROOM
The owner uses her own kitchen as a stage for developing and shooting stories, and needed products and technologies that would deliver perfect results, were configured to support her work, and that wouldn’t compromise on looks. This kitchen is designed to create highlights, with Professional-style appliances taking center stage while the remaining appliances are integrated for a seamless look.
RESTORATION, CUSTOMIZATION
The townhouse had been converted to separate apartments, so much of the original detailing had been removed. However, the owner salvaged as much as she could, including the original mantelpieces and the ornamental medallion in the living room ceiling.
The owners customized the space with ceiling speakers and by demolishing walls in the ground-floor living area to create a completely open space for entertaining. They opened up the kitchen walls with bi-fold glass doors leading into the terrace beyond, generating a flow between the inside and out that’s unusual in a New York City home.
CONSIDERED LAYOUT
The layout of the kitchen also considered the owner's work with natural light entering from the side, while incorporating a square island rather than a rectangular one as a more useful base for food photography. A strikingly simple backdrop was chosen – Calacatta Paonazzo marble countertops above gray cabinetry, and open shelving that runs the width of the space.
DUAL-FUEL RANGE ON SHOW
The French Door Refrigerator, CoolDrawer™ and a Double DishDrawer™ Dishwasher are integrated into the cabinetry, allowing the robust Dual Fuel Range to take the starring role. Out on the terrace a high-performance DCS Grill with a rotisserie mirrors this focus on cooking. The bulk of the storage is contained below eye-level in the cabinets and island, maintaining a light, airy feel.
Before you embark on that kitchen remodeling project, it is important to look at current trends and how they can impact the job going forward. Researching current trends in kitchen remodeling does not mean blindly following the crowd or imitating the home improvement projects of your next door neighbors. In fact, once you start doing your homework, you will find that knowing the trends in kitchen remodeling can help you develop a space that is truly personal, meaningful, and totally your own.
Here are some of the most significant trends in the world of kitchen remodeling, starting with the move toward personalization.
Kitchen Remodel Trend #1: Creating a Personal Space
The trend toward personalization has been going on for some time now, and it shows no signs of slowing down. It is easy to see why personalization is so highly prized in kitchen remodeling—after all the kitchen is a special place, and comfort, practicality, and adherence to lifestyle are all to be highly prized. Homeowners are increasingly focused on creating a kitchen design that will enhance the comfort of their cooking and eating spaces. Instead of focusing solely on resale value, modern homeowners are much more concerned about improving their current lifestyles and enhancing the comfort of their family members.
Another factor aiding the trend toward personalization is the aging of the population. More and more older Americans are choosing to age in place, opting to remain in their own homes rather than retirement homes or nursing facilities. The desire to age in place is certainly understandable, and as the population gets ever older, kitchen designs will need to follow suit. Add to that the fact that people are choosing to live in their homes longer rather than move, and you have yet another reason homeowners are choosing to personalize their kitchen remodeling projects and focus on their own needs rather than the desires of some future buyer.
It is also worth noting that different demographics have different lifestyle needs, and that makes the personal kitchen remodel all the more important. The very definition of family has changed markedly in recent years, and that has created changes in the way people prepare their meals, the way they cook, and the way they entertain. Modern kitchen design reflects all of these trends, creating a truly personal space where the homeowner, and their family members, can be comfortable and at home.
Kitchen Remodel Trend #2: The Multi-Function Room
The kitchen used to have a single function, that of daily meal preparation. These days, however, that single room is likely to serve a variety of purposes, and that has created a trend toward a new multi-use space. Modern kitchen designs certainly reflect this move from single-use to multi-use space. As family life becomes busier, and time together more precious, the right remodeling project can encourage family togetherness and improve quality of life for everyone. The trend toward multi-use kitchen design has helped to break down the walls between the kitchen and the living area. In some cases, that breakdown of walls is literal, with homeowners removing the physical barriers that once separated the cooking space from the rest of the house.
In other cases, the barrier of breakdown is more symbolic, but no matter how it is handled, the trend toward multi-use space has changed the way kitchens are designed, and the way they are enjoyed. In this brave new world, visitors might find not only a beautifully designed cooking space, but a home office, a study nook for the kids, or even a fully functional laundry room. They may also find a layout that blends seamlessly from kitchen to living room to family room, a space that encourages family members and friends to congregate, chat, and spend quality time together. This trend toward multi-use kitchen design is also manifested in increased counter space. When a single room is used for so many different purposes, the importance of counter space becomes even greater, and increasing that space is a major goal of many kitchen remodeling projects. From computers and work stations to smart phones and tablets, the modern kitchen needs plenty of counter space to accommodate all those devices. The multi-use revolution often means that specific areas of the kitchen are designed for different activities. The island may be redesigned as a homework station, while the counter is used to prepare meals, and a third area is dedicated to entertaining. In some cases, this means designing the new kitchen with multiple islands, each one dedicated to a specific need of the family members. Many kitchen designs split the room into two distinct spaces, one dedicated to traditional kitchen activities like meal preparation and cleanup and the other side designated as a work area. This creates a multi-use space that keeps everyone happy, something that previously has been difficult to do.
Kitchen Remodel Trend # 3: Open Plan Kitchens
The trend toward open floor plans has been gaining steam in recent years, and many new homes are designed with large open spaces instead of small cramped rooms. This trend toward openness can be seen in many modern kitchen designs, and the open floor plan also contributes to communal use and family togetherness. Kitchens are quickly becoming the new living rooms—the space in the home where family members gather, friends are entertained, and life is lived. As a result, many homeowners are choosing to remove the surrounding walls and physical barriers, creating a large open space that is warm, welcoming, and beautiful. This open kitchen design helps to foster a holistic quality to the layout of the entire home, but it also turns the kitchen into a true status symbol. Modern homeowners love open floor plans, and converting a small cramped kitchen into a large open one can significantly increase the resale value of the property. That gives the conversion to an open floor plan one of the highest returns on investment, something future home sellers should keep in mind. Trend #4 The Kitchen is the Heart of the Home For many years, the living room was considered the heart of the home, but these days that title increasingly goes to the kitchen. The kitchen is the heart of the modern home, and any successful kitchen remodel should create a space that is designed for living. The desire to make the kitchen the heart of the home and designing the space for maximum comfort dovetails well with the aging in place concept, since different stages of life come with very different needs. A young family of four will have very different needs and priorities, and a different way of living than a bachelor, an empty nester, or a young professional with no kids. The open kitchen design can adapt to all those needs, but it can also change as priorities change over time.
Kitchen Remodel Trend#4: The Kitchen is the Heart of the Home
For many years, the living room was considered the heart of the home, but these days that title increasingly goes to the kitchen. The kitchen is the heart of the modern home, and any successful kitchen remodel should create a space that is designed for living. The desire to make the kitchen the heart of the home and designing the space for maximum comfort dovetails well with the aging in place concept, since different stages of life come with very different needs. A young family of four will have very different needs and priorities, and a different way of living than a bachelor, an empty nester, or a young professional with no kids. The open kitchen design can adapt to all those needs, but it can also change as priorities change over time.
Kitchen Remodel Trend #5: The Shift to Transitional Design
The final kitchen design trend on our list is the move from traditional to transitional design. The kitchen is changing, and the needs of various families and living configurations is driving that change. The current trend in kitchen design is toward a clean, comfortable, and simple aesthetic. In the new world of kitchen design, everything may have a practical purpose, but the end result is a beautiful space where everyone feels at home. A transitional kitchen borrows elements or references styles of the past and combines them with contemporary features to produce something new and fresh. This trend has meant a shift toward a contemporary and very modernlooking kitchen, but with style references that feel familiar. Transitional design relies on built-in appliances, that serve both a practical and aesthetic purpose— ehancing the usage experience, while maximizing available space and creating a more pleasing aesthetic. Instead of standing out, the appliances blend in, creating a cohesive, and more beautiful whole. These modern aspects of transitional design may manifest itself in a number of different ways, from sparkling stainless steel ranges and undercounter refrigerators to double sinks and stylish new dishwashers.
The benefits of transitional design are exemplified by modular refrigeration. Built-in, modular refrigerators allow for a completely customizable kitchen space design with dedicated refrigeration, wine preservation, freezer, or ice making units. This creates a flow that accommodates today’s kitchen design trends. Modular units can be placed anywhere in the kitchen to suit storage and design needs while providing convenience of accessibility and point-of-use. That means meats, fruits, and vegetables are conveniently stored near the prep areas, and drinks and snacks are accessable to the kids. Placement is optimized to fit lifestyle and design needs.
Enjoy a Free E-Book from our partners at U-Line Corporation. 5 Trends to know before your kitchen remodel. Get your e-book here.