Weston Kitchens

Trends come and go but good design is timeless. The kitchen design
trends unfolding for 2012 are basic - yet beautiful interpretations of
timeless design. Let's overview the kitchen design movement to get a
sense of where designers are going with this essential room.

Across the board, kitchen design is focused on efficient space
utilization, ergonomics, functionality and practicality of use.
Kitchens are currently serving more purposes than simply preparing and
consuming food. The use of kitchens for entertainment has long been a
factor, however, kitchens are now becoming the home's multipurpose room
- incorporating features and usage that has been more typically found
in dining rooms and living areas.

At home entertainment and relaxation has moved solidly into the kitchen
through the incorporation of computer areas, TV viewing and gaming, and soft
comfortable seating areas built in for entertainment, conversation and reading. Desk areas
are also more and more common in the design of the kitchen space.
The kitchen has become the central location for family activities and
communication in the home and thus, kitchens are increasing in size to
accommodate this heighened usage.

Due to the large amount of time many families are spending in the kitchen, more attention is being paid to the design
of the room in terms of finishes, lighting and the room's overall
ambiance. Attention to use of color, the integration of shelving
alongside cabinets and high tech appliances are all contributing to the beauty, practicality and
functionality modern kitchens.

Cabinetry is a primary design element in the room. Artful designs as well as modern, clean lines are both popular and effective.
Extending counter area into table height areas (as opposed to bar style
seating) is becoming more popular due to its practicality and the
attractive manner in which the seating areas are combined with the
cabinetry.

Cabinet use is also evolving as built in microwaves, ovens and
trash/recycle areas become more and more popular. Refrigerated drawers for vegetables
and fruits are another space saver and, when located near the sink,
offer increased functionality and efficiency in food preparation.  Built ins offer
convenience of use as well as making a contribution to the overall coherence of the design of the
room by minimizing the visual effects of numerous appliances and the clutter of
trash, recycle or vegetable bins.

Cabinet and shelf finishes are being addressed most often in natural woods or colors such as white, gray, charcoal or
black as well as colorful finishes such as gold, red, blue, purple and
green. Many manufacturers are producing "green" cabinet finishes which are
being selected by more and more designers and their clients.
Stainless steel cabinetry is another new, popular option.

Cabinets and shelving are being accessorized with decorative pot and
pan sets, bowls, vases, etc., all specifically chosen to complement the
built in decor and room finishes. The one rule for accessorizing - less
is more!. No clutter!

Lighting has become another key design element with the integration
of chandeliers over kitchen islands and the use of LED, pendant and
other designer lighting options. Lighting adds color and ambiance all
in one package and is an extremely effective design element. Most successful
kitchen designs are incorporating specialty lighting in numerous forms and in a variety of locations throughout the room -
in cabinet, under or over cabinet, ceiling, wall and even baseboard
lighting are all potential design choices

These trends will be examined individually in future blog postings.
Stay tuned to learn more about state-of-the-art kitchen design and
products.

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