"Hot Kitchen Remodeling Ideas"
by Jessica Groach-Santina
Home Improvement Ideas Columnist
The kitchen is the heart of a home, where everyone, and everything, ends up. That's why kitchen remodeling tops the nearly $17 billion U.S. home improvement market.
While it's possible to recoup nearly 100% of kitchen remodeling expenses at resale, the real reason most people remodel is to personalize.
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Open Floor Plans
Today's busy lifestyle demands rooms that accommodate several tasks at a time. Very few of us actually have sit-down dinners in the dining room anymore; you're more likely to see everyone in the kitchen all evening - cooking, eating, doing homework, paying bills, or enjoying a glass of wine. They might even knock down walls to create the extra space. You'll see several countertops in one kitchen, for multi-purpose use. Dining room tables are being replaced by giant kitchen islands doubling as tables.
A New Take on Kitchen Cabinets
Homeowners won't let cabinetry box them in. Today's kitchen cabinets are going clear to the ceiling, or they're being removed altogether to make way for shelving or extra wall space. Homeowners use the kitchen to display interesting pottery or crystal decanters behind glass-front doors on kitchen cabinets. And who likes to get on their knees and dig for a saucepan? Today's kitchen is about convenience. Instead of traditional kitchen cabinets, people are turning to oversized drawers for storage.
Gadgetry
Food preparation today is entertainment. That's why industrial appliances like stainless steel double ovens and sub-zero refrigerators are all the rage. What about cool kitchen gadgets like built-in coffee stations, brick pizza ovens, wine refrigeration, programmable refrigerators, or cabinet-mounted TV/DVD/CD players with Internet capabilities and washable keyboards? They may be costly, but these cool kitchen gadgets get high returns at resale.
Whatever your kitchen remodeling idea, make it personal and the investment is sure to be worth it.
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About the Author
Jessica Groach, a new homeowner herself, is a freelance writer and writing instructor at the University of Nevada, Reno.
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