Tyler Homes Group Real Estate Blog

I love this time of year because the industry folks start predicting what the trends for next year are going to be! The coming year’s hot housing trend is predicted to be kitchens!! Even small kitchen renovations can decrease your homes market time should you sell, and a blue kitchen brings $5000 in value more than any other color! How interesting is that?

I love kitchens because I love to cook and especially bake, and I get to spend extra time in my kitchen cleaning up after my husband’s cooking!! A little insight into the Carroll household there!

 From what they are saying, you are just not going to believe what passes for “neutral” these days! First, the all-white kitchen is now pretty much a thing of the past. I’ve been seeing the trend that the island is often painted a contrasting color and that trend is going to continue. The island is often painted dark blue, dark gray or even a pale aqua that was in a listing I had that was stunning! Now they are saying not to be surprised if we see the whole kitchen painted those colors. And get this, blue and green (especially a muted emerald green) are now considered neutral colors because of the soothing feelings they invoke. Before you run out and start painting your kitchen, let me remind you that these stronger and bolder colors are used in large, open kitchens. If you live in a home with a galley kitchen, you may be better off going with much lighter versions of these colors such as a pale blue or pale gray because they will make the room look larger!

 Another trend has to do with Americans finally getting more health conscious. Move over coffee makers, we are now wanting spaces to keep easy access for our steamers and juicers. Another nod kitchen designers are making toward the wellness movement to help us prepare healthier meals at home is having a drawer with a built-in food vacuum system because we are using them more and more.

 To go with the food vacuum system and juicer is the use of column refrigerators and freezers – in other words, having separate appliances that you can keep side by side or split to another part of the kitchen. This allows you to design your kitchen with a large column freezer if you work with a lot of frozen foods (using that vacuum system) or go with a larger refrigerator if you keep lots of fresh veggies and greens on hand for your juicing! You customize to your specific needs! How cool is that?

 The use of sliding glass doors to connect outside entertainment space to the kitchen is also showing up more and more though that may be more popular than here in Texas where our seasons are hot and hotter.

 Finally, technology also infiltrates the kitchen with voice activated appliances and gadgets. You have probably seen the commercial where the actor says, “turn the oven on to 350 degrees”. This always reminds me of “Space Odyssey” (yes, I’m showing my age) and the computer taking over. When I am in the kitchen it might be easier to say “Remind me I want the jar of chicken base when I open the refrigerator door” rather than standing there staring blankly at the contents of the fridge trying to remember why I opened the door!

 After considering all these trends, to me it boils down to the fact that the kitchen is one of the rooms we get to show off our personality and lifestyle. Do what makes you feel good about spending time in there and helps you entertain and enjoy family and friends the best – after all, that is what is most important!