Granite countertops have become so common

Tag : quartzite
There used to be a higher payback on very expensive kitchens, shesaid. According to Remodeling Magazine's cost vs. value report lastyear, the minor kitchen remodel -- a national average of $21,000 --offers a slightly better return than a large-scale kitchenrenovation. The smaller projects tended to return 74 percent of thecost at resale; those around $57,000 returned about 70 percent atsale, the magazine survey said. Most of the innovations and trends,however, start at the luxury end of the market (think $100,000kitchens and up). Those products and ideas trickle down to the massmarket over a period of years, so they're the best place to lookfor inspiration.
We surveyed kitchen companies and designers to find out the hottesthigh-end kitchen trends and searched for ways to fit their bestideas into a low-end budget.
POPS OF COLOR
Bright, bold splashes of color are hitting kitchens in a big way,such as with a $15,000 candy-apple red AGA range on display at ExpoHome Design Center (see www.expo.com for locations, including Miami, Davie and Boynton Beach). We alsospotted a deep eggplant-colored fridge and matching appliances.Right now, warm, rich Tuscan colors are popular, according to AnneVarel, a designer at Expo. Backsplashes were the most popular spotto see interesting color play, including displays of canary yellow,iridescent tiles or deep shades of red.
Budget-friendly options: Rather than investing thousands in an appliance that may be apermanent fixture, some companies offer appliance panels that maybe changed.
Italian appliance company Bertazzoni (for South Florida locations,check www.bertazzoni-italia.com ) offers similarly colored appliances for a third of the price ofthe AGA range. Vice president Joan Hart says they are getting agrowing number of orders for the brightly colored Europeanappliance, which creates an ultra-high-end look at a fraction ofthe cost.
Less permanent color options include adding smaller, free-standingappliances in a favorite color, changing knobs or hardware,lighting fixtures, a splash of tile and of course, by painting.
GO ECO-FRIENDLY
Cabinets can be made of bamboo, which is an environmentallyfriendly wood choice, but it adds about a 40 percent premium to thecost of standard cabinets, according to Brian Burmeister, designerwith Beck/Allen Cabinetry in St. Louis. Lyptus is anothersustainable wood option for cabinets.
Budget-friendly options: Certain ''green'' materials, however, are comparable in price oreven cheaper than their counterparts. Bamboo or cork floors aregaining in popularity. Using bamboo for flooring is much lessexpensive than using it for cabinets. Cork, which is a softermaterial, is especially popular among older homeowners, Expodesigner Varel said.
COUNTER INNOVATION
Granite countertops have become so common that high-end clients areasking luxury St. Louis kitchen designers at brooksBerry andAssociates, ''What's next?'' They are increasingly using wood,concrete, copper, quartzite and recycled conglomerates forcountertops, said Chris Berry, president of the company. Pyrolavecountertops are made of enameled lava and cost a small fortune($220 to $350 a square foot).
Budget-friendly options: Expo carries a solid surface product called Staron, manufacturedby Samsung. It has more depth than Corian but at $41 a square footis less expensive than Corian, which runs $50 to $100 a squarefoot. The acrylic surface is easy to maintain.
FURNITURE PIECES
Creating a high-end, less-structured look involves incorporatingfurniture-like pieces in the kitchen, which make it look more likean extension of a family room.
Budget-friendly options: Retrofit old furnishings such as armoires, dressers, church pews,school lockers or even colorful enameled steel garage toolroll-around units to accommodate kitchen storage, Berry suggests.
Others are redoing just their kitchen island in a furniture piecelook or adding components to an existing island, such as molding,bead boards or wainscot panels to give it an upgraded look.
VISUAL CONTRASTS
Two-toned cabinets and stark contrasts can add interest, textureand depth to a kitchen. One display we found featured cabinets in alight and dark finish, along with several decorative elements, suchas furniture-style legs.
Budget-friendly options: You can create a similar look by just adding contrasting moldingto existing cabinets. If you are starting from scratch, vary thecabinet heights to create a more custom, visually interesting look.
WARMING UP
Instead of gleam and shine, kitchens are now exuding warmth. Lookfor appliances that feature an oil-rubbed bronze finish, which is asofter look than the coldness of stainless steel. Even withincountertops, more clients are going for a honed to tumbled finishon granite or marble, which gives it a more matte appearance.
One of the most expensive and dramatic looks can be achieved byusing a translucent onyx material for a countertop andback-lighting it, so it glows.
Budget-friendly options: Consider replacing old faucets with new ones in the popularoil-rubbed bronze look. Or you simply can change out the hardwareand lighting fixtures.
CONVENIENCES
Practicality and function are key pieces of good kitchen design.More homeowners are opting for convenience features such asmicrowave drawers, free-standing double ovens and organizationalfeatures such as spice racks inside the cabinetry.
Budget-friendly options: Cabinet accessories are available in most lines in various pricepoints. Just pick one customization, such as a microwave drawer, ifmoney is tight.
MIXING MATERIALS
One display we saw incorporated slate backsplash and floors, twotypes of granite, two types of wood and two metals.
Mixing different materials and finishes in a kitchen creates acustomized look.
Budget-friendly options: Consider the same technique on a smaller scale: Rather than usinghand-chiseled tiles for an entire backsplash, intersperse them witha less expensive ceramic or porcelain tile. A mosaic or muralallows you to create just as dramatic a look.