Top 5 Kitchen Trends for 2010

There is possibly no more important room in your house than the kitchen. The kitchen is the hub of activity, the source of sustenance, and the number one room a potential buyer will consider when choosing a new home. That is why designing the kitchen must be done with an eye to the current trends. Here are just a few of the trends we found for 2010.

• Kitchens are getting bigger. “It seems as though families are getting smaller and at the same ti me, kitchens are getting bigger. Designers are using industrial appliances, state-of-the-art cabinets and countertop materials, and including a kitchen island whenever possible.” (source: http://interiordec.about.com/od/kitchenislands/a/a_kitchenisland.htm)
• Kitchens are getting to be more earth-friendly. “Eco-friendly is all the rage these days, but most notably in the kitchen where a few small changes can make a significant impact. You can use inexpensive recycled or natural materials such as recycled glass counter tops or formaldehyde-free bamboo for work surfaces and flooring. Convenient built-in recycling centers and food composters can save space and make recycling simple. The overall idea is making the kitchen effortlessly eco-friendly so that being green isn’t a sacrifice, it’s just an easy part of your everyday life.” (source: http://ezinearticles.com/?Best-Kitchen-Trends-For-2010&id=3162648)
• Kitchens are focusing on being both convenient and multi-purpose. “This year’s kitchen features products that are…all about convenience-meets-multifunctionality.” (source: http://www.thisoldhouse.com/toh/photos/0,,1637271,00.html) What does that mean? Well, “sinks with accessories, such as built-in preparation boards, colanders, and/or drain trays…storage that is both stylish and highly engineered…Cupboard inserts and custom storage areas with adjustable dividers and pull out baskets…appliances set on wheels or movable islands which allow you to easily rearrange the kitchen for convenient preparation, cleaning, and entertaining… which is not just multi-functional, but also kind of fun.” (source: http://ezinearticles.com/?Best-Kitchen-Trends-For-2010&id=3162648)
• Kitchens are becoming more colorful. Color trends change regularly, but the top color choices for kitchens include “Creamy Neutrals, Veiled Violets, A Gamut of Grays, Pale & Punchy Greens, Bold Turquoise” (source: http://www.kitchens.com//design/color/color-trends/color-trends-2010.aspx). Also consider that “Unexpected flashes of color and bold shapes are all the rage, and offer a nice juxtaposition to the earthy mellowness of the eco-friendly trend.” (source: http://ezinearticles.com/?Best-Kitchen-Trends-For-2010&id=3162648)
• Kitchens are becoming more high-tech. “Just like every other aspect of our lives, kitchens are featuring more technology than ever. A lot of this technology is focused on making the kitchen more enjoyable and adding a bit of the “wow” factor. From flat-screen televisions and computer-based entertainment systems to retracting ventilation hoods and gas burners, technology can make the kitchen more fun, convenient, and cool. The kitchen is both a social and functional space in the home. Small additions, like a small mobile device charging station, really illustrate this point. Imagine your family returning home in the evening, immediately plugging in their mobile devices, and congregating in the kitchen to catch up with each other.” (source: http://ezinearticles.com/?Best-Kitchen-Trends-For-2010&id=3162648)

Hot Links For The Home Blog

Every week we come across articles that we think our readers might find interesting.

• Zillow is reporting here that the 30-year fixed mortgage is at 4.80%!
• In this article, entitled “The kitchen is still king”, Steve Kerch of MarketWatch talks about the trends in new homes today. It’s not surprising that #2 is: “Energy-efficient appliances, high-efficiency insulation and high window efficiency.”
  
• And on that note, read here about Low-E Argon windows, explained in a way that makes sense.
• Fortune magazine writer, Michael V. Copeland, has written an excellent article about the popularity of the LED bulbs in American households.  In the article he says, “By the end of the decade, analysts predict, LEDs will be the dominant source for commercial and residential lighting.” Click here to see the rest of the article.
• Finally, for some great tips on lowering your energy bills, click here.
  

So what do you think? Should we make this a weekly part of our blog?

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The Best In Luxury Appliances Joins The Best in Luxury Home Building

Perfected through seven decades of use in professional kitchens, Wolf appliances provides the ability to make any dish possible, while Sub-Zero, the innovative leaders in preservation, keeps foods fresher longer – all while consuming less power than a 100 watt light bulb.

You can experience both of these top-of-the-line appliances – hands on and in person – at either of their two Texas showrooms: one in Dallas and the other within walking distance of the Galleria Mall in Houston. These showrooms offer a variety of cooking classes, wine tastings, training seminars, as well as use and care classes.  Just visit http://www.subzero-wolfsc.com/showrooms/ to see a copy of the current schedule, but note that the classes fill up 2-3 months in advance, so plan ahead!

Jenkins Custom Homes, the Best Custom Builder in Texas, has recently partnered with Sub-Zero/Wolf, the best in luxury appliances, giving Jenkins’ clients special attention as well as pricing.  Jenkins clients will have the opportunity to experience private cooking demonstrations with Sub-Zero/Wolf Executive Chef, Garth Blackburn, on the same appliances that they have chosen for their new home.  They will also have the opportunity for in-home use and care demonstrations by Sub-Zero/Wolf after they are in their new custom home.  Jenkins Custom Homes strives to build partnerships with the best in the business in order to deliver the best possible product.  That is just one of the reasons the Texas Association of Builders named Jenkins Custom Homes the “Custom Builder of the Year”, this year and in 2006.  Jenkins & Sub-Zero/Wolf -- a perfect partnership for today’s luxury client.

Watch the video taken in our office this week with Amy Kerr, Territory Manager for Sub-Zero/Wolf.

A Really Cool Golf Experience

Golf Simulator

One of the really cool items we saw at the International Builder’s Show was this digital golf simulator by Full Swing Golf.  As you can imagine, their booth was widely attended by all.  “What is it?”, you say. It is a golf simulator that allows you to play Pebble Beach or any of over 50 of the world’s best courses right in your own home theater room.

The screen works beautifully for all your home theater movies as well as most gaming systems; so, you don’t have to have a separate screen for viewing movies.  When you take your shot, the ball hits the screen and takes off into the scene.  The company claims that accuracy was their primary concern when designing it and that the experience is just like being on the course.  Our team gave it a try and said that it does have the same look and feel as being there.  Most everyone who tried it said that it was a lot of fun.

It is also customizable, in case you don’t find a course you like; and you can even play online tournaments with other system owners.  Although a little pricey, this new technology is sure to be sought after by every avid golfer on the planet.

Article Cites Design Program Reason for Success

‘Builder of the Year’ credits design program for success

BY ASHLEIGH WHALEY
HIGHLAND LAKES NEWSPAPERS

January 5, 2010

Shan Jenkins, owner of Jenkins Custom Homes,who was recently named 2009 Custom Home Builder of the Year by the Texas Association of Builders, said his company’s in-house design program has been the secret to success.

At the Building Industry Association of the Highland Lakes’ 2009 Parade Home Tour, Jenkins Custom Homes swept all the People’s Choice Awards, including “Best of Parade” for a home in Skywater Over Horseshoe Bay. Jenkins Custom Homes received similar sweeping honors six months later, winning eight Star Awards at the Texas Association of Builders’ 2009 banquet, held in November at the Gaylord Texan Hotel & Convention Center in Grapevine.

“I guess the secret to our success is our design program,” said Jenkins, of Lakeway. “When you can provide both design and construction all in-house, clients know what the end product will cost from the very beginning, which I think is appealing to most people.”

The TAB also awarded Jenkins with Best Custom Home and Best Architectural Design for his home design in Skywater, which offers panoramic views of the golf course and Texas Hill Country. According to a September Skywater Management LLC press release, the Skywater community will feature 1,200 sites for single-family homes, villas and condominiums and maintain “stringent architectural standards,” restricting homes to five styles—Mission-Santa Fe, Mission-Spanish Hacienda, Mediterranean, Hill Country-Contemporary or Hill Country-Germanic. “I think it’s just the uniqueness of the design, how it functions on the lot and meets the lifestyle requirements of the home owners,” Jenkins said of the award-winning Skywater home. “ Utilizing the Lifestyle Analysis© program was key to his company’s success in 2009, he said.

“We guarantee our cost, plus or minus 5 percent, from the conceptual stage,” he said. “We have an interactive questionnaire we go through with clients that we call the Lifestyle Analysis©, trademarked to us, that works really well.”  For a small fee, Jenkins spends two to three hours with clients to complete the Lifestyle Analysis©, and the clients leave with a conceptual design and cost estimate, he said.

“The (Custom Builder of the Year) award goes to the Texas homebuilder who best displays excellence in areas such as design, construction, industry leadership and community altruism,” according to a statement released by the TAB. “Jenkins demonstrates all the qualities the Texas Association of Builders seeks in industry and community involvement.”

Jenkins, who has been a custom home builder since 1992, said he accepted his Star Awards in person. Jenkins serves as president of the Lakeway chapter of the Home Builders Association of Austin and as host to the national Custom Home Builder’s Symposium tour. Jenkins said he has built five or six homes in the Horseshoe Bay/Marble Falls area and is planning to build more.

“We’re building one in Applehead Island in Horseshoe Bay, which is under construction, and have one we will start in February in the Trails of Horseshoe Bay on Lake LBJ.”

Housing Starts Improve in Texas

On Tuesday, November 17, 2009, the Austin Business Journal reported the results of Metrostudy’s market research report which stated that housing starts were up in 2009 in Texas.  To read the entire article, click here.  Although the U.S. Department of Commerce will be reporting housing starts soon, the Metrostudy is a better forecaster of local markets and is generally considered the best in-depth analysis.

Overall, housing is slowly recovering, and that is good news for jobs in Texas and around the country.