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)

Construction Proceeds on Applehead Island

Construction is moving along well on the home currently being built by Custom Home Builder, Jenkins Custom Homes, on Applehead Island in Horseshoe Bay.  The home is framed and in the beginning stages of interior plumbing and electrical work.  This home is being built for out-of-town clients who enjoy the beautiful lake setting as well as the many activities Lake LBJ has to offer. Working with the Jenkins team from out of town has been drama-free, as the clients have taken advantage of the Jenkins web-based “Guide to Picture Perfect Projects” Personal Home page to view progress, project documents, and process change orders.  With these conveniences, the clients have only had to travel into town for a few critical-stage meetings.

Construction on this custom home began in the Fall of 2009 with the bulk head and boat house.  Those are continuing, as construction on the home continues as well.

Top 5 Home Technology Trends

We recently attended the International Builder’s Show in Las Vegas, where we attended lots of seminars.  One of the big topics this year, as in years past, is home technology; however, the twist on this year’s seminars was “affordable technology”.  So many of today’s technologies are affordable and finding them in the plethora of choices is sometimes daunting.  Here are my “Top 5″.

  Convenience. These are the basics, like, when I get up at 3 am to go to the bathroom, the bathroom light comes on so I don’t trip on my shoes.  Convenience may or may not be expensive but can really change your life.

Accessibility. The smart phone has really changed everything in relation to accessibility.  Now, there’s an app for just about everything you can imagine on your home.  Want to watch streaming video of your kids getting home?  There’s an app for that.  Want to turn off the sprinklers because it’s supposed to freeze tonight?  There’s an app for that…  You get the picture.

  Green Technology.  This can mean a lot of things but the most popular ones usually involves some cost savings to the consumer or an ecologically-friendly impact on the environment.  These areas have really evolved recently to include things like tankless hot water heaters, geothermal heating, and solar panels.  These technologies for our homes are very site-specific; some of them are cost-prohibitive in certain areas while other alternatives have a 2- or 3-year cost benefit payout (which is fantastic!).  So, make sure you ask for a comprehensive cost analysis before you begin.

  Anticipation. Much of our new technology is created in anticipation of things to come.  Lately, we have installed a number of whole-house backup generators for our high end clients, for example.  They are anticipating power shortages at some point in the future.  Another example is the 3D technology that is coming, thanks in part to the movie “Avatar”.  At the International Builder’s Show, the speakers informed us that the new 3D technology that we saw on the big screen will some day be in our televisions in our homes.

Convergence.  Convergence in the technology realm refers to multiple technologies coming together to form a single, better solution.  In the home technology world, a great example of this is our ability to tie in the heating and cooling system into the home’s smart panel to allow for sensors in a room that control the room’s temperature when someone walks in the room.  You can imagine the many benefits for this type of feature, especially when you have two people living in a 6,000 square foot home or a couple who only comes to their lake home on the weekend.

There are so many more great new technologies which can be incorporated into a home.  The key is to really analyze how you live in your home and then talk to the experts about what’s out there.  If you are building a new home, do your research and be sure to discuss with your Builder the convenience, accessibility, green technology, anticipation, and convergence technologies which best fit your lifestyle.

If you like this post and think someone else might enjoy it, please share it with our “Share / Save” link below.

About the Author:  Bethany Jenkins is Vice President of Jenkins Custom Homes in Austin, Texas.  To read more about Bethany check out her bio here.