Be Wary of Trends in Kitchen Renovation

by Mary Ann Romans | More from this Blogger

22 Jan 2008 11:00 AM

As you may know from following along in my recent blogs, we are in the process of choosing materials, colors and finishes for a kitchen update. One aspect of this whole journey is a desire to make sure that we choose materials, finishes and accessories that will withstand the test of time, or at least the test of ten years. While we plan on staying in our current home for quite some time, circumstances could always change, leading us to sell our home. If we are caught with something that looks outdated, it could hurt a sale. We also don't want to be the equivalent of kitchen fashion victims.

Keeping that in mind, I did some research to try to separate the trends from the fads. What is today's cool modern bowl bowl sink, might be tomorrow's wood panelling or avocado green refrigerator. Here are my thoughts on some common kitchen trends.

Stainless Steel Appliances

Any real estate agent will tell you over and over again that stainless steel appliances are a top selling feature in the kitchen. Is it true? We debated about buying stainless steel appliances when we needed to purchase a refrigerator and then later a dishwasher. I should say that I debated, and my husband and mother-in-law talked me out of it. Not only were they higher priced, but they tend to collect fingerprints and dents in a house with young children. Still I think that stainless steel is here to say. It has been coming in and out of fashion for years, but it is always associated with quality appliances and will probably stand the test of time.

Granite Countertops

This is a tricky one. I salivate over granite countertops. But the trend hasn't been around so long. Remember Corian? Everyone had to have it in their kitchen, and now it is a thing of the past. Already we are seeing a downtrend against honed stone countertops. Shiny surfaces are still popular. Granite may stick around for a while, but eventually it may be eventually replaced with something even hotter.

Next up: sink styles and other trends.

Mary Ann Romans writes about everything related to saving money in the Frugal Blog, technology in the Computing Blog, and creating a home in the Home Blog. You can read more of her articles by clicking here.

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Learn more about Mary Ann Romans

Mary Ann Romans is a freelance writer, wife and mother of three children. She lives in Pennsylvania with her husband, the kids and a 16-pound cat.

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shappski (6) 20 Jul 2008 04:32 AM

This resonates with me! My wife and I are in the process of renovating our kitchen using original 50s alimunium units. It'll be beautiful of course when it's finished, but oh so hard to sell - it's just not going to be everybody's taste!

I'm blogging the process at http://www.englishrosekitchen.co.uk/. Most of our units are still in pieces, but there are plenty of pictures of the finished item. All comments an advice welcome.

Mary Ann Romans (26876) 23 Jul 2008 01:56 PM

Thanks for sharing your project, and good luck with it. I can't wait to see it finished.

bsmythe (5) 20 Oct 2009 02:24 PM

I found that once I bought my all wood kitchen cabinets the kitchen was markedly improved for me and the Mrs.

http://www.kitchenspro.com/CabinetsCatalog.htm