Remodeling Tip # 102

 Kitchen Updates – Small Changes, Big Results.

By Cathy Klas
cklas@klashomescolorado.com

One of the biggest trends in home remodeling is opening up the kitchen to the family room/living room. We live informally and entertain informally, and our kitchens have become a reflection of that lifestyle. Think about the Christmas parties you recently attended. How much time did you, and everyone else, spend in the kitchen, while the food and decorations were in a formal living or dining room?

Opening up the kitchen to the rest of the home can be as simple as enlarging an existing opening, or you might want to remove the wall entirely. Another way to give the illusion of opening up your kitchen is to add windows. Natural light makes an area feel bigger and more open.

Perhaps your kitchen is already open and functional, but you’d like to update without the expense and inconvenience of a total remodel. If that’s the case, let the brass be the first to go. Hardware has become an important detail, no longer just generic brass knobs. Replacing the brass with current finishes, such as brushed nickel or oil rubbed bronze, can make a big difference.

Many of the homes built in the 1980’s have wood-framed, dropped lighting over the center island. This wood frame detail can be easily removed and the lighting updated to recessed cans or pendant lights.

Now would be a good time to not only replace your old appliances, but save energy with Energy Star rated appliances. Stainless steel is another upgrade to consider. Stainless cost a little more, but the look seems to be here to stay.

For countertops, slab granite remains the material of choice. Granite can vary greatly from one slab to another, so you might want to select your own slabs. If granite is a little beyond your budget, consider 18” porcelain tiles. With minimal grout lines to keep clean and a wide selection of colors and textures to choose from, you can have a beautiful countertop for a fraction of the cost of granite.

Complete your new look by splurging on the backsplash material. It’s not a large area, and it often makes the biggest impression when you first walk into a kitchen. Look through magazines for ideas and visit a local tile supplier for materials and design options that will compliment your cabinets, floors and other kitchen surfaces. Beautiful porcelains, tumbled stones, glass tiles, even sheets of pressed copper are available. Let the backsplash bring your kitchen to life.

Kitchens have become our meeting and entertaining place of choice. With a little creativity and help from your remodeler, you can have a kitchen you’ll be proud of.

Klas Homes Colorado has been building and remodeling in Boulder County since 1999 and is a member of the National Association of Home Builders, the NAHB Remodelors Council and the Boulder Green Building Guild. Read this and other remodeling tips, www.klashomescolorado.com Contact the office at 303-678-1116

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