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The heart of the home.

A before picture    The beautiful after picture

The Kitchen

Your Kitchen – the favorite room of most homes. My advice to you is keep the permanent surfaces as neutral and flexible as possible. Countertops and appliances are much more difficult and expensive to change than paint and backsplashes.

Think you “must” have granite or some other fabulous solid surface countertop? You probably don’t. Look at your neighborhood. If you’re in a high-end neighborhood, it probably will require high-end finishes. But most homeowners want something pretty, and while high end finishes are wonderful, it’s a “want,” rather than a “need.” Look at solid-surface Formica, and the updated laminates. Go with updated, yet neutral surfaces. Save your color splashes for paint and décor.

Backsplashes can be a place for a pop of color and interest, and not break the bank. Places like Home Depot have wonderful tile backsplash ideas for 10-17 dollars per square foot.

When it comes to appliances, go with the best quality and energy efficiency that you can afford. Newer appliances are more energy efficient and are cheaper to run. When it comes to the stainless versus white, versus black question, again, look at your neighborhood, and consider your personal preference. If you’re living in an area that demands the high end look, go for stainless. The professional kitchen look is very popular. Here’s my story about my mother’s kitchen remodel:

My parents bought a wonderful ranch-style home in Houston in 1970. The home had been pretty neglected and they bought it for 19,000. The kitchen renovation was done before we moved in. Keep in mind, this is the era of avocado and harvest gold appliances, countertops, etc. Mother went for the classic white appliances (with an over-sized stove), white countertops, and cream colored cabinetry. These all remained through another major home renovation in 1976, but additional cabinetry was added. When the house sold in 2006, the same countertops were in place, the same stove, although the sink, dishwasher and refrigerator had been replaced with more white at some point over the years. The point? The basic look she went with was classic and didn’t go out of style in the course of 36 years.