Home

[Mominohio]

@Oznell created a thread with several out of the normal kitchens featured. It got me to thinking about kitchens (especially since I just re did mine last year). 

In home sales, kitchens and baths being in good order and 'updated' seem to be a major factor in listing/selling a home. Having a kitchen remodeled, regardless of whether you do it yourself, or hire a contractor, is a huge expense. 

I remember my parents doing our kitchen at home when I was in late grade school. I've known a number of people who have done complete kitchen remodels over the years too. 

In my opinion, now more than ever, many kitchen styles people are doing, will look so dated in a very short time. Of all the home decorating, kitchens seem to go 'out of style' quicker than any other thing we do. Maybe they aways have, but seem to now, quicker than ever. 

I tried to choose elements that are more classic and hopefully lasting in style when I did mine. I tend to see certain 'farmhouse' type kitchens that to me remain more timeless in style than many others done today as well (I don't consider mine to be farmhouse). 

 To me,back splashes are one of the the things that will look dated most quickly.  Many cabinets styles and colors seem to become dated looking quickly as well. And lighting too.

I guess it just kind of floors me, that one of the highest dollar remodels we do to our home, and one that should last in quality and style for decades, is one of the first to become 'dated' looking, and I wonder if anyone else approaches their kitchen remodels with the idea of loving the look, and having it be more timeless or lasting in style when they make their choices. 

[Sooner]

Thoughtful comments and worth pondering!  

If we look back to the time when people started to have indoor bathrooms and kitchens with modern electrical appliances, I would say the one continuing trend is toward simpler and cleaner.

We see a decrease in wood trims on cabinets, and more streamlined appliances as time goes on.  I'd say angles are cleaner and surface materials have changed toward higher-end materials.

Pots and pans are bigger and out of more expensive materials in general as time goes on, and we have more appliances.

Dinnerware is cleaner lined too, more colorful, and utensils are WAY bigger.  The Oneida we got when we were married is like doll forks and knives now.

So I see emerging trends that put more emphases on materials and less on workmanship, which considering is a natural and cost effective evolution.

VERY interesting subject! 

[queendiva]

I also remodeled my kitchen last year. Gratifying because it was mostly cosmetic and I did this one for me, as I have no plans to move from my present home. Of my last 3 homes, dating back to the mid-90's, my kitchens were: a new build- builder's specs, a total kitchen gut to the studs and this last- cosmetic remodel.

Remodeling costs certainly have escalated. There are more sources for materials but it's still a challenge to keep a budget. I loved my kitchen #2 as much on Day One as I did 10 years later when I moved. It was only when deciding what to do to update my present kitchen that I realized my mid tone cherry cabinets, granite counter tops and tumbled marble backsplash could be considered "dated". Everything in my house and yard was updated and I bought that home with resale in mind (location) and indeed it was location that sold the house in a day.

Paint is still the best and least expensive way to update any room on a budget, though that is just a starting point for a kitchen. SO many choices, although most of what I saw in my research were the white/ gray/ stainless that I went with.

[ECBG]

If I bought a home, I would want to redo the kitchen myself. 

[busymom22]

I think the all-white farmhouse kitchen is super trendy and will go out of style quickly. I live in an area where every updated house has the identical kitchen along with grey walls, dark hardwood floors, and neutral furnishings. I wonder what trend will come next and how dated these homes will look in a few years.

I just think of how much money is spent on these kitchens.  I remember my grandparents' era. They built a house with a traditional galley kitchen.  People back then built their homes, decorated them, then lived in them.  Things were only replaced when broken or worn out.  No one would dream of ripping out a perfectly-functional kitchen.

[PamfromCT]

This is certainly an interesting topic.  I personally think the style of your home and where you live needs to be considered in any remodel.  

When we remodeled our kitchen and three baths, we chose materials we liked and would stand the test of time fairly well.

Been in our colonial forever, and we know the assets and liabilities of our home.  I think most homes have that.  We are up in years, and we are fortunate to live in our home and have the “heavy lifting” done for us.

When we had our entire inside repainted, we chose to have our formerly stained woodwork painted white.  It has brightened our home so much, yet does not interfere with the colonial character of the house.  Our kitchen cabinets and vanities are lighter wood, with ivory in my bath. I love white kitchens, but I would not feel it matches the character of our home.  We have wood floors throughout, but our kitchen and laundry room, together with baths, have neutral tile floors.

[sweetee2]

Or could do what we did. We intenually made ours look old. Tin backsplash, beadboard wall, Edison light fixtures, vintage quartz counter top, dark cabinets with crown molding,  vintage hand pulls and white pine floors. We didn't follow any trend so I guess it will always be out of style.

[depglass]

I love this thread.  Personally I think you should remodel for your own taste, selling factors be damned. Two exceptions:  You will be moving within a couple years, or you have really weird taste, like everything purple. We watched an old Frasier last night, the one where he kept changing the furniture in his condo to many different styles from mid-century modern to Queen Anne. Of course he brought back his original decor and furniture.  I also liked the comment about the Oneida flatware.  I have two sets in a very light weight, Paul Revere and some colonial pattern.  Those were relegated to a rental property and a cottage.  For the house I have a Lenox with a beaded edge I got from Costco during the 2008 recession for only 3900 for a set of 12.  Try finding that nowdays.  Anyway, it is much heaver and actually the dinner forks are too big, so we use the salad forks, which are still heavier than the old Oneida.  

[wilma]

We bought our home in 1999. We made changes a little at a time until we made the house our home. We did it for ourselves and not for resale value. We don’t plan on moving so I’m not really concerned about keeping up with home trends or pleasing prospective buyers. Obviously, if you move a lot, you may need to do things differently. 

[RedTop]

When we updated our kitchen in 2015, I wanted to have new and updated, but keep the changes true to the rest of the house.