Re: Architects' Take on Latest Kitchen Trends

Most architects are not much shakes at kitchen design but they are "right on" with most of these trends in my area of California.
About the only thing I differ with them on is the natural wood cabinets. I still do more white or light painted cabinets than wood...Our small kitchens might account for that.
Most of the wood cabinets I do are the islands in the middle of painted kitchens.
Also synthetic countertops declined here long ago.
I am not seeing much call for outdoor kitchens. I think Californians have had them all along.

Peggy

According to the American Institute of Architects (AIA), which regularly keeps track of housing trends through their Home Design Trends Survey, the following are some of the most prevalent "wants" in today's kitchens:

* Larger pantry space
* High-end appliances
* Integration with family space
* Natural stone counters
* Island work areas
* Natural wood cabinets

Synthetic, solid-surface countertops that experienced a boom in years past have started to decline in popularity, with natural stone such as granite still ranking above others.
Plus, there is a greater number of square feet being devoted to kitchens to account for their popularity as the family gathering spot.
And the number of separate cooking facilities throughout the home are increasing, including the additions of outdoor kitchens in many areas of the country.

Wanna Take a Vacation?

I just did.

In a bunch of Jane Coslick's little cottages.

Jane takes run down shacks on Tybee Island in Georgia (near Savannah) and turns them into the most colorful and funky cottages (probably not for the masculine among us).

See for yourself.

You can even reserve and rent these two.

I LOVE the Web.
Peggy

Luscious Little Cottage

99 Steps from the Beach

Microwave Your Kitchen Sponge

If you are like me you always have a kitchen sponge at the ready to mop up spills.

I use those 3M ones with the green scrubby on the back.

I often put my sponge in the dishwasher to sanitize it.

Now there has been a study on the best ways to do this by the USDA.

They found that heating a sponge in the microwave on high for one minute, or running it through a full dishwasher cleaning, including the drying cycle; both removed 99.99999% of bacteria.

That's good enough for me.
It's good to know I don't have to wait until the dishwasher's full to get a clean sponge.

Peggy