The Heart of the Home
In a recent joint study by the National Association of Realtors and the National Association of the Remodeling Industry, they found that Americans spent $420 billion in 2020 on home remodeling with a kitchen upgrade having a 67% cost recovery!
It may come as no surprise that kitchens are often the heart of our home. After all, it’s one of the liveliest spaces where we cook, eat and gather! When it comes to investing in your home, have you thought about investing in your kitchen? Now, while it may seem tempting to jump on the latest design trend, a timeless kitchen will not only be practical but will last for years to come! Let’s look at a few ways you can make your kitchen timeless from cabinetry colors to long-lasting materials.
Choosing The Right Cabinet Colors
While bold and bright colors can add some personality to a room, they often lose their charm quicker. White cabinets are classic and never go out of style. Bright white cabinetry can add a refreshing, crisp and spacious feel to kitchens of any size! But, depending on the lighting in your kitchen, choosing the right tone of white can make all the difference. Off-white cabinets with yellow undertones can warm up the look of your kitchen while blue or green undertones might make your kitchen have a sterile feel.
Besides white, what other tones make a kitchen timeless? Think neutral. Neutral tones such as beige, taupe, black and gray are also excellent choices as they can be easily incorporated into the space. Having a neutral kitchen allows for a solid foundation. Over the years you might find yourself wanting to swap out different colored plates, accents, and a neutral toned kitchen will be a fantastic base to have and experiment with.
If you’re looking to add more depth and warmth, wood cabinetry can do just that. From cherry, oak, maple, alder, hickory, birch, walnut, bamboo, and mahogany, there is certainly no shortage in selection! Each choice will vary in its warmth, texture, grain and markings, as well as price point. In most cases you can order samples from a home improvement store to take home and compare in your space, especially if you have hardwood floors you’d like to compare them against.
Cabinetry and Accents That Go the Distance
Shaker Style Cabinets
Shaker-style cabinets are known for their stunning, practical and simplistic design. The cabinets got their name from the United Society of Believers in Christ’s Second Appearing, known more commonly as the Shakers. Back in the 18th century, the Shakers were known to have impeccable craftsmanship with high quality standards. As centuries have passed, the shaker-style cabinet has evolved, but ultimately the foundational design has stood the test of time for their minimalistic appeal. With their straight lines and crisp edges, they can make your kitchen feel and look cleaner as well as less cluttered.
Brass, Aluminum and Iron Accents
To keep a balanced and timeless look throughout your kitchen, choosing one to two accent colors is advisable. When it comes to accents, three popular choices are brass, aluminum and iron.
Brass is a gold-toned metal that can add a stunning pop to cabinetry, infusing a rustic or vintage feel to cabinetry, sinks and light fixtures. Aluminum, a silver-toned metal, can seamlessly pair and compliment well with stainless steel appliances and has a sleekness to it. If you’re looking for a darker metal, such as for knobs or handles, cast iron is a heavy-duty metal that blends easily and compliments well with a variety of hues in the kitchen.
Quartz Countertops and Other Countertop Alternatives
Quartz remains a top contender when it comes to choosing a countertop with its lifespan of 100+ years. With its stunning natural stone appearance that could be taken for real marble, quartz holds up well with heat and due to being manufactured, is more durable than actual stone and requires lower maintenance.
Soapstone is another alternative and is a quarried stone that, while softer than granite, is denser than other natural stones. With a lifespan of 100+ years, this countertop surface will require low maintenance and is incredibly resistant to high heat.
Marble countertops have an elegant feel and come with beautiful markings. From classic white, black, to grey and cream, marble has a wide array of colors available. With a lifespan of 100+ years like quartz and soapstone, they do require more maintenance due to their proneness to scratching and staining.
Is Your Kitchen In Need of A Makeover?
Are you finding that your kitchen is showing signs of aging? Have you recently bought a fixer upper or are renovating an older home? Perhaps you find that you need more counter-space, or you want to remove a wall to add more room for a breakfast bar. Whether this home is your forever home or you plan on moving in a few years, making updates to your kitchen can add immense value and boost the resale of your home!
Our team at Parkview Property Services would love to have the opportunity to speak with you and talk through your questions and concerns. We treat our customers like our friends and family and, when you work with us, you make a difference. We are proud to put 100% of our profits to our parent non-profit, Parkview Services. For the past 50 years, Parkview Services has supported people with Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities, as well as low-income and struggling homeowners and provides a variety of programs from Affordable Housing to Homeownership to Mortgage Default Counseling.
Give us a call today for your free estimate! (206) 542-6601