Good taste is timeless. But what was tasteful in 1985 may not be timeless today. Especially if you’re trying to sell your apartment or home—or live in it!
With more than 37 years of experience, Dave Burcher and Michael Markoe of In House Kitchen Bath Home in the NY Design Center at 200 Lexington Avenue have seen trends come and go… and have helped create a few, themselves.
Here’s what they see as the hottest ways to add value to your home… and how to avoid the trends that will make your place look dated in just a few short years.
What’s the lifespan of a kitchen or bath style?
Every 10-12 years there’s a reinvention. For example, even though white is timeless, some whites, like appliances look very 80’s right now. On the other hand, a soft white Caesarstone countertop is very now and will look stylish for many more years, but an entirely all white laminate countertop isn’t—and won’t.
What are the two most important trends in kitchens and baths today?
- Lighting! Lighting in the kitchen and bathroom is as important as in every other room, from ceiling lighting to task lighting to access lighting to faucet lighting. Yes, there are LED faucets that let you light what you’re washing or chopping!
- High Tech and Electronics are very big: integrated screens for television: behind mirrors and glass doors; integrated speakers for audio built into walls and bathroom tiles; remote controls for Toto toilet (yes, the Toto is very hot!) and rain showers and of course, remote computerized controls so that you can start your oven from your office!
What’s in and what’s out in New York kitchens?
- White Appliances are out (though they will be back!!)
-Stainless steel appliances are still in-it's the new white.
-White cabinetry in a combination of gloss and wood is in. Glossy white thermofoil or hard white laminate cabinets are out.
- Color is in.. in the kitchen! Soft colors: greens, greys, blues provide an environmental feel, and a sense of nature inside. There’s a resurgence of grey, but this time, it's a soft grey, with texture, not the gloss grey and black hard edge laminate disco look of the 80’s.
- Severe modern kitchens may still be right for some people, but what’s in, especially in New York, is an incorporation of modern and traditional, putting together grand chandeliers for example, with stainless steel. It’s now being used in various ways in kitchens. We’ve got some great photographs.
-The use of vertical space, which allows for slimmer cabinets is very in! This is New York after all!
What’s in and what’s out in New York bathrooms?
-Bathrooms are incorporating a spa like feel with spa like elements: Japanese soaking tubs, rain showers. Built in aromatherapy and chromatherapy. Built in steam and insta-mist, which produces steam in 60 seconds… not minutes! These are the bathrooms that provide the all over best return on investment—and the most fun and comfort now!
-Uniquely shaped sinks...Triangle and wave are very New York. Glass vessels and bowls and glass counter tops are still among the major trends.
-Towel warmers! Timeless!
-Upward opening swing door medicine cabinet with hydraulic hinges and full width seamless mirror.
-Stainless steel in the bathroom: stainless steel sink, stainless toilet and stainless steel touches in and around the shower… yes, stainless steel may soon replace white as the bathroom color of choice in New York.
In House Kitchen Bath Home was founded in July of 2007 by Michael Markoe and Dave Burcher with the singular purpose of creating New York’s premier showroom for the kitchen, bath, and home.
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RISMEDIA, July 28, 2009