Design Success University

We attended a great seminar hosted by the distributor for Wolf and SubZero appliances last week.  The vice president of the manufacturer shared their analysis of the hot trends in kitchen design in the last several months.

Today’s designs are personality driven.  You as a client should bring your unique sensibilities to the kitchen design and incorporate your interests and tastes into the products that you select.  One client incorporated an entire room for cookbooks in their home.   Love that! 

The hot designs are less trendy - not too many crazy colors, and the overall movement is toward cleaner (more transitional) lines.

Another frequently seen look is a mixture of textures and materials.  Two or more cabinet colors and two or more countertop materials are typical these days. 

Here are a few other “trends”:

• Woods with strong grains are gaining in popularity
• Classic colors - black, white and gray are back
• Color and texture are important
• Great craftsmanship
• Recycled materials
• “Green” products
• Outdoor kitchens and living spaces

Also, for those of you that are planning to remodel your kitchens, Wolf and SubZero are introducing new products throughout the year.  I am planning my own remodel, and I am excited about the new features on the SubZero refrigeration:

• Air purification is new this year - it will increase the length of time your food stays fresh
• Anti-microbial water purification is new - imagine fresh ice cubes that don’t taste freezer burned!
• See-through doors on ball bearings for the crispers with more adjustment options
• Spill-proof glass shelves
• More shelves in the doors
• More height on the interior of the refrigerator
• Full-extension freezer drawers
• Smaller profile hinges
• Flush inset installation is available so it sits even with the cabinet fronts (stainless steel is not available on this installation option)
• Finish options: platinum, carbon steel and stainless on many models
• The crisper will be two degrees cooler on the new models
• Much better lighting inside of the refrigerator
• Dual compressors are a long-time standard - this separates the air flow on the freezer and refrigerator side
• New under-counter beverage center offers racks for wine

Be sure to check out the website for information on the products as well as the winners of the 2007 SubZero and Wolf design competition.  You will get some great ideas from the winner’s projects:  www.subzerowolfkitchens.com

About the author:  Gail has been transforming lifestyles and designing dreams for over twenty years.  Her interior design practice focuses on residential renovations, dream home designs and blissful master suites.  You can learn more about Gail and Design Success University by visiting www.renaissancedesign.com.  Be sure to download the free reports that are posted for you.