We’ve written before about the role of the kitchen as the heart of the home and, as a result, the popularity of kitchen remodels. But unless you’re in the business, you may be curious about what’s popular these days in kitchen renovations.

So without further ado, these are some of the things we’re being asked to do along with our thoughts on each.

Smart Technology

A growing number of home owners are asking for a more modern kitchen feel, including so-called ‘smart’ appliances that use IoT (Internet of Things) devices to communicate with manufacturers (think here for a refrigerator that automatically orders a new water filter after a specific volume of filtered water has been produced). Others are asking for voice-activated lights and touchless faucets.

Our Take: Because we love to cook (translation: we are familiar with messy hands), touchless faucets and voice- activated tools are a great idea! Conversely, be certain you fully understand the degree to which any IoT device in your kitchen or elsewhere are monitoring you and your family. Suffice it to say, we’re not fans.

The Open Concept

Ah yes, the open concept kitchen. This trend has been popular for years and shows few signs of abating. In a nutshell, it simply means there are few if any partitions or walls separating the kitchen from a living room, family room, or other adjacent sections of the home. It is precisely because the kitchen is the thrumming, beating heart of the home that open plans are popular, since the host can be busy prepping food or drinks and remain engaged with guests.

Our Take: There are numerous advantages to open kitchen floor plans, including improved ventilation, lighting, and flow. But there are downsides, too, including a particularly smelly meal wafting across the house, the many noises involved with cooking, and the overall sense of disorder that a kitchen can impose on an otherwise tidy home (we like to clean as we cook so that last one isn’t as big a deal – but if you have a lot of pots and pans laying about, your exposed kitchen can become an eyesore).

Industrial Look

You know how many of today’s restaurants allow diners to gaze into their kitchens while food is being made? Well, a growing number of homeowners are borrowing that industrial look to reimagine their home kitchens. From the use of raw materials, like metal, brick, glass and wood to exposed ductwork and oversized range hoods, some home kitchens now look as if they were transplanted from a commercial kitchen.

Our Take: For our part, we love the look, especially when the design is also highly practical vs simply for aesthetics. That said, be aware that an industrial kitchen – particularly in an aforementioned open floor plan – is not going to flow very well with the rest of the home unless it, too, is industrial. Additionally, when it comes time to sell, well, you may be doing another renovation.

Concealed Storage

We recently did a post on creating clever paths to home storage and the kitchen is no exception. Actually, the modern kitchen needs more storage than ever, thanks to all those labor-saving devices that dominate most cooking regimens. Hidden drawers, pullout pantries, and ceiling-hung pots and pans are desired by a growing number of homeowners.

Our Take: Look, extra storage anywhere in a home is a no-brainer. Just remember that kitchen storage, if it’s too hidden, removed, or out of reach, isn’t going to be all that useful in a room that above all else demands practicality and efficiency.

Big, Bold Colors

Although kitchen colors are typically subtle or earth-toned, some homeowners are bringing them to life with big, bright, ambitious colors. Walls, counters, backsplashes – even appliances – are casting kitchens in entirely new hues.

Our Take: While we prefer convention, we can’t help but admire some of these new color schemes. Just remember that if a potential sale is on the horizon those colors almost certainly will have to go – at least if you want to cast your net as wide as possible.