Shrinking homes growing kitchens

After all the years of growth in the square footage of homes it is now clear that the current trend is less is more. 

Except when it comes to kitchens.  Kitchen size is actually growning!  Life styles have certainly changed over the years and even though we don't cook as much as we did in the 60's and 70's we are finding new uses for the kitchen than ever before.

The kitchen is more and more the center piece of the home in terms of elegance and function.  Functions for kitchens now include numerous activities and whether it means doing home work for kids, cooking for mom or dad, entertaining guests or paying bills it all needs to fit into the new kitchen design.

Growing the kitchen and adding energy saving appliances, work space and accent lighting and plenty of storage are top choices for home owners.

The average family getting a kitchen remodel this year will spend aproximately $15,000 to upgrade.

Gimme Shelter

In my first truly independent space—a single dorm room with Band-Aid colored walls—I could touch nearly everything I owned from my desk chair. The semester delivered an unexpected lesson in minimalism and spatial relevance: just how much room was necessary to generate a new thought?

My first grown-up home was a 2-bedroom and I marveled at how the former owners had raised four children in 900 sq. ft. It wasn’t until I’d survived remodeling a mid-century ranch—twice—that we landed on a prescient notion: the Great Room vs. traditional and rarely used living and dining rooms.

We tore out walls and ceilings, rerouting traffic flow to a system that made better sense. We installed thick European beams overhead that introduced a sense of timelessness not unlike a Cotswold cottage. Underfoot, we installed hardwoods that could withstand tricycle wheelies. The walls were hand-painted to resemble marble by a spirited painter who signed his bill for services “Picasso.” Even the upholstery was selected for its texture ability to disguise the spills that inevitably happen. Well-used and welcoming, the room was feet-up comfortable and lasting, sort of eternal. Sadly, the marriage wasn’t.

Nancy Clark, Gimme Shelter (2010)