Even though Americans are cooking less than ever, a fabulous kitchen has become the status symbol of the '90s. The current issue of House & Garden says it all in its in/out list on luxury: "Old luxury -- Never using your kitchen. New luxury -- Living in your kitchen."
America's desire to nest, and nest in style, has designers and manufacturers rethinking kitchen design. They're finding that consumers want cabinets that resemble fine furniture, little luxuries like roll-out adjustable trays and wine racks, appliances with the cachet of commercial units and built-in computer and entertainment centers.
The '90s kitchen has become the central gathering place for everything from eating to casual entertaining, watching TV, working at home or completing a craft project. People seem more willing than ever to spend big money on making it a wonderful place to live.
It's also no longer physically separate from the rest of the house.
"Lots of kitchens are opening up into family and living rooms," says John Troxell, design director for Wood-Mode, manufacturer high-end cabinetry. "It's almost a standard assumption that there will be an open floor plan and the kitchen is no longer a back room someplace." As a result, a client might, say, want cabinets that match the architectural period of the armoire that holds his TV and stereo equipment.
Natural materials, which add warmth and solidity, have become as important in the kitchen as in other rooms of the house. Wood is the current material of choice for cabinets, and lighter tones are the most sought after. Often these woods have furniture treatments like matte finishes or custom glazes, or are lightly distressed.
Locally, cherry and maple have edged oak out of the picture, says kitchen designer Helen Todd at Stuart Kitchens. "There's also a fantastic red birch that's very popular now," she adds.
"It keeps a clear, light color that doesn't age like cherry."
Cabinetry may look like free-standing cupboards and sport elaborate moldings, Chippendale-style legs or -- one of the hottest new kitchen accessories -- mullioned-glass doors with halogen lights to showcase beautiful stemware or favorite collectibles.
To go with the natural look of wood cabinets, customers who can afford it usually choose granite -- what the trade magazine Professional Builder calls "the king of upscale kitchen [counter tops], beautiful and virtually indestructible." In recent years, granite's prices have come down because there are more sources for it, says the magazine. But it can still cost four or five times as much as a laminate counter top, depending on color, grade, thickness and edge treatment.
