re: Kitchen Pics (New House)

quote:

---

Obviously I have no clue what housing trends are in or out these days.

---

So many of the trends are borderline awful, in kitchens at least.
--Pendant lights: just a big ol grease & dust catching item you'll need to dust on a weekly basis, guaranteed to look dated in less than 10 years.
--ornate backsplashes full of incised/relief tile, tumbled edges, and other dirt-catching nooks and crannies. Whatever material you choose for a backsplash, make it as smooth and durable as possible or you'll be scrubbing caked on grease and tomato sauce outta that bad boy with a toothbrush some time soon.
--dark colors. I really don't get the very dark stained cabinets; nothing shows dust/smudges more than a dark finish. Any slight wear (from regular use) begins to show almost immediately. They don't look "antiqued", they just look shabby and will need to be scrupulously maintained and/or refinished once the wear begins to show.
--insufficient lighting. Light the damn kitchen like a surgery. Put in a dimmer. When you need the bright arse lights (pulling pin bones out of salmon, deveining shrimp, trying to clean the crevices of the fancy trim), you'll have it. When you want mood lighting, simply turn the dial.

Oh so many kitchens are concocted by builders and designers to showcase silly trends: they're not laid out by anyone who cooks, nor are the materials chosen by anyone who cooks.

And what's up with all of the beige-beige-beige and dark browns I see all over the place? We live in a hot, subtropical climate. Cool blues and greens compliment our local daylight conditions, they're soothing: yet every other new construction open house I attend is full of ugly azz brown tones.

Blech to the browns.