Makeover Madness

By Resident Expert

Kitchens. We love them, we live in them, we live with them, with all their faults and foibles. And, of course, we’re always dreaming about renovating them.

We all sweat over our kitchens—and not just when we’re over a hot stove. A renovation can be forbidding, but it can also be a lot of fun. And well worth it. For all the effort you put into a kitchen, it will give back in years of practical use and pleasure—not to mention resale value. Here are a few choice nuggets of kitchen wisdom, gleaned from my own renovations and those of my clients.

Price the Dream, then get real
This may sound counterintuitive, but it makes sense. If you don’t start out by identifying your wildest desires—for this appliance or that countertop stone—you’ll always wonder "what if?" after the renovation is done.

It’s easier to scale back the plans before you actually dive into the construction then to add on after the fact or live with regrets. Trust me, I’ve been there. Twelve years ago, we moved into a new house and the oldest one of my four children was heading off to college. Needless to say, we were maxed out money-wise and couldn’t afford the whole kit and caboodle of my ideal renovation. So I picked a little from column A and a little from column B.

I grappled with the one of the biggest issues first: the cabinets, which are almost always the most expensive component of a kitchen renovation, accounting for about 50 percent of the overall budget. I had to decide whether the existing ’70s-era oak cabinets were worth replacing. While they weren’t what I’d have chosen, they were good quality and still in relatively good condition, so I decided that with a coat of ebony stain, they could stay. There was not question, however, that I was going to replace the butcher-block countertops—which I did, with a chic limestone. I also chose to rip out the octagonal backsplash terracotta tiles and put up an understated creamy white subway tile. As for appliances, I just couldn’t live with the Avocado Gold refrigerator and stove. New stainless-steel appliances were installed, which instantly updated the whole space.

On the Subject of Stainless Steel
When I made the choice to go stainless, the metal reigned supreme. And it worked on a lot of levels. Stainless telegraphed "pro" style and a certain chic. It allowed us to mix different brands of appliances, like a KitchenAid dishwasher with a GE refrigerator and a Thermidor oven, without worrying about finish discrepancies. And, of course, it was the finish of choice for that official status symbol, the Sub-Zero refrigerator.

But now it appears that the more-than-decade-long dominance of stainless steel is starting its decline and enamel finishes going to be the wave of the future. Maybe we missed our magnets. Maybe we got tired of the maintenance: stainless steel is a sensitive finish, requiring ozone-polluting spray cleaner or expensive, specialty wipes to take off smudges. In any case, the time may just be right for something different.

Countertops: High-Impact Change
One of the most immediate, sweeping ways to give a kitchen a makeover is to swap the countertops. And that’s where a lot of new design is happening right now, a change from 10 years ago, when kitchen decor was all about the cabinets. Today there are so many beautiful stones available, all produced with the breathtaking originality of Mother Nature herself. If, as one late designer said, true luxury is having something uniquely for yourself, then stone—be it limestone, granite, marble, or quartzite (the new kid on the block)—is the very definition of kitchen luxury.

Kitchen Eclectic: Mix and Match
Perhaps the biggest transformation in kitchen design is the emergence of the “unfitted” kitchen. A typical 1950s kitchen would pair metal cabinets and Formica countertops, while a 1980s kitchen might combine Corian countertops and oak cabinets. These era-appropriate selections would have been universally used throughout the kitchen. Toda,y we mix and match, which is liberating but also, as always happens when we’re faced with more decisions, challenging. Some suggestions include using composite Corian for the perimeter counters coupled with granite on the island, a solid surface conglomerate like CaesarStone or Silestone (97 percent granulated stone; 3 percent) partnered with a limestone countertop, or perimeter cabinets in maple or birch combined with a painted finish on the island.

Going Green
These days, it’s tricky—almost un-American—to renovate a kitchen without incorporating some of the latest in eco-friendly technology and design. Interested? For starters, consider installing a compactor, a relatively simple addition that can have a sizable impact. It’s hard to fathom, but an average family of four generates about a Volkswagen’s worth of waste weekly. Compacted, that’s reduced to a small bag, which takes up less space in our landfills.

And dishwashers no longer have to be a drain on the world’s water supply. Some of the newer models use a third of the water that older ones do. In fact, there’s even a new one on the market that uses no water at all; it cleans with negative ions. (First, I have to get over my fear of using anything “negative” in my home!)

With any appliance, look for the ENERGY STAR designation, the government’s official seal of approval that a product is energy efficient. At least you know it’s passed government muster. Switching to florescent fixtures is perhaps the single biggest eco-smart move you can make in a house. A florescent bulb costs one-tenth as much as an incandescent (the kind Mr. Edison invented) and lasts 10 times as long. More importantly, while 90 percent of the electricity in a standard light bulb goes into creating heat, not illumination, florescent lights generate no standing heat at all. Now that’s a bright idea.

Interior designer Lyn Peterson serves as president and creative director of Motif Designs, a Mount Vernon-based company which designs and produces fine fabrics, wall-coverings, furniture, and decorative accessories. Her interiors are featured regularly in House Beautiful, Good Housekeeping, and Country Living and also inform her book projects, the most recent of which, Real Life Kitchens, was published by Clarkson Potter in 2007.