New products are introduced to your home professionals each year at their respective trade shows. Here's a peak from the 2010 Kitchen & Bath Industry Show in Chicago, from Amy Hoak at Marketwatch. She does a nice job talking to many different exhibitors at the show who share their views including an emphasis on budget sensitive ways to upgrade your kitchen.
What's fun is you'll feel like you're right there at the show, talking directly to those home experts who were interviewed in the video.
You'll learn that people are spending less on kitchen remodels and that's a good thing. Remember too, that you don't have to do everything all at once. You can replace your countertops this year, put new hardware on your cabinets next year and the year after, add a tile backsplash to give your kitchen a finished look. Any one of these updates will make it feel like a new kitchen, i.e. when we replaced one home owner's countertops to get the house ready to sell, she felt like she had a new kitchen and wondered if she was making the right decision to move.
Kitchen Trends on a Budget
Here is a summary of the kitchen design recommendations made in the video. There is always a balancing act between function and aesthetics so find products that are both visually pleasing that also meet your requirements and budget.
- Go with simpler designs to save money, focusing on those things most important to you.
- Consider ongoing energy requirements and maintenance as these affect cost over the life of your new kitchen.
- Pick less expensive products like cabinets with a simple design, paint over wallpaper, laminate countertops over high end stone, composites or granite.
- Stick with classic designs over trendy products. These will be popular for a much longer time, saving you money.
Marble flooring is easily one of the most beautiful of all flooring options. What sets marble from the rest of the tiles, however, is its health benefits. It is no surprise then, that a portion of marble tile buyers are mostly health-conscious individuals.