A welcome guest in any kitchen, new or old, the polished chrome American Standard Pekoe Extender Faucet. A practical touch is that the nozzle acts as a pull-out spray, directing water flow to simplify clean-up.
By Hartman LeBlond
(NC)-In terms of dollars per square foot the kitchen is surely the most expensive room of all to renovate - and that's true even if you go for standard appliances and fixtures. What's more, it's not a job that your average homeowner does very often in a lifetime. To get some ideas on how to approach this challenging task I called on a professional interior designer, winner of many awards and partner in one of Canada's leading design firms in condo projects, Elaine Cecconi. Cecconi Simone's work can be seen in Vancouver, California, China, Dubai and Qatar.
Elaine and the Toronto home she designed for herself were featured in the June 2008 Design 100 Issue of Metropolitan Home, which showcases 100 ideas and achievements that the magazine felt were important in our homes and our lives.
I asked Elaine what the very first steps should be in planning a new kitchen.
"That's easy", she replied. "Think ahead to how the kitchen will be used. Is there one cook in the family, or two, or several. Will you, as more and more homeowners are doing these days, move away from the dining room concept and make the kitchen the main eating area. Is cooking a chore for you? Or an avocation? Standard domestic appliances are fine for most people, but if you have five-star ambitions then you'll need some professional gear - high BTU cooktops, wall ovens, drawer coolers and warmers. Pin down the answers and you can move on to drawing a floor plan that fits your needs."
Her response made me think that a complete back-to-bare-boards approach would yield the best results in the long run. Elaine agreed, and shared with me that in her experience many homeowners make the mistake of trying to save money by keeping their existing layouts. In fact, she pointed out, the costs of repositioning plumbing or opening up an interior wall are minor if they enable you to create a good and functional kitchen space with the right appliances and areas that you need.
I didn't expect an answer to my next question, but I asked it anyway. "Can you set a dollar value on a good kitchen renovation in Canada?"
To my delight, she had an answer - though well-qualified. "Assuming that no major structural changes are required, yes I can" she said. "First I should say that there is no upper limit to how much you can spend on a reno, if you have it to spend. But for the rest of us, assuming a room is less than 100 square feet, with no island, and assuming the work is done on a DIY basis, I'd say between $20,000 and $25,000 total. Appliances would start at $5,000, cabinets the same. Good granite or Corian countertops start at $7,500. Then you've got new flooring and tiles at about $10 a square foot. The rest would go on wiring and lighting."
We wrapped up with a few thoughts about near-future kitchen design trends.
• Increasingly, kitchens will become the gathering place for informal dinners, cooking shared with guests, dining areas integrated with work areas.
• Appliances will be seamlessly embedded in cabinetry. We won't like stainless steel any more. The kitchen will be a room for living as well as cooking.
• Deep sinks and multi-functional goose-neck faucets will be treasured for their practicality, function, performance and style.
• Where space allows, walk-in pantries will be favoured over wall-mounted cabinets.
- News Canada