One Size Won't Fit All

New-home buyers have an array of options for outfitting their kitchens: carpet, tile and cabinetry as well as the standard and upgraded offerings of countertops and appliances. Why so many choices? Because the kitchen is the most important room of the house, where one size never fits all.

Home buyers' choices in the kitchen are largely aesthetic and have little to do with how the space will be used. Appliance manufacturer KitchenAid decided to delve into consumer expectations for its kitchens and found that buyers have a pent-up desire to create a space that serves their individual lifestyles rather than fashion something identical to their neighbor's. According to KitchenAid, home buyers can easily identify lifestyle needs, even if owners may not be able to afford them all. For some, cooking ranks as most important; others point to baking. Then there are those who don't have time to cook and want to prepare meals fast. And some homeowners who want their kitchens for entertaining.

KitchenAid is using these findings to work with builders to design kitchens with four different lifestyle options so home buyers receive a semi-custom kitchen:

• Cooking/preparation
• Cooking/baking/kids
• Gourmet cooking
• Cooking/entertainment

Distinguishing each zone is the appliance offering, the cabinetry and the countertop surfaces (including the height of the counters) and the lighting.

A kitchen devoted to fast food preparation would have an abundance of pantry-style cabinets or what builders are now calling super cabinets. These highly efficient cabinets are deeper and offer more shelving, including shelves on the inside of the door. They also feature pullouts to hold a variety of items. "Homeowners would tend to find these offerings in a custom kitchen, but in a builder-grade kitchen, they would be an upgrade," says Mark Johnson, FAIA, manager of architecture and design marketing at Whirlpool.

A kitchen built for baking and kids would include a lower, 30-inch-high countertop, so it is easier to work with ingredients. The countertop would be offered in stone or a man-made material to facilitate rolling dough. Instead of overhead cabinets, there would be open cooling racks to keep the countertop clear. This kitchen will also include a double convection oven.

The kid zone would also have a lower countertop space, or it would include a low table where kids could do crafts and homework or play games. A popular item there is an under-counter refrigerator drawer.

"We try to keep the kid zone outside the main work triangle," says Johnson. "By giving these buyers a refrigerator drawer, they don't have to walk into the busy work triangle to get soft drinks or boxed juice."

The cook's kitchen would have a combination convection oven with built-in microwave, cabinetry with a cutlery drawer and an under-counter dishwasher drawers to handle the array of pots and pans. Over-the-stove pot fillers would add functionality, making it easy to fill large pots without having to move them to the sink.

Faucets come in a range of pull-down and pullout styles. Some are as high as 16 inches, making the job of washing large pots, pans and other dishes easier.

"These faucets allow the user to take the water to the work and reduce the clutter of deck-mounted accessories by combining spray and stream into one portable wand," says Ed Detgen, director of marketing for Danze. This manufacturer recently introduced the Parma Dual kitchen faucet, a single unit that can be operated by hand or hands-free, particularly after touching grease or raw meat. In addition to keeping the faucet cleaner, the added functionality makes it easier to use.

"Faucets are becoming the 'jewelry' for the home," says Judy Riley, Moen's vice president of design. "Homeowners really want them to be the centerpiece of a room. They use them to express their decorating style."

Likewise, sinks are being designed for both looks and function. Kohler has introduced a new double-sink with a low saddle so cooks and bakers with oversized pans and cookie sheets can soak them.

Kitchens built for dinner parties and entertaining guests would include a built-in under-counter icemaker and more than one dishwasher, as well as warming drawers. The latter, when directly under the countertop, can become part of a buffet serving line.

"Put serving spoons in the metal trays and leave the drawers open for guests to help themselves while everything stays warm," Whirlpool's Johnson explains. "When they are empty or you're through serving, you simply close the drawer."

A bar sink is another feature of the entertainment kitchen, providing a water source without having to go back to the kitchen sink.

Like KitchenAid, Merillat has adopted a proactive approach to understanding what consumers want. To that end, the company recently conducted research of its own to gain insights into the motivations and preferences of new-home shoppers when it comes to cabinetry.

"Our study looked at where people store their pots and pans, silverware, trash, etc.," explains Paul Radoy, Merillat design services manager. "Which items are difficult to store now? What can you do better? Where do you put the mail? Do you drop it on a corner of kitchen table or counter? If so, even creating a little mail drop can be a good idea. It can be as simple as a basket on a shelf or under a cabinet."

Consumers love pantries, Radoy says, a reason Merillat offers a 36-inch-wide pantry that can be fitted with slide-out trays for owners to store small electronic appliances that often clutter the countertop.

Pantries can be built-in or stand alones. Whether the pantry is a closet-type or a walk-in, today's cabinet makers consider all that can be stored there — foodstuffs, wine and small appliances, as well as extra storage for soft drinks and dog food.

"Kitchen islands are no longer one-size-fits-all," says Lisa Kalmbach, senior vice president of the KB Home Studio in Los Angeles. "We are preparing option packages with different island and seating configurations, plus customizable bells and whistles, such as wine racks and shelves for cookbooks or collectibles, to meet the diverse needs of our customers."

Under the sink, homeowners want a slide-out basket to tote cleaning supplies and a tilt-out sink tray to store sponges. "Most folks usually focus on aesthetics, but when remodeling or buying a home, they forget to think about the function," says Radoy. "Later they say, 'Gee whiz, these things really can make life easier.'"

High-style kitchen trends don't have to mean high prices for home buyers. Many faucet, fixture, cabinet and lighting manufacturers are focusing on producing high-style products at affordable prices. "Homeowners can have kitchens with the in-style looks of homes featured in the most chic magazines yet without breaking the budget," says Kalmbach, adding that KB Home Studio features lighting fixtures and faucets designed by Michael Graves.

As long as manufacturers' keep offering new kitchen options, builders will keep offering them to the home buyer. For some builders, there will be certain options that won't be offered due to price, but that's how the top builders will keep up with the latest kitchen trends.