The kitchen is the heart of the home. It is the go-to gathering place for family, friends and guests. Particularly as the trend toward open kitchens shows no signs of slowing, beautiful kitchen design is crucial to the overall look and feel of your home. Appliances are a focal point of a kitchen and dated kitchen appliances make the whole home look dated.
When planning a new kitchen interior design or renovating a kitchen, most people think first about which cabinets or countertops to choose. But appliances should not be an afterthought. Think of the prominence they have in a kitchen - a set of inexpensive, white appliances sets a completely different tone than chef’s-quality commercial range. These are the latest trends when it comes to kitchen appliances. The good news about kitchen appliance trends? They’re slower to change than other trends in home design. So you can feel good about investing in high-end professional style appliances that can last for decades.
Smart appliances
Appliances have a mind of their own these days. Stoves have tablet-like displays that allow you to download recipes. They can be turned off and on via smartphone from the living room or while you’re shopping for groceries. Refrigerators can alert our smartphones when we’re out of milk of eggs. The future is here when it comes to appliance technology. Smart appliances make our lives easier and bring added convenience to the kitchen.
Hidden kitchen hoods
Modern technology makes it possible to hide your kitchen hood behind cabinetry, creating a sleeker look. This also offers the added benefit of additional storage space. A win all around.
Quiet dishwashers
There’s nothing like starting the dishwasher after dinner only to have it drown out the sound from the TV. Dishwasher manufacturers have long claimed that their appliances are quiet, but now those claims are finally accurate. High-end dishwashers make very little noise. You’ll barely know they’re running.
Double dishwashers
With these, there’s no such thing as hand washing. Double dishwashers allow you to separate pots and pans from finer, more delicate dishes. Having two dishwashers is also a smart and functional move for large families or people who like to entertain. There’s no need to wait for one load to finish before loading the dishwasher again.
Four-door refrigerators
There are two options with these appliances - two refrigerator doors and two freezer drawers or two French doors on the top and two sliding doors for the freezer. Either way, this design is functional. These refrigerators allow for better organization, and you can control the temperatures separately. You can keep some foods at 29 degrees and others up to 42 degrees.
Double ovens
These are nothing new, but they’re seeing something of a resurgence. Not surprisingly, they’re handy for times like Thanksgiving and Christmas when you need to cook multiple dishes at once. However, they’re also useful in everyday life. You can bake dinner and dessert all at once, not worrying about the variations in temperature.
Dishwasher drawers
These make for convenient loading and unloading. Rather than pulling out a cumbersome dishwasher door and bending down to load dishes, you can slide a door at waist height to load the dishes. Some people choose to place two dishwasher drawers on opposite sides of the sink.
Undercounter refrigerators
Rethink the traditional refrigerator. These are convenient and almost invisible. They look just like kitchen cabinets. Typically, these are set up as French drawers underneath the cabinets. Like four-door refrigerators, they allow you to set separate temperatures.
Jessica Dauray Interiors is a full-service, residential and commercial interior design firm with offices in Greensboro and Wilmington, North Carolina. JDI founder Jessica Dauray and her design team specialize in custom interior design, as well as renovation and new home construction project consulting and management. JDI's unique interiors can best be described as livable and sophisticated. The designs incorporate classic, clean lines with function to fit your family's lifestyle and design aesthetic. JDI's projects include residences and corporate interiors throughout the New York Metropolitan area.