Buyers and sellers can learn from kitchen design survey

If you had a chance to redo your kitchen, what would you change?
Researchers at the online home decorating site Houzz wanted to know for its first kitchen trends survey. They collected information from 7,500 people in the process of remodeling or planning to. There weren’t any big surprises, but what an interesting collage you can see in the results.
Most people didn’t want a bigger kitchen. They wanted to open up their space to make it feel more spacious, look better and become more useful, the report says. Only 37 percent were expanding.
Stainless steel appliances are still the top choice, with 65 percent going for those. Ninety-four percent were changing countertops, mostly to granite or quartz. Glass tile is the look for a backsplash, along with hardwoods for floors.
Traditional decor has ruled for decades in the South, but respondents under age 45 preferred contemporary styles.
The survey also asked the homeowners to rate the importance of eco-friendly appliances and materials. Forty-nine percent rated it as 4 or 5, with 5 being extremely important.
Most interesting, I think, were the reasons for the upgrades: New marriages, growing families, empty nests, and accommodating grandchildren or wheelchairs.
Just different ways of telling us what we already know: We want a kitchen that feels like the heart and soul of our home.

Sullivan: http://homelifeclt.blogspot.com/ and @sullivan_obs on Twitter