by A. Hermitt

A-Z Home Design: Kitchen Trends

Today's kitchen trends include large open spaces that mimic the look of a living room and give the kitchen a lived in feeling. However, these new trends do not come cheaply. If you want to integrate new kitchen trends into your old kitchen inexpensively, here are some ideas you can use.

To copy the mega island kitchen trend: Five years ago, a three by five foot kitchen island was a wonderful addition to a new kitchen. These days, the older kitchen islands are dwarfed by large granite topped islands three to
 four times larger. If you want to give your mini kitchen island a mega island feel, you can purchase a coordinating butcher block island or bar height kitchen table, and situate it next to your smaller island. Alternatively, you can remove your tiny Island altogether and replace it with a series of identical bar height breakfast tables, or butcher block tables.

To copy the furniture look kitchen trend: If you have noticed that kitchen cabinets look a lot more like furniture than cabinets and you want that look in your own kitchen, you can make some subtle changes that will help. Purchase carved wood molding to add to your existing cabinetry with finishing nails. You can purchase corner pieces and flat pieces at the local hardware store, and also purchase new cabinet knobs that fit your upgraded style. Another thing you can do is have the bottom kick boards cut off your kitchen island and replace it with furniture legs available at your local hardware store. If you have wooden chairs in your kitchen, be sure to switch them out for upholstered chairs, or at least add comfortable seat pads and back pillows.

To copy the spacious feel kitchen trend: Probably the hardest new kitchen trend to mimic is that of a spacious open kitchen when yours is anything but that. Of course, you always have to option of opening up a wall, and adding a counter top, but if
 that is not an option, you can fool the eye by adding a glass backsplash the kitchen to visually open up the room. You can also add a mirrored treatment to your kitchen eating area. In addition, if you have windows or a glass door in your kitchen you can keep the feel open and spacious by using kitchen treatments that do not hamper your view to the outdoors.