September 28, 2020

Joining the recent roster of virtual events for the design community was DISCOVER ADAC, which took place last week for three full days of programming from design experts and luxury brands.

ADAC stands for the Atlanta Decorative Arts Center, a facility that is home to more than 50 luxury furnishings showrooms for residential, hospitality and contract projects. It is a destination for interior designers, architects, builders, specifiers and design enthusiasts and features more than 550,000 square feet, which also includes ADAC West.

I listened in on the “In the Kitchen With…” panel, which included David Cook of Atlanta-based Design Galleria Kitchen and Bath Studio, Marie Flanigan of Houston-based Marie Flanigan Interiors and Jean Liu of Dallas-based Jean Liu Design. The speakers weighed about everything from current trends, business shifts, lessons learned and how to get the most out of your clients’ kitchen designs.

Business in Today’s New Normal

Although all three speakers admitted they are on too many video calls to count, they and their clients are becoming more comfortable with this shift. It allows designers to speak with clients all over the world, and it is an easy way to knock out a conversation quickly and efficiently.

Because homeowners are not spending money on vacations at the moment, they are opting to put the money into their houses. For a lot of designers, business has exploded. This virtual communication does make it harder for clients to see products and get the accurate vision they would with in-person showroom visits.

In terms of lead times, the designers say all rules have pretty much gone out the window; vendors are backed up, and material costs have surged – especially for lumber. Despite this and other challenges, homeowners seem to be resilient. They have had a lot of time to focus on these projects and are more than ready. One designer said the waiting game for materials would be worth it unless the clients are planning to move out of the house anytime soon.

Kitchens are becoming multi-purpose spaces for work and schoolwork. Image courtesy of lordn/Adobe Stock

Emerging Trends

Homeowners today are looking to pack more function into their kitchens. Even in open floors plans, they are asking for more defined areas for work, study and entertainment. Other needs may emerge with multiple family members living together during COVID, and there is much more concern placed on the materials with which they are living.

Mudrooms are growing in size and serving multiple purposes, and dishwashers are upping the ante with various sanitation modes. As homeowners are getting into cooking and really enjoying it, they are looking for appliances that serve multiple purposes, including steam and sous vide. There is also a rise in requests for a “prep” kitchen – a space used to carry out the dirty work behind the scenes.

Here is what we will see moving forward:

• A lot more focus on how clients use their kitchens
• Outdoor kitchens that interact with the main kitchen
• More attention to ancillary spaces that surround the kitchen

Ancillary spaces like mudrooms are becoming more popular as landing zones before entering the main house. Image courtesy of samiam2007/Adobe Stock

Hardware & Material Madness

Clients are looking for durable, non-porous surfaces, which may affect the desire for marble moving forward. Antimicrobial finishes are on the rise for sinks and faucets – and even hardware. Wood flooring choices are trending toward lighter palettes like oak.

Living finishes for hardware are a little pricier, but clients always come back and say it was worth it. Liu likens hardware to the jewelry of the kitchen and says it’s good to decide on this before the end of the project when selection fatigue sets in. Flanigan is seeing more integrated pulls and finger holes – as well as mixed metals for hardware. Cook added that he is using more lacquered brass.

In terms of backsplashes, clients used to want to see the same countertop surface used on the walls, but Liu says there is a missed opportunity there to bring in another element to make the space unique.

White kitchens still rule, but clients are opting to add splash of contrast with wood elements. Image courtesy of ArchiVIZ/Adobe Stock

The Triangle & White Kitchens

The consensus of the speakers is that while the white kitchen is a classic and will never fully go away, clients and designers are looking to blend in more materials and colors for contrast. Islands in a different hue than the cabinetry fit this bill, as do two-tone cabinets. Cook is seeing more stained natural wood kitchens, including bleached woods and more subtle rift cuts.

Cook also said he does not use the triangle approach in his kitchen designs because a lot of them incorporate multiple appliances with specific functions. Instead, creates zones.

Remodeling Tips for Clients

Liu is an advocate of designing for the 80 percent of how her clients really live, not the other 20 percent. She tells them to be honest about their day-to-day lives and believes you no longer have to buy a matching quite of appliances.

Flanigan suggests taking the time to draw out the project and see where everything will actually go and how you can transform a space. Cook discusses appliances with his clients first; even if they do not cook often, everyone always uses the refrigerator. He advises to look beyond how you have always done things and see how you can do it better.

In terms of budget, the designer say it all depends on the scope, size and contractor. According to Cook, a lot of clients don’t really know what their budget is, and he needs to put things into perspective for them. Flanigan suggests her clients look past the renovation shows on television because those are not accurate renditions of the true cost of a project.