Roy Sanborn

The kitchen is undoubtedly the most important room in today’s home. It is not just a place to prepare meals, it is also the gathering place, the entertaining space, it is where many family decisions are made, where the kids do their homework, and where you manage your daily affairs. The kitchen is generally the most important factor when it comes to someone purchasing a home. A great kitchen will sell your home faster than any other feature. A poorly designed, cramped, and outdated kitchen will keep your home on the market seemingly forever.

You can read everything about kitchen trends on the Internet; from colors to cabinetry and flooring to fixtures. I decided to stop in to see Connie Grant at Kitchen Encounters at 730 Endicott St in Laconia to get her take on what is popular. Kitchen Encounters specializes in designing kitchen and bath cabinetry and countertops. Connie, and her husband Steve, founded the company 14 years ago and take great pride in the reputation they have built by providing excellent service and high quality products.

In the Lakes Region many kitchens are designed to take advantage of views so there is often little wall space available for upper cabinetry. The desire to create an open concept floor plan also eliminates the interior walls that were used to hold cabinetry. Connie said homeowners today want lots of convenience options and functionality integrated into their kitchens. Extra deep and wider drawers for dishware and food, covered bread drawers, and spice rack drawers compensate for the lack of wall space and keep things handy but below eye level for unobstructed views. Even dishwashers are finding their way into the everyday drawer.

Out of necessity, the kitchen island becomes much more functional with lots of storage underneath. Some kitchens are designed to accommodate a front load washer/dryer hidden on the back side of an island further increasing functionality. The butler’s pantry is also making a resurgence in the more expensive homes providing additional space for storage and are often equipped with additional refrigeration, coffee stations, and wet bars.

There are a multitude of countertop choices available today, but one earth friendly green product available through Kitchen Encounters is called Eco stone. Somewhat similar in look to granite, this green product is made from recycled glass but unlike granite it is non-porous and does not require sealers. Another nice option Connie showed me was an antique or leather finish granite which has a beautiful, soft and warm look.

Connie echoed several articles that I had read on the internet saying that mixing cabinetry and countertop colors is becoming much more common. Mixing and matching colors and materials provides many more interesting design opportunities. It can create interesting contrasts in a space and can also add definition to different areas in the kitchen. Using different materials or colors can also solve marital disputes when the spouses can’t agree on one single choice!

While they don’t sell appliances, Connie did say that homeowners like to hide appliances behind cabinetry and that stainless is not as popular as it once was. A relatively new oil bronze finish on appliances provides a beautiful option to the usual white, black, or stainless choices.

Designing your new kitchen is undoubtedly one of the hardest parts of any new construction or renovation job. There are just so many choices and design options that it can be very confusing. An experienced kitchen designer like Connie can simplify the process by listening to what you want, incorporating that into the design, and then making it a collaborated effort throughout the entire project to ensure that your kitchen turns out just the way you dreamed it should be.

There were 1249 homes on the market as of October 1 in the towns in this Lakes Region of NH Market Report. That total has dropped slightly from 1291 last month and down from 1301 last October. Homes offered under $200,000 still make up about 26% of the inventory. Compared to last October, the average list price is actually up $75,500 and the median asking price increased $500 from the $299,500. The current inventory total represents a 22 month supply of homes on the market .

Log on to my blog at www.lakesregionrealestatenews.com and leave me your thoughts on this report or the real estate market in general. Roy Sanborn is a REALTOR® for Roche Realty Group, at 97 Daniel Webster Highway in Meredith and can be reached at 677-8420. Data was compiled as of 10/1/09 using the Northern New England Real Estate MLS System. The days on market are current only & do not reflect the DOM for a previously listed property.