the article is a good read for anyone who is looking to or would like to redo their kitchen.
share your tips on improving your kitchen, if you like.
best,
Dushwari
COURTESY OF CONSUMERS UNION
Slide-in ranges have a classy built-in look but are less expensive than built-in cooktops and wall ovens.
How to get the hot kitchen look without the big price tag
By the editors of Consumer Reports
Consumers who haven’t updated their kitchens in a while may be in for more than just sticker shock. A lot has changed. Kitchens have morphed into open living areas, and workhorse appliances have hidden controls and flush surfaces that make them look less, well, kitcheny.
The editors of ShopSmart, a magazine published by Consumer Reports, scoured the market for things to make a kitchen look and work great, and tested the items in their laboratories.
To help homeowners avoid wiping out their savings to pay for all this cool stuff, here are ShopSmart’s clever ways to cut corners — without sacrificing quality, performance or looks. Yes, it’s possible to get a dreamy new kitchen without going broke.
What’s new in cooking
Multiple Ovens
Why they’re hot: Designers are building as many as three or four ovens in kitchens today, typically two conventional ovens, a warming drawer and a microwave.
The Drawbacks: Multiple ovens take up lots of space and are pricey.
Price: At least $2,500 for two wall ovens, microwave and warming drawer.
Save: For a wall-oven look, ShopSmart recommends getting the microwave off the counter. Frame it to look like a second oven by modifying an existing cabinet. Any microwave in stainless looks high-end, so go for the best buy.
Sleek Build-ins
Why they’re hot: Cooktops and wall ovens look seamless and clean. They also offer the flexibility of creating two separate cooking areas, which people may want to do if they are remodeling. Wall ovens are easier on the back if installed at eye level.
The Drawbacks: The two appliances usually cost more than a single range.
Price: $1,000 and up each for a 30-inch electric cooktop and electric oven.
Save: A slide-in range that tucks neatly between base cabinets has a classy built-in look but is less expensive. For those people who don’t have space for a cooktop/wall-oven combo, an option would be to check out two new double-oven ranges tested by ShopSmart — the JennAir JGR8890AD, $2,150, and the GE PB970SM, $1,750. Both can cook separate items at two different temperatures.
What’s new in cooling
French Doors
Why they’re hot: French-door fridges, which team a bottom freezer with split refrigerator doors on top, are the fastest-growing style. And now that more of them have handy in-door ice and water dispensers inside the fridge, ShopSmart’s experts predict they might muscle out side-by-sides, because French-door models look great and keep food at eye level.
The Drawbacks: People have to stoop for items in the freezer. Not all have in-door ice/water dispensers, and in those that do, dispensers steal fridge space.
Price: $1,600 to $2,200.
Save: While most are 36 inches wide and cost $2,000 and up, two of ShopSmart’s top scorers, the LG LFD22860ST and the GE Profile PFS22SBSS, are 33 inches and cost a few hundred dollars less.
What’s new in surfaces
Engineered Wood
Why it’s hot: The veneer-on-plywood look-alike offers some of the warmth of real oak, Brazilian cherry and other wood varieties with better scratch resistance and easier installation.
The Drawbacks: Engineered wood wears relatively quickly, dents easily and can be damaged by small spills.
Price: $5 to $10 per square foot.
Eco-Friendlier Flooring
Why it’s hot: For consumers looking for a natural-wood alternative that doesn’t kill trees, try cork, which is taken from bark, and bamboo planking, which is manufactured from a fast-growing, renewable grass.
The Drawbacks: Green doesn’t always guarantee good performance. Cork and bamboo floors were the most susceptible to color change in sun-exposure tests.
Price: $4 to $10 per square foot.
Copyright © 2008 The Seattle Times Company