Kitchens Offer Buyers MuchMore Than Countertops

Today's gourmet, or gourmet in training,has support from design world

BY BONNIE A. NICHOLLS

If you think a kitchen is just a place to prepare a meal or do the dishes, think again.Whether in an upscale community such as Liberty Station or in one-of-a-kindarchitectural masterpieces in La Jolla, today's kitchens feature new designs and

state-of-the-art appliances that take them to a new level of sophistication and highperformance.

Guys and GadgetsMen are influencing many of

those trends. Not surprisingly, abuzzword in the building industryis dual-gendered kitchens, saysSteve McGill, vice president ofCorky McMillin Cos., which isbuilding new homes at LibertyStation in Point Loma on the siteof the old Naval Training Center.Liberty Station home prices startin the low $600,OOOs.

"When we're merchandising,we have to be mindful of (gen-der)," McGill says. "Kitchens aremuch more masculine than theyused to be."

The reason is, men spend

more time emulating Emeril, thechef who became a householdname through his show on theFood Network. "The man is get-ting involved in the kitchenbecause he and his wife have gotpeople coming over and he'sgoing to show off his culinary tal-ents," McGill says. Men particu-larly love gadgets. "They like thebig knobs, the high BTUs,"McGill says, which translate intoupgrades to commercial-gradecooktops by Wolf or Viking.

Emeril aside, home buyerswho upgrade from standardkitchen fare at the high-endLiberty Station communities —

Kitchen upgrades at Admiralty Row in Point Loma's Liberty Station featurestainless steel appliances BTU ovens and granite slab countertops.

70 San Diego Metropolitan

Admiralty Row and Beacon Point— generally gravitate towardstainless steel appliances, BTUovens, granite slab countertops,wine coolers (also known as winecaptains) and plate racks, in whichthe dishes are displayed vertically.White appliances and cabinets,however, still have their fan base,making up 40 percent of thekitchens at Liberty Station,McGill says.

Lighting also has becomemore elegant and efficient. "Itused to be that the kitchen wouldbe as bright as possible," McGillsays. Now home buyers have theoption of purchasing pendantlights, which hang over thekitchen island, for example."We're just selling the heck of outof those," he says.

Pendant lights allow thehomeowner to create a mood in asmall space, McGill explains, andthat's perfect for the island, whichhas become a center of entertain-ing.

Upgrade ManiaHome buyers at other new

home communities, such as 4SRanch in North County and OtayRanch in the South Bay, takeadvantage of upgrades as well.

Pacific Coast Communitieshomes at Otay Ranch start in thehigh $400,OOOs. They come with astandard kitchen package thatincludes white tile countertops,oak cabinetry, white or black

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Whirlpool appliances, and vinylfloors.

Many of the home buyers,however, opt for ceramic tileflooring, as well as cherry ormaple cabinets, stainless steelappliances, Corian or granitecountertops, and stainless steelsinks, says lla LaBrucherie of thehome builder's Design Center.

If a home buyer upgradeseverything in a Pacific CoastCommunities kitchen, it can addas much as $25,000 to the pricetag of a new home. "Generally,people just want an updated look,"LaBrucherie says.

Upgrades at Pacific Coast dohave their limitations. For exam-ple, all appliance upgrades mustremain within the Whirlpool prod-uct line.

Not so at Palomino by K.Hovnanian in 4S Ranch, a master-planned community in NorthCounty. "It's pretty much limit-less," says Heather Merritt, aPalomino sales associate.

While KitchenAid andWhirlpool Gold are standardappliances, Palomino home buy-ers often move up to the big boyslike Sub-Zero for refrigeration andViking for cooking and refrigera-tion. Viking, for example, featuresdual-fuel ranges with electricovens and gas cooktops boasting15,000 BTUs.

The Sky's the LimitOf course, homeowners can

go one step further, depending ontheir lifestyle and the size of theirwallet. Margaret Dean, a designerat Design Studio West in La Jollawho specializes in new kitchensand kitchen makeovers, knows thelatest trends.

"The built-in fridge is a mustin a high-end kitchen," she says.

Integrated into the cabinetry,built-in appliances give a kitchena seamless look. "Asthetically, itgives you continuity of spaceinstead of your eye stopping andstarting, stopping and starting, ateach appliance," Dean explains.

Also popular in high-endkitchens is an annex or butler'spantry, which acts as a stagingarea between kitchen and diningroom or living room while enter-taining. The space can accommo-

Plan 3 at Otay Ranch's Cedar Ridge neighborhood illustrates many of themost popular features in high-end kitchen design, including stainless steelappliances, granite slab countertops, granite squares back splash, astainless sink and bamboo flooring.

date another dishwasher, for example, or anoth-er refrigerator, as well as additional storage fornice dishes, she says.

Other trends she sees are honed granitecountertops (in which the shine has beenremoved) and chip-resistant, fire-glazed sinks.

"You buy the bestsink that you canbecause it's the mostused appliance inyour home," shesays.

You can see asample of Dean'swork during the fallKitchen Tour, organ-ized by the SanDiego chapter of theAmerican Society ofInterior Designers.For information, goto www.asid-sandiego.com

ArtisticExpressionsWhile brushed

steel appliances mayreveal a predilectionfor commercial

kitchens, the backsplash can truly show off per-sonality.

"The backsplash has become a creative out-let," says McGill of McMillin Cos.

Liberty Station home buyers have a varietyof treatments to select from, such as glass and,

of course, stainless steel tile, he says. Unlike acountertop, which is subject to spills and mustbe a level surface, a backsplash has fewerrestraints and demands special attention. "It's abigger palette to work with," he says.

Dean agrees. "The backsplash reflects thepersonality of the homeowner and the personal-ity of the house," she says. "It helps define thespace. It has infinite possibilities."

No longer is the kitchen merely a place formeal creation. With a few artistic touches andfun appliance upgrades, it is the gathering placefor most household events. Recognizing this,home builders and designers are putting moreeffort into its appearance. •*

A kitchen by Margaret Dean at Design StudioWest in La Jolla features the latest trends.

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