Aisha Sultan
St. Louis Post-Dispatch

When many of us start fantasizing about a dream kitchen, the potential price tag is a jolt of reality. And while traditionally the kitchen was considered a prime home investment for resale purposes, things have changed in this slumping housing market. Real estate agents caution sellers about dumping too much money into a dream kitchen project if homeowners plan on selling in the near future.

”People spend far too much,” said Lynne Bode, a real estate agent with Remax Results. “Buyers are looking for a deal right now.”

There used to be a higher payback on very expensive kitchens, she said. According to Remodeling Magazine’s cost vs. value report last year, the minor kitchen remodel — a national average of $21,000 — offers a slightly better return than a large-scale kitchen renovation. The smaller projects tended to return 74 percent of the cost at resale; those around $57,000 returned about 70 percent at sale, the magazine survey said. Most of the innovations and trends, however, start at the luxury end of the market (think $100,000 kitchens and up). Those products and ideas trickle down to the mass market over a period of years, so they’re the best place to look for inspiration.

We surveyed kitchen companies and designers to find out the hottest high-end kitchen trends and searched for ways to fit their best ideas into a low-end budget.

POPS OF COLOR

Bright, bold splashes of color are hitting kitchens in a big way, such as with a $15,000 candy-apple red AGA range on display at Expo Home Design Center (see www.expo.com for locations, including Miami, Davie and Boynton Beach). We also spotted a deep eggplant-colored fridge and matching appliances. Right now, warm, rich Tuscan colors are popular, according to Anne Varel, a designer at Expo. Backsplashes were the most popular spot to see interesting color play, including displays of canary yellow, iridescent tiles or deep shades of red.

Budget-friendly options: Rather than investing thousands in an appliance that may be a permanent fixture, some companies offer appliance panels that may be changed.

Italian appliance company Bertazzoni (for South Florida locations, check www.bertazzoni-italia.com) offers similarly colored appliances for a third of the price of the AGA range. Vice president Joan Hart says they are getting a growing number of orders for the brightly colored European appliance, which creates an ultra-high-end look at a fraction of the cost.

Less permanent color options include adding smaller, free-standing appliances in a favorite color, changing knobs or hardware, lighting fixtures, a splash of tile and of course, by painting.

GO ECO-FRIENDLY

Cabinets can be made of bamboo, which is an environmentally friendly wood choice, but it adds about a 40 percent premium to the cost of standard cabinets, according to Brian Burmeister, designer with Beck/Allen Cabinetry in St. Louis. Lyptus is another sustainable wood option for cabinets.

Budget-friendly options: Certain ”green” materials, however, are comparable in price or even cheaper than their counterparts. Bamboo or cork floors are gaining in popularity. Using bamboo for flooring is much less expensive than using it for cabinets. Cork, which is a softer material, is especially popular among older homeowners, Expo designer Varel said.

COUNTER INNOVATION

Granite countertops have become so common that high-end clients are asking luxury St. Louis kitchen designers at brooksBerry and Associates, ”What’s next?” They are increasingly using wood, concrete, copper, quartzite and recycled conglomerates for countertops, said Chris Berry, president of the company. Pyrolave countertops are made of enameled lava and cost a small fortune ($220 to $350 a square foot).

Budget-friendly options: Expo carries a solid surface product called Staron, manufactured by Samsung. It has more depth than Corian but at $41 a square foot is less expensive than Corian, which runs $50 to $100 a square foot. The acrylic surface is easy to maintain.

FURNITURE PIECES

Creating a high-end, less-structured look involves incorporating furniture-like pieces in the kitchen, which make it look more like an extension of a family room.

Budget-friendly options: Retrofit old furnishings such as armoires, dressers, church pews, school lockers or even colorful enameled steel garage tool roll-around units to accommodate kitchen storage, Berry suggests.

Others are redoing just their kitchen island in a furniture piece look or adding components to an existing island, such as molding, bead boards or wainscot panels to give it an upgraded look.

VISUAL CONTRASTS

Two-toned cabinets and stark contrasts can add interest, texture and depth to a kitchen. One display we found featured cabinets in a light and dark finish, along with several decorative elements, such as furniture-style legs.

Budget-friendly options: You can create a similar look by just adding contrasting molding to existing cabinets. If you are starting from scratch, vary the cabinet heights to create a more custom, visually interesting look.

WARMING UP

Instead of gleam and shine, kitchens are now exuding warmth. Look for appliances that feature an oil-rubbed bronze finish, which is a softer look than the coldness of stainless steel. Even within countertops, more clients are going for a honed to tumbled finish on granite or marble, which gives it a more matte appearance.

One of the most expensive and dramatic looks can be achieved by using a translucent onyx material for a countertop and back-lighting it, so it glows.

Budget-friendly options: Consider replacing old faucets with new ones in the popular oil-rubbed bronze look. Or you simply can change out the hardware and lighting fixtures.

CONVENIENCES

Practicality and function are key pieces of good kitchen design. More homeowners are opting for convenience features such as microwave drawers, free-standing double ovens and organizational features such as spice racks inside the cabinetry.

Budget-friendly options: Cabinet accessories are available in most lines in various price points. Just pick one customization, such as a microwave drawer, if money is tight.

MIXING MATERIALS

One display we saw incorporated slate backsplash and floors, two types of granite, two types of wood and two metals.

Mixing different materials and finishes in a kitchen creates a customized look.

Budget-friendly options: Consider the same technique on a smaller scale: Rather than using hand-chiseled tiles for an entire backsplash, intersperse them with a less expensive ceramic or porcelain tile. A mosaic or mural allows you to create just as dramatic a look.