We probably won't be returning to this. I was listening to a video talk by a kitchen designer who described the layouts of the 80's and 90's as "flat" in terms of materials, cabinets and appliances. There would be one counter height, one type of tile, and one style and color of cabinet. It's a clean, safe and sometimes boring approach to kitchen design. He described kitchens of the future as being more eclectic, more open and with more aggressively integrated appliances (like a section of counter that folds over a cooktop). He also described "smart" LCD counters that could double as media display devices. Yup. Sure. Whatever.
He also talked about revolutions in lighting, which I'm more inclined to agree with. The recessed light fixture may not around in 15 or 25 years. LED technology and the ingenuity of lighting designers may give us something really different and really great.
If that kitchen wasn't pink, with green shag carpet...and if the woman in it didn't look like a psychotic clown in high heels...I'd be pretty happy with that as a space for cooking. Except for the cabinets overhanging the peninsula counter. I always bang my head on cabinets like those. But really, there is a lot of hooey in modern kitchen design. "Bar height" counters are dumb...you can't use them comfortably for food prep because they're too awkwardly high, and who really wants to perch up on a stool all the time? Granite countertops may look nice, but when you drop a glass on them, the glass shatters instantly. Too much of kitchen design is centered around aesthetics for design magazines, and not what actual people need to cook and do dishes every day.
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