Expertise: Kitchen & Bath Remodeling

Trends are ever-changing, so when considering a home renovation project, it's important to balance what's "in" with timeless concepts to avoid continuously updating your space to fit the latest craze. Professionals, like those at Matteo Family Kitchens, work to stay in-the-know and are eager to help you strike that balance.

House & Home recently spoke to Matteo Family Kitchens' co-owner and store manager Steve Matteo about what's hot today and the changes he's seen in home renovations over the years.

In this economy, how are homeowners' choices shifting?
We are seeing an increase in the reduced kitchen model. Instead of removing the larger walls between rooms, homeowners are choosing to create a new design within the existing kitchen walls in order to keep overall costs low. Today, our clients are focusing on finding the lowest price possible without sacrificing quality more than they have in recent years. This is largely due to the wide-spread inflation raising rates on everyday items, increasing financial stress on families and reducing remodeling budgets.

How have kitchen and bath trends changed in recent years?
Color trends are slowly on the move. The white and gray kitchens that dominated kitchen designs just a few years ago are slowly giving way to white or gray kitchens with the addition of wood tones. In relation, islands and auxiliary cabinets are starting to change to maple or oak wood tones to coordinate with the painted white or gray cabinets. We are also seeing some paint regret. It's easy to love the design of solid painted cabinets as they are very nice, but they show everything. Wood tones help to hide little messes.

What are the most popular design choices today?
Clean, light quartz countertops with a vein of gray or tan continue to reign supreme, and we're noticing homeowners' opinions on tiled backsplashes leaning back toward patterns. Over the years, the tile industry removed 4-by-4 inch squares, but now the call for that textured look is back again. While tile choices range dramatically depending on a homeowner's individual taste, subway-style tiles are becoming the prominent choice for many.

How can complimentary flooring tie a cabinet and counter design together?
Complementary flooring can be the key to all design flow. In today's open floor plans we are using the same flooring throughout the main flooring areas, and with our eclectic styles in furniture it's hard to make that 20-year-old dining room set blend with the new-style color kitchen. Therein lies the help of a floor with multitonal qualities that can pull a little of each room's color to make a uniform design.

What advice do you have for folks looking to start a remodeling project?
Start by taking your time and looking through a site like Pinterest to get an understanding of what colors and style you like. Once you have that understanding, make an appointment with one of our designers so that they can meet you, see and measure the space, get ideas and see what needs to be done in a remodel to make the room your dream space. From there, give our designers time to put together a viable layout and design. We tend to say it can take us as long to design as it did for the client to produce what they might want – don't rush a good plan.

When is the best time to start a remodeling project?
As things seem to be settling down to pre-COVID times, we are noticing the rush for remodels for holidays and the slowdown that's normal with warmer weather. Keep in mind, a project from measure to design completion can take up to several weeks. Cabinet materials are back to normal, taking three to eight weeks depending on the vendor. And a good contractor should be booked for two to six months at a time, at least. If you want the new kitchen for Thanksgiving, you need to plan. It could take a few months before a project can be seen through to completion.

Matteo Family Kitchens & Flooring Inc.
Woodstown, NJ
(856) 769-2490
MatteoKitchens.com

Published (and copyrighted) in House & Home, Volume 24, Issue 6 (May 2024)
For more info on House & Home magazine, click here.
To subscribe to House & Home magazine, click here.
To advertise in House & Home magazine, call 610-272-3120.