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Styles have changed since the last time you updated your kitchen. Fussy details have given way to cleaner lines and color schemes have lightened up. What hasn't changed is the need to plan ahead and to select top-performing products like the ones featured in Consumer Reports' Kitchen Design & Planning Guide. To help, here's a cheat sheet to what's in and what's out in kitchen design.
Out: Tuscan and country styles
Instead: Contemporary and transitional styles
Out: Traditional cabinets with ornate detail
Instead: European-style frameless cabinets
Out: Countertop microwaves
Instead: Steam ovens
Out: Red, bronze, and terra-cotta color schemes
Instead: Gray, white, and off-white color schemes
Out: Solid surface countertops
Instead: Quartz countertops
Out: Pot fillers and oil-rubbed bronze finishes
Instead: Pullout faucets and polished chrome finishes
Out: Appliance storage compartments, aka "garages"
Instead: Pull-out trash/recycling bins
Out: CFL and incandescent lighting
Instead: LED lighting
—Daniel DiClerico (@dandiclerico on Twitter)
Planning a kitchen remodel? Here's everything you need to know to get the kitchen you want at a price you can afford including how to hire the right contractor.
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