Page 45 - Green Builder May-June 2017 Issue

When It Comes to Kitchen Forecasts,

Myths and Misconceptions Abound

Timing matters. Trends
show that when times are
tougher, people cook
more. But cooking is not
their preferred activity.
It’s driven by necessity,
not passion.

CREDIT: USA TODAY

BY MATTHEW POWER, EDITOR-IN-CHIEF

OOK AT THE TRENDS BEHIND THE TRENDS.
That was the theme of a presentation I did a few
months ago on the future of “green” kitchens. After
many hours of research and number crunching,
I found as many truisms as myths about consumer
preferences, eating and cooking—at the same time
making connections with larger trends, such as online
shopping. What about foodie fantasies of gourmet
cooking at home? Surveys show that many Americans
dislike cooking—or, at the least they consider it a
L lousy way to spend the afternoon.
Some of the familiar kitchen memes, of course, are correct. The
preference for white is unshakeable. The kitchen continues to be the
most actively used space in the modern home, but its use is shifting.
It has gone from a place for a “Leave it to Beaver” -type family meal,
to a “hang out” space, where diverse families can heat up a flatbread
pizza or whip out some sushi and craft beers.
The reality is that in times of financial plenty, kitchens are used less
than during down times. That doesn’t mean we’re headed for a world Disney dud. Like most
without kitchens and appliances. On the contrary, kitchens will be kitchen predictions, little
expected to run themselves, much like autonomous cars. Millennial of Disney’s imagined
buyers (and renters) will want quiet dishwashers, steampunk-looking future kitchen became
reality. The plastic-
expresso machines they can program from a smartphone, juicers, centric Monsanto House
stain-free white countertops, and any number of what they perceive of the Future kitchen is
®
as labor-saving devices and gadgets. Throw in online grocery ordering long gone. A relic of the
house that serves as a
and the texting of all but 10 words a day, and you’re beginning to planter in the California
speak their language. theme park says it all.

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