3 trends for Wichita home remodels in 2017

From an interior designer’s perspective, it’s clear that many homeowners are transfixed by HGTV’s popular series “Fixer Upper.”

Chip and Joanna Gaines, the married couple at the center of the show, have a signature style, as anyone who has seen the show – which shows renovations of “fixer-upper” homes – knows.

That style includes lots of white or gray cabinetry – often going up to the ceiling – and distressed wood, complemented by modern appliances and other touches.

Ellen Palmer, a designer for Wichita-based Interior Trends, said she’s had high demand lately for “the ‘Fixer Upper’ look.”

“We’ve done several kitchens that are kind of that updated-farmhouse type of look,” Palmer said. “On the other end of the spectrum, we’ve been installing linear fireplaces, which is very modern and contemporary.”

Demand for home renovations is high now, local companies say. The Wichita Area Builders Association Home Show next week showcases trends.

About 250 exhibitors from across the region will be at the show to give information about their products or services, according to Wess Galyon, president and CEO of the association.

“It’s become a regional show in scope,” Galyon said. “We draw from throughout the state, and have people come in from adjacent states to attend the show, because of the quality.”

And seemingly every year home trends emerge.

Here’s what’s in style right now in Wichita homes.

Outdoor living

More people are extending their living spaces into their yards, according to Galyon. It’s been a trend for a few years – outdoor kitchens, smaller pools, hot tubs and pergolas are all popular right now.

Outdoor kitchens in particular are growing every year, according to Don Cary, owner of All Things Barbecue in Delano.

“We did a lot of (outdoor) kitchens last year, and we have a lot on tap already this year,” Cary said. “They’re becoming more and more self-contained. The ease of use is you walk outside, you turn your cooking devices on, you can prep there, cook there and serve there.”

Most customers wanting outdoor kitchens opt for a gas grill head, which is on the end of a stone or brick unit that can include dry storage areas, refrigeration, an ice maker and granite countertops, Cary said.

About half have their outdoor kitchens open to the elements – the other half exist under a pergola or cabana-like structure, Cary said.

The average cost is between $10,000 and $20,000.

“You can do a whole lot more styles of cooking outdoors,” Cary said. “You can directly grill, indirectly grill, you can smoke, bake – you’ve got things that are high-smoke production, things you don’t want inside. The thing that is driving us is quantity – we’re not cooking for a family of three, four, five. We’re cooking for friends.”

An increasingly popular fixture in outdoor kitchens: pizza ovens, according to Cary.

“They don’t have the pizzazz and the popularity of a gas grill, but they are super cool to hang around to cook together,” Cary said. “Every year, we sell more than the year before. So often, it’s built right into the kitchen.”

Widescreen fireplaces

In recent years, as TVs have become more envelope-shaped, fireplaces have begun to follow suit, according to Wilt Dod, co-owner of Dod Installations.

One of the hottest items in the living room world now – pun intended – are widescreen, or linear, fireplaces, Dod said.

“The widescreen that has the lights and more of a transitional look and feel about them is definitely the biggest trend we see in fireplaces,” he said.

Those fireplaces come in electric or gas/direct-lit varieties (or, for the discerning customer, even wood-burning).

Many of the widescreen fireplaces don’t put out any heat, Dod said, as they are more a decorative statement. It is an option, though, with both electric and gas fireplaces.

“This year at the home show, we are taking a brand-new widescreen fireplace – actually two of them – we’re going to be showing,” Dod said. “One has zero heat, but it has the most realistic flame you could ever imagine without having gas in it, and it’s done with digital projection.”

Dod said he first brought linear fireplaces to the home show about six years ago, and despite being “inundated” with interested customers, he sold only four.

“I was really shocked that year – I was like ‘Wait a second, I know that people seemed really interested in this, but they’re not going anywhere,’ ” he said. “Six years later, we do at least one of those type of fireplaces every week.”

Gas-lit widescreen fireplaces can range anywhere from $3,000 to $15,000, and the electric varieties are around $1,400 to $5,000, according to Dod.

Marble, or at least marble-esque

Marble countertops are hot right now, according to Palmer, the designer with Interior Trends. The one caveat with marble: It’s very expensive.

“Definitely, the look of marble is definitely very, very popular,” Palmer said. “The thing about marble is … it requires upkeep, because it’s a soft material.”

If you’re wanting the marble look but not the marble price tag, Palmer recommends looking at quartz countertops, which offer a similar look but without the maintenance headaches.

A recent article in the Washington Post deemed quartz the new “people’s choice” when it comes to countertops.

Quartz, an artificially produced material, looks like marble but requires little maintenance or treatments. It’s also more durable, being a harder material.

You can’t put a permanent protective resin on marble, as it will interfere with the mineral makeup – leaving your pricy marble countertops susceptible to etches, stains and scratches.

Then, of course, there is quartzite, a naturally-occurring rock that looks like marble but is harder in nature.

This story was originally published February 2, 2017 at 8:38 PM with the headline "3 trends for Wichita home remodels in 2017."