Modern Kitchen Must-Haves According To HGTV's Jenny Marrs
House hunters and real estate professionals often look at one particular room of a home to quickly understand its age, value, and style: the kitchen. In many cases, taking a good look at kitchen features can reveal information about renovations, upgrades, and overall home upkeep. Consumer Reports even found that a modern kitchen can boost home value by 3 to 7%. If you're going for a modern style in your home, HGTV's Jenny Marrs highlighted the following kitchen must-haves in a recent episode of "Fixer to Fabulous": a center island, open shelving, extra burners, and a range hood that seamlessly fits the kitchen's style.
These kitchen features not only look beautiful and contribute to a seamless modern look, they also pave the way for a smooth experience in the kitchen, whether you're hosting friends or cooking for two. In modern home style, form meets function to streamline everyday tasks and look good doing them. Jenny Marrs illustrated the power of these kitchen features in a "Fixer to Fabulous" webisode titled, "Log Cabin Gets Light & Bright Update."
A large center island
A sizable center island beautifully distributes the space within the kitchen, making it easy to prepare food, set out a buffet-style dining option, and socialize while the cooking occurs. Countless households use a large center island as a homework station, a remote work spot, a breakfast counter, and more. Consider the key uses in your home to determine the unique must-have kitchen island features you need. Does it need extra shelving, drawers, and storage? How many seats should it accommodate? Would a built-in cutting board substantially improve your life? These considerations will help you create the modern center island of your dreams.
If you're not ready for a full kitchen renovation, there are plenty of DIY options that can stand in for a center island in the meantime. For example, you could pick up an old dresser and transform it into a rolling center island, as the YouTube channel The Inexperienced Adventures demonstrates. This method allows you to make the colors and storage details your own, and you can always use contact paper on the top to replicate the look of a stone countertop.
Open shelving
In the recent "Fixer to Fabulous" episode, Jenny Marrs thoughtfully combines enclosed cabinet space with sturdy and stylish open shelving. Everyone has a few tea sets or fancy dishes that they like to keep on display. Incorporating open shelving into your modern kitchen helps save space on crowded countertops while also allowing for dynamic design.
Aiming for a modern kitchen style doesn't mean there's no room for design creativity. Select your open shelving according to your overall goals. You might stick with thick shelves that match the color of your cabinets, like Marrs does in the show, or you could get creative. Upcycle used materials with a good sanding and stain or paint. You could work in an accent color if you'd like to freshen up your kitchen color composition. The items on the shelves make their own statement, too. Easily change up the objects in your open shelf display to reflect your latest tastes or provide quick access to your most-used items.
Plenty of burners
If you're a chef at heart or a born host, four burners probably won't do the trick. Especially if it's your dream to host holiday dinners or a fun brunch with friends, an abundance of cooktop space is essential. The best modern kitchens have additional burners to allow for easy cooking for a crowd and seamless gourmet meals from home. Look for stoves with six or more burners to accommodate even the busiest get-togethers.
If you're working on a modern renovation, this might be an area to allocate a large chunk of the budget. For a six-burner stove like the one featured on "Fixer to Fabulous," you could purchase the Forno 6 Burner from Home Depot for about $2,000. Or, go all out with the Kucht Gemstone 6-Burner Natural Gas Range from Lowe's for less than $3,900.
Select the right stove for you based on the style and finishes, but also consider the attached oven features — have you dreamed of a self-cleaning oven or even a double oven? Keep in mind that you may also need to pay for installation, and if your counters and cabinets need any reconfiguring to fit the new stove, you're in for a larger and more expensive project.
Stylish range hood
Leave the ugly, industrial range hood behind. In the recent "Fixer to Fabulous" episode, Jenny Marrs designs a range cover that blends seamlessly with the aesthetic of the rest of the kitchen, creating a cohesive appearance without sacrificing the functionality of the hood. Range hoods are another essential tool for a thriving kitchen turning out delicious food, allowing smoke and steam to escape the kitchen without impacting your experience.
Creating a custom range hood yourself is likely the best way to achieve a hood style that seamlessly matches the rest of your kitchen. Depending on your woodworking skills, you can select a more intricate pattern like a herringbone hood, or you could keep it simple by sticking with right angles. Purchase paneling that fits other accents in your kitchen, and even paint the range hood to match the rest of the space if you'd like. Keep in mind that there are safety and code requirements for range hoods, so you may want to check your local guidelines as you create your project plans.