Home D E S I G N T R E N D S
Cape-Inspired Design Trends W I T H S TAY I N G P O W E R Some design trends come and go quickly. Then there are styles that are introduced, and most of us can’t imagine layouts any other way (think kitchen islands and mudrooms). We talked to Kathy DeMeyer, Owner/General Manager of Encore Construction about time-honored home elements that she and her team see work well in project after project here on the Cape and islands.
Open Spaces & Casual Dining Formal dining rooms serve a great purpose, but most homes that are built today need another more casual option for meals. Breakfast nooks and farm tables off the kitchen have become high-use areas in many local homes. “Every homeowner I meet wants that openness around the kitchen because they don’t want to be stuck in the kitchen when they are hosting,” says DeMeyer. “The kitchen is the main gathering place. No matter how nice the dining room and great room are, kitchens are where people gravitate.” In a Hyannis Port renovation, homeowners Kurt and Linda Hulteen worked with Encore, and they agreed about open space. Their 1960s home was closed off with separate rooms, and they decided to open up all of the walls, losing the formal dining room altogether. They added a sitting area right off of the kitchen. “We love to have people over and it’s just so much easier and more enjoyable when the cooking and getting everything together can coincide with the visiting,” says Linda. “I’m not locked away in the kitchen, which is great.” For the space to really sing, the table and its lighting should be showstoppers. In the Hulteens’ house, the table was from their old home in Alaska and it’s a beautiful live-edge maple. “We spent a long time seeking out this table, and we bought it in Alaska, and it’s ten years old, so when we moved we were determined to bring it with us,” says Linda. 64 » capecodandtheislandsmag.com
