UPSTAIRS, DOWNSTAIRS

What’s cooking

For most homeowners, the kitchen is the focal point that determines how the rest of home design will look like.

So what does a modern kitchen on Guam look like? For Johnny Lee, a contractor who does business as Guam Home Creators, local residents want spacious, energy-efficient and natural looking kitchens.

“The new homes we’ve done have two kitchens. The indoor kitchen has a sleek, open concept with high-end appliances and a seamless island. The outdoor kitchen is mainly for entertainment needs and laborintensive cuisines,” Lee said.

Think barbecues and fiestas for friends and family. Especially for multi-family, multi-generational homes, two kitchens would serve useful whenever a gathering is planned. An open concept for indoor kitchens is inviting, and it leaves a lot of room for decorating ideas. Or, if you prefer simplicity, minimal decorations and a bold accent wall can make a kitchen look sleek and tidy. Bigger interior and exterior doors can also give the illusion of a bigger kitchen space.

Kitchen windows can play a big role in transforming the kitchen. Lee said he has observed a switch towards heavy-duty typhoon-graded windows with sound resistance. Skylights above the bathroom and main entrances have also been among design requests, allowing for improved natural lighting.

“I think playing with natural light on the position of your home is important. It’s also more interesting to have different sized windows so there’s not too much symmetry,” Lee said.

Whatever lighting choices you make, it is important to keep in mind that a kitchen must be one of the most well-lit spaces in a home.

Trends today are that a kitchen cannot fulfill its functional purpose without adequate lighting.

Experts typically recommend multiple light sources around the kitchen as not only a design focus that re-emphasizes the décor theme, but also improves efficiency.

This can be a combination of natural lighting from a window, ceiling lights as part of the décor, or under counter lighting, which can support multiple decorating themes or add to the intimacy of a kitchen in the evening.

To avoid countertop clutter, make use of cabinets and pantries. Some kitchens have small sections in corners where one can simply place a rack for pots and pans. But an abundance of racks on the countertop can make a kitchen look too busy. Overhead cabinets and pantries can hide most of the clutter and allow more room on the countertop for kitchen needs.

Lee predicts that energy efficiency will soon guide kitchen designs.

“Trend-wise, I think more people will want high ceilings for energy efficiency. I also think solarinclusive builds will be popular in the future as well,” he said. p