By Bob Fischer

Taking a page from clothing fashions, kitchen designs come and go with the passing of time. What was once trendy and avant-garde can just as quickly become yesterday's news; or worse, fashion faux pas. While there are many kitchen design ideas and styles that have surfaced over the years, several have remained as popular themes that have a strong influence in the aesthetic of the entire home. There are several basic themes, each with their corresponding styles. Below are the major ones:

Traditional: Embodies the archaic and refined look of classical European architecture and design. Heavily influenced by the Greco-Roman classical period, kitchens possessing a traditional theme benefit from the formal lines these styles bring.

Transitional: This theme fuses the crispness of traditional themes without the complexities and intricacies, and in doing so, bring together the new and the old into functional styles.

Rustic: Kitchens that feature the rustic style harness and harmonize the organic elements of nature into a theme that is both earthy and style conscious.

Country: Leveraging the open spaces of the countryside, the country theme, which includes, among many others, the French Country style, can be found in both suburban and rural areas. This theme features the application of bold colors, particularly in cabinets, pantries and kitchen furniture.

Modern: Born out of the simplistic modernist movement of 20th Century Germany, and fueled by the Bauhaus movement, modern themes have made a big impact on the American kitchen. Simple lines and precise symmetry are key traits of this popular theme.

Post Modern: This theme resists the strict reliance on precise geometry of the modern theme and breaks any rule it sees fit in delivering skewed yet functional art.

When searching for the latest kitchen ideas, the Internet can be an excellent resource. There are multitudes of kitchen-oriented websites that can be found simply by performing searches on popular search engines, such as Google, Yahoo or MSN. Some of these sites feature a kitchen photo gallery where you may peruse the latest kitchen design pictures. If you seek inspiration for a kitchen remodel, there are also kitchen plans that you may access on some of these sites. Such plans are instrumental in the early stages of those types of projects, and the more information you can obtain before commencing the better. Finally, kitchen showrooms and home centers are also helpful in this process as many of them have charts and kits especially designed for kitchen remodels.

By Chris Smitts

Whether you are going to give your kitchen a complete overhaul or you have chosen to do just a few updates, you'll find that with the right choices, you can get a return rate on your investment of approximately eighty to one-hundred percent. In layman's terms, this means your home should increase in value by just about the amount you put into it. The key, however, is to make the right choices in your kitchen design ideas.

One of the main aspects of your kitchen that needs to be considered is the layout. The cooking zone is often overlooked when it should be your top priority. Generally, you will want to center everything around your stove and the cook top. Along with your microwave oven, any other major tools, such as toaster oven, should be close by, as well.

When designing your kitchen, make certain you also consider where your spice drawer will be kept, as well as the drawers where you plan to keep your pots and pans. These items will all need to be kept close to your cooking zone. If not, you'll find yourself wandering all over your kitchen and wasting precious time.

Another aspect of kitchen design ideas to be considered is whether or not you need your kitchen to be kid friendly. If you have young children in your home, you may want to create an area that allows your children easy access to countertop space so that they may assist you and learn from you when cooking. Often, a kitchen island space works well for this and, if your kitchen does not allow for an island, set up a space that is not too close to your cooking zone.

Ask any chef what the most important aspect of their kitchen is and they will most likely tell you it is organization. You will want to implement some great organizational ideas into the design of your kitchen. Also, keep in mind that you do not want to interrupt your work triangle (the imaginary triangle between the stove, refrigerator, and sink) with a lot of foot traffic. In other words, if people are going to be running to the pantry all the time, make sure you put it out of the center area.

For those who are concerned about the environment, you will also find a lot of great ideas that you can implement into your design and help you to conserve energy. Your light design should include lighting controls and you can choose energy efficient appliances, as well. Another great idea is to use recycled cabinets, as well as flooring in your design.

Making sure that your kitchen is easy to clean is also an important factor in your decisions. Choosing countertops made of easy-to-clean materials and a countertop with raised edges to prevent spills are just a few ideas you can utilize in your design. This is especially important when you have young children and your time in the kitchen is limited.

Designing your new, updated kitchen can be a little overwhelming at times, as there are many things to be considered. However, if you do the research and make a list of your needs, you will find the task to be exciting, as well. As there are many kitchen design ideas to choose from, take your time considering each one, before you make your decision.