Functionally, there seems to be a tendency toward prep sinks, (although I feel like I get a lot of conflicting answers for what their use is...they tend to be about in the same general locations).

There is a tendency away from undermounted ovens ("too low") and ranges--toward cooktops and wall ovens ("separation of function"). Bias against cooktops on islands due to ventilation, and also unless they have a gigantic depth of counter behind them.

Tendency toward very deep seating requirements at islands.

There seems to be a tendency away from refrigerators less than about 15" from the wall so the door can be opened full enough to remove all bins easily.

There seems to be a tendency away from OTR microwaves or simply having a microwave on the counter--toward built-ins or a dedicated spot of some sort.

Tendency away from blind corner pullouts or openings from the back of the corner and toward a corner Susan.

There seems to be a tendency away from closed soffits that are flush with the cabinetry and toward open soffits and or staggered cabinetry.

Tendency toward having a durable tiled full backsplash, a strong bias against Corian, a moderate bias against laminate and a strong bias for granite. Strong bias against vinyl floors, moderate bias against wood floors.

Tendency toward a variety of relatively high contrast materials, tendency away from reduced material, monochromatic schemes.

Tendency away from modernism, strong tendency toward transitional.

Tendency toward highly matched hardware finishes.

Strong bias toward stainless appliances.

Bias against brass, white appliances, wallpaper, 4" backsplashes, no backsplash, bias against certain styles of oak, any pickled or cerused finish.

All of the functional tendencies or biases are based upon sound ergonomic principles and should be followed if you have the room to do so--but in general I think this leads to a general assumption that the ideal kitchen is designed for the suburban or non urban house of a particular size in which three generations will be interactively cooking in the kitchen (and who lack the discipline to stay out of the way sometimes:-)--and an unintentional bias against the single cook, the urban dweller who lacks space for the "ideal", the childless couple, or people whose general cooking or lifestyle practices veer from the norm.

There used to be more specific-to-GW items, but they have waned since I first came here...
the Never MT, Plugmold, Mocketts, airswitches, Instant hot, salt pigs, and hands free faucet gizmo (it is late and can't think of the name) used to be discussed all the time. Maybe it is a function of the economy, but those have fallen off the radar. IKEA kitchens used to be featured a lot more on GW too.

I agree on the many popular things already mentioned above but have to add:
pull outs for the trash
focal points behind sink and stove
industrial look lighting is gaining speed
no ceiling fans
few skylights
spice organizers are big (current thread helps for that)
gas cooking more than electric
venting is discussed and paid for as important more than anywhere else
bias against s x s fridges
hardware choice is obsessed over (no grabbing-whatever-the big-box-has allowed)
we obsess over faucets more than regular folk
windows getting bigger, fewer uppers
lighting plans more an issue than to non-GWers
no soffits - endangered species here, lol
more pot fillers than the general population
definitely more drawers than other kitchens, and all soft close ones at that
I think wood floors are more popular on GW than elsewhere
marble counters are coveted, if not used
soapstone is prevalent much more here than IRW
stainless is the norm (as everywhere), but starting to see a backlash
more speed ovens
pull out faucets
lots of "shaker" cabs
glazes
movement in counter materials is king
fewer retro kitchens than previously on GW
farm sinks losing ground also on GW

...hands free faucet gizmo...

Tapmaster, Dianalo! I still "covet" one of these for my prep sink, but it's low on the priorities list b/c of cost. (No, I don't like the faucets that you "tap" or that use movement as a trigger...the first aren't truly "hands-free" and the latter are unreliable plus the water turns off too quickly.)
Never-Mt
Tapmaster
Tapmaster @ Conserva-a-Store (less expensive): Euro-style, Kick-plate

As to flooring...I see a definite bias toward wood, not against!
Greater popularity of higher-end ranges, in particular.
Most importantly...more functional kitchens!

Interesting thread.

We did our remodel about 10 years ago, and thanks to GW our kitchen is awesome.

I feel that the difference between a GW and non-GW kitchen is function.

The features of our kitchen are found in a lot of kitchens.

But the layout and function and storage are what make it sing.

DH and were recently at an open house (work related for him) and this house had a kitchen that easily cost 2x what ours did. Granite/SubZ/Fancy cabinets.

We both stood there and took it in and then it started. ... There is no prep space, where do you land a hot pan from the oven, there isn't enough of a counter run in 1 spot to plate up 4 dinner plates, no place to entertain 8 dinner quests, no storage for large pans, see how far the DW is from the storage area, you are staring at a wall when cooking at the stove, and on a on.

And this kitchen LOOKED fine.

To me, that is the difference.

palimpsest, can you point me towards reasons not to use a blind corner pull out? I'm just about to order one. If there are other options I'd like to see them. Thanks! Don't mean to hijack your thread!

To me a GW kitchen is a thoroughly researched, fine tuned workhorse that is also appealing to the eye. I'm just getting started on my kitchen, but the hours I've spent with GW friends has helped me create a much more functional space than I would have had otherwise. Seeing over and over again that all this functionality can be achieved within a lovely space keeps me coming back on a daily basis. Thanks GW!

I've been here about 2.5 years, and to me, some of the strongest-represented kitchen trends on GardenWeb are those of the affluent suburban family in a new house build.

This includes:
- very large refrigerators and pantries which imply children and only once-a-week bulk shopping trips
- very large and often open-plan floor layouts
- brand-new uniform finishes for all hardware and lighting
- large spaces off the kitchen: mudrooms, foyers, open breakfast rooms and the like
- numerous windows
- need for seating space in kitchen assumed
- white fiberglass doors
- smaller, standardized door & window casings and baseboard

In terms of aesthetics, I find that granite, dark hardware, built-up crown molding, chandeliers and white cabinetry have been the norm here for the past few years, although this is certainly bound to change as do all style trends.

Since the appliance forum is mostly the same people, I'll add to this thread that there is a tendency towards exhaust hoods with a real volume in the canopy shape to capture smoke. Sleek looking exhaust hoods that might fit a chic esthetic would be voted down by a chorus of comments about canopy capture.

Thus function first, and form follows. Soapstone is highly prized because of its function resisting moisture and heat. In GW kitchens I've also seen solid surface quartz (engineered), and more and more quartzite.

--

Each response above has given a lot. Thank you!

In the first response, Palimpsest nailed it. There are tendencies. His descriptions were sometimes minimalist. In the last paragraph he explained what he had glossed over previously: "an unintentional bias against the single cook, the urban dweller who lacks space for the "ideal", the childless couple, or people whose general cooking or lifestyle practices veer from the norm."

dianalo's list was great.
circuspeanut 's list was great.
buehl, juliekcmo and kayl added this: function. I concur.

Function. GW kitchens seem to be made by people who have a great deal of awareness about function.

My space is the one of the smallest. It's urban too. We're a couple. Now, wherever we go, we envy no-one. Seeing kitchens that look fine at first glance, we can comment immediately about their choices and even about their awareness. GW enabled us to make wise choices to make our space Functional.

This explains why we still haven't bought a faucet yet. $10 stop valves on semi rigid iPex pipe are all we have for now.

hth

kayl

I have a blind corner cabinet and have done at least one in every kitchen that I have designed that actually got built.

I designed a kitchen with one corner susan and one corner cabinet with a corner door that never got built.

I actually like the blind corner cabinets because I like a uniform bank of drawers forming a row around the kitchen under the countertop and you dont have that with a full height corner susan. If you want the blind corner to be really functional, make sure the pullout insert is a really good one.

I think either is fine, but there is a tendency in GW to design with a corner susan.

Posts above have captured it, I think, but more broadly---I think GW kitchens tend to be larger and bigger budget than the "average" kitchen, which translates into many of the things above. That's not to say, of course, that there aren't some incredible small and/or budget kitchens here, because there are! But my sense, having floated around here for a couple years, is that the majority of people here (and on GW in general, I think, not just the Kitchens forum) live in larger homes in suburban or exurban communities, and are typically planning kitchens bigger than 200 sq. ft. that will cost $30K or more. Hence discussions of freestanding fridges and freezers, prep sinks, high-end appliances and all-wood cabinetry, stone counters, etc.---these aren't the norm for the "average" kitchen, but definitely are for the GW kitchen.

And very generally, GWers seem less likely to rely on a KD's advice or direction, and more likely to go research things. That's also, I think, not the norm---many people remodeling kitchens (e.g., my in-laws) simply show up at the kitchen shop with a budget and are presented with a plan that is then built. Of course, some of those KDs frequent this space, so they may still get a GW kitchen out of it anyway. :)

That said, as someone planning a small budget city kitchen, I've found these conversations just as helpful for our space (though my husband would probably argue that our budget has expanded a little too much as a result! ;) I've incorporated some of the gadgets and solutions people have come up with here into our plan, and many of them aren't especially costly and don't necessarily require large spaces or budgets---they're just as useful (maybe more!) in a small kitchen. I've also appreciated having a place where I can ask nit-picky questions and have other people who are just as detail-oriented answer them.

Great responses, thanks! I didn't find GW until after I'd chosen everything for my kitchen, a little over a year ago. I depended on this forum mostly for form-related kitchen questions. I learned enough about layouts and function from here that I'm pretty confident that my smallish, new kitchen isn't half bad after all. But still, no matter how many gorgeous new kitchens, finished remodels or facelifts I see here, I just couldn't put my finger on the big picture. All I know is that I'm just dying to measure the island-created aisles in other people's kitchens now, never had that problem before....

The previous posts have nailed it I think, I'd like to echo the point about function. GW kitchens are generally functional kitchens, thanks largely to the advice provided here. I had a very strong idea of what I wanted my kitchen to look like before I found GW, but I had a few less than functional ideas as well. My kitchen would have been less functional had I not happened upon GW.

My kitchen doesn't look like a typical GW kitchen, in large part because I live in a modest-sized urban/city home (as opposed to the seemingly more typical GW large suburban home) and probably due in no small part because I live in another country to 95% of forum members. But the imprint of GW kitchens can be seen in my kitchen, beyond the more functional lay out than I had originally planned. Specific "GW Kitchen" elements found in my kitchen:

- prep sink (I never would have had a prep sink pre GW, I can't imagine my kitchen w/out it now)

- plant filled bay window (this isn't specific to GW, but was thanks to advice I received here)

- white uppers (I couldn't entirely resist the white kitchen trend I guess)

- quartzite counters. I had to be hand held by many of you through that my counter selection process. Without GW I would have had Caesarstone.

- SS apron sink

- no pop-up hood exhaust behind the hob

I've only been on GW since about March or April, but to me a GW kitchen has maximized functionality and storage while at the same time striving for beauty--whether that is classic traditional, transitional, modern, quirky, etc. I think people on GW are more concerned about having their new kitchen integrate harmoniously with the rest of their house--staying true to the architecture/period--than other people.

I second what Artemis78 said--people on GW don't just take a KD's design as gospel--they analyze it and then improve upon it and don't settle on a design until they're satisfied. I would have been one of those people who would have taken my current kitchen layout with measurements to a KD, plunked it down, and then took what that designer produced with little/no questions. NOT ANYMORE!!! When I'm finally ready to proceed (financially), I'm going to actively shop for the RIGHT KD and then analyze the heck out of his/her plan and revise until I'm happy with it. For this, I thank everyone here on GW!!

A GW kitchen = a kitchen that has been totally obsessed about.

Kitchenkelly - You got it!!! I am guilty as charged.

And, for the most part, I think GWers are people who actually cook in their kitchens. I might go out on a limb and say many are homebodies who want to nest in a beautiful AND functional kitchen (though I do love me some good take out and traveling too.)

You rarely see spare, modern line kitchens. Color has migrated generally to the muted, so much so that kitchens with strong color provoke a startled "oh, I guess you CAN do that, can't you?" kind of response.

There's a minority group that focuses on modest, highly personal, apartment, or small urban spaces.

You rarely see plain wood cabinet fronts, Currently there is a strong bias in favor of "transitional" or "shaker" (as interpreted by current catalog listings and not actually Shaker) or slightly embellished cupboard doors. (The former seem to be the most economical choice in the current constellation, perhaps explaining this.) There is a sentimentality about inset drawers and doors that seems to assume this is a way of being ostentatious without being ostentatious (sorry if this rankles--but that's my observation).

There is a bias AGAINST anything from the 1980s--familiarity has bred contempt. There is a sentimentality about the 1960s back to the turn of the century. Victorian and Early American are rare. Previously, I saw the term "Christopher Peacock Kitchen" in many posts, but this is waning, perhaps as white "cottage" kitchens move into the mainstream. Ikea kitchens are not very dominant and modest or humble kitchens are not the subject of the largest number of responses, except for the "I had no idea you could do that" posting. Moderately priced appliances, faucets, sinks, and paint are usually given a token "that's nice" kind of commentary. Expensive tile and ranges provoke great approval. (Smugly, I applaud the demise of the adjective "yummy" to describe inedible things, even very expensive, very fine inedible things.)

Scrounged materials, ironically, are applauded, especially those purchased from reuse stores, EBay, or Craig's List.

Pantries, whether closets, passageways, or pull-out storage units are really big. A simple cupboard or two used for foodstuffs is passe.

There is generally a bare-window aesthetic. Recessed lighting is preferred. Many rooms are devoid of elaborate details on the ceiling and in the upper sections of the room, except for crown molding and recessed light collars. I agree that wallpaper is almost taboo. There is a sentimentality and preference regarding sinks with a self-finished front. I see fewer built-in drainboards than previously. I also see fewer appliance garages.

Granite countertops rule, followed by other kinds of very hard rock or manufactured rock countertops.
___
I find that the real-world images here are highly useful for "what if" thinking. I can imagine more options than would otherwise be in my imagination. It's a treasure trove of ideas and realities. And generally, GW kitchens maximize the value of functionality (as interpreted by the owner) and of the budget in ways that are a credit to him or her. It's a privilege to listen to someone put visual ideas into words and to see them shape the ideas into good design and functional, attractive spaces. I find a lot to like in all the GW kitchens.

Florantha,
I love your candid input on this and agree with all but one thing:
"Yummy" is alive and well and so are his first cousins, "Yum" and "Yum-Yum".
And I have to confess, I'm still in love with Christopher Peacock kitchens even though my time spent on GW has helped me to appreciate his more streamlined, transitional takes on the white kitchen (think FIrsthouse_mp's kitchen) more than I'm liking the straight-up English traditional styles. So much so that I'd like to rip the turned legs out of my kitchen (I don't remember ordering them anyway) and swapping out my hardware with something more transitional. Alas, I spent enough money on hardware this year, maybe some other year.
Thanks for weighing in Florantha!

Oops...guilty as charged on "yummy"!

But, some of these kitchens are, as well as scrumptious and delectible!

I guess we kitchen obsessed can't help but think in terms of food--hopefully, some of the time we spend in there must be used for cooking! :)

I woke up thinking about this thread....and with a conclusion.
What makes it a GW kitchen really is the functionality, as has been said, and an individual kitchen that is just what the member wants.

Functionality includes all those GW standard gadgets like the Tapmaster, plugmold, Never-M-T, and all. They improve the function of the kitchen and would be equally popular if they were pushed by the big box stores. GW KF just informs people so they know they want them. Same with the tendency toward prep sinks, all drawers, etc. And for good ventilation.

The style things, though? That's really very individual. Whether they're using a KD, an interior designer or architect, or designing their kitchens all on their own, our members get what they want, not just whatever the store has, or the KD's kitchen plan #3. It's true that we're currently seeing a lot of classic white kitchens, but for a lot of members this is a dream kitchen look that they'd be hard put to achieve to their likings at the local store. How many of our number have agonized over the exact right white to fit their space and their finishes, and been encouraged and assisted by the forum? How many have gotten just the right hardware because of the sources provided by those who've gone before? Whether it's a totally unique kitchen, or one inspired by the FKB, or the personalization of the one available at the big box store, our kitchens are highly individual and particular to ourselves.

plllog, your conclusion is bang on. Functional yes, but most of all highly individual.