Northern Ohio and I see mostly traditional styles. Although almost every new build I've been in recently has bright white shaker style cabinets and granite. Not much modern at all around here.

I am in Iowa. I have noticed that wood cabinets in a shaker or craftsmen style are popular in remodels along with the white shaker. I have seen a couple of modern Parade homes. My neighborhood was built in the 70's and has a variety of kitchens. Some are original, some were redone in the 90's and some have been redone recently - usually wood cabinetry because the trim is wood, though a few have painted the trim white.

I have seen in the more expensive Parade homes the "kitchen in a pantry" where a large pantry contains a counter and outlets and sometimes sink where supposedly small appliances are kept and where one can stack up dirty dishes so the glamorous outer kitchen open to the living room can stay clean and pretty.

1920s original (still lots of those in houses for sale!) or white shaker cabs with dark counters predominantly. Most of the houses are craftsman or mediterranean near me so no modern kitchens. I can't imagine having two kitchens, although I certainly couldn't afford a house large enough for two kitchens around here either. I thought smells were what a good hood was for!

Maryland - DC/Baltimore area. Mostly transitional styles. The homes in my neighborhood were built in the mid-90s and many people are remodeling. When I remodeled in 2008, I was one of the first, but now just about everyone has or is in the process of remodeling their Kitchen.

Unfortunately, I'm seeing that people are cramming islands in their kitchens that are far too small for an island. When we built, we added 4' to the length of our house and had one of the largest Kitchens in the neighborhood. The depth of our kitchen is also one of the deeper kitchens b/c of the bay window. When we remodeled, I tried to get an island, but I finally came to the conclusion that an island just won't fit - at least not if I also wanted decent aisles.

I've cringed (but kept quiet) at some of my neighbors' kitchens. They are always so excited that they shoehorned in an island - and then it's not fun trying to maneuver in and around their kitchens! And, I would never sit at their islands - too shallow and anyone sitting is in the way of anyone trying to squeeze by! Oh well! (I tried to tell some, but their so-called KDs assured them an island would fit! *sigh*)

One friend has admitted to me it was a big mistake - she has her cooktop in the island with only about 9" behind it and 18" on either side. There's no room to work next to it and she has to remind her kids to stay away when she's cooking. At least she didn't put seating at the island. (She has that at a peninsula on one side.)

Oh, and granite is what everyone wants for counters.

@Buehl yikes 9" of aisle is incredibly tight. I went from 45" to 39" because I wanted the pipes to be behind the sink cabinets and I couldn't change the piping with the last minute decision.

I can't imagine 9".

@lharpie I have a concussion right now so the name of the small cook room is not coming to me. They're not very large and is just big enough to have a cooktop and in some cases, deep fryer and a wok.

The people actually wall off part of their kitchen. It's about the size of a large walkin pantry. They have hoods in both the outside kitchen and the cook room.

My friend does all her smoky cooking in this tiny room. She suggested that I do the same with my kitchen remodel but my kitchen is a lot smaller and I barely squeezed in the appliances as it is.

We have very few neighbors, and I've only seen a few kitchens. Most are Late 60's Mobile Home style. Seriously. We are in a pretty poor area, and our modest home is a showplace by comparison. I intentionally kept the outside pretty basic looking to not up-stage the neighbors, who are some of the nicest folks I've ever met. In the nicer areas, most newer homes are low-end tract homes, and further out, there is a high-end (for SC) subdivision, at a million, and up. I have no idea what their kitchens look like!

I am in Palm Springs and it is mostly modern kitchens here.

Lots of traditional cabinetry and laminate counter tops here, but I have seen granite finally creeping in. We are in an odd HOA, with the home values ranging from $90K -$1M, so really a little bit of everything.

I am in a 1941-1950 built neighborhood, ranches, cape cods and small 2 story "colonials" all originally 1000sf or less; there are still homes with the original metal cabinets, but many have been remodeled, and adding on/expanding is becoming more popular as the neighborhood becomes more desirable. The neighborhood RE agent says that white shaker with dark granite is still the thing. I believe this is true throughout the city which is has many old homes but also neighborhood of 1960s-70s split levels etc.

I have seen a couple of remodels in my neighborhood that didn't expand the space available (our entire first floors, in general, are only 500sf) but who have partially removed the 2 interior walls and put an island in the opening. I didn't think it worked all that well for the style and space of the home.

We are in Southern CA, about an hour north of LA. The houses in our neighborhood were built in the mid 90s and many here are original owners. Many of my neighbors have the original oak cabinets and white tile counters/ bs. Some have updated by painting the cabs and adding granite. Overall home decor ranges from traditional to transitional. A lot of ornate/gaudy furniture styles. My house is transitional, with as many contemporary elements as possible. I'm sure my neighbors think we are crazy for doing so much to our house and yard over the last 20 years, but we will likely be here another 20 years and I dont regret anything we've done.

Beachem...sorry, the 9" is the counter behind the cooktop. She has a 36" aisle b/w the refrigerator and the island. So, she not only has an island that is insufficient for a cooktop, but it's a barrier as well! All her aisles, btw, are tight - around 36".

Oh, anf no vent hood at all!

I should be saying "were" - she moved recently! I haven't seen her new kitchen yet!

Our neighborhood was built in the 1920s. Kitchen vintage is all over the place, with a few originals left, some from the 1950s, some from the 1980s, some more recent. None that I have seen are very ornate. Slab or shaker cabinets mostly. Tile counters in the older kitchens. Granite or engineered quartz counters in the more recently updated ones. None are huge and most are still a separate room because to open them up would disrupt the whole flow of the house.

I would say most here are traditional to transitional. Lots of granite, I've yet to see cement or even soapstone in the kitchens I've visited, and should add there is very little new construction in my immediate area.

My SILs vacation home, possibly someday retirement home, not quite finished but coming close - has a refrigerator, beverage center, additional icemaker and second dishwasher in the pantry. No cooktop.

Beachem, funny you should mention two or enclosed kitchens. There is a very nice Asian man owning the convenience store where I buy a weekly lottery ticket and he asked about contractors not long ago. Their house is open concept and his wife is complaining about cooking odors, she would like the kitchen closed off from the rest of the house, a wall and door placed.

Editing to add: Washington coast and somewhat rural. An hour to the interstate and from any major city.

melis - we might be neighbors, I'm in Santa Clarita. I'm in a house build in the early 2000's. Mostly oak cabinets with white tile counters and b/s. Many of the houses in this area were build from the 1980's on, and the builders have basically kept to the same formula. Lots of people remodeling going for granite or quartz counters with tile backsplashes. Might paint the cabinets, but also likely to replace them. Pretty much simple traditional style with some transitional elements.

My house was built some time in the 50s along with the rest of the neighbourhood. I've only been in a few kitchens, but they are all very small galleys, and cannot be expanded as one wall is exterior and one is along the stairwell to the basement. My friend has a more open kitchen but it's really mostly floor space. She has a kitchen table in the kitchen. My ex-MIL has a square shaped kitchen and has counterspace only on one counter, with the sink in the middle. She has the microwave on one side and canisters on the other. She preps on her kitchen table. She has a teeny weird shelf next to the stove but the pens/paper etc. for the phone are there, and it's otherwise pretty useless. She has a dining room though, and my friend and I do not.

There are million dollar homes in my town that appear to have laminate countertops in the real estate photos. I do know one house on my street put in Cesearstone or Cambria as I saw the sign out front. I put in laminate. I could have shopped around for some granite remnants, but I found a laminate I liked, and I am used to laminate and I didn't want to over do it. LOL

Lots of granite in the remodeled ones. Basic appliances from Sears/Best Buy etc. in stainless. Maple, Oak or Cherry. Mostly veneers. Large format tile floors. Our home was built in 1976 and many haven't remodeled at all. Those that have do more replacement than actual remodeling. I doubt many even know that Ikea does kitchens.

My kitchen in progress is high-end (LOL) for the neighborhood. I am probably the only one on my block who has gas much less a 36" open burner range and a Ventahood. The addition of a wall oven will put it over the top. ;-) I just ordered Kraftmaid cabs in Hickory. We are remodeling for function and how we want things to be. Not worried about resale since we plan to continue aging in place.

A friend in an adjoining neighborhood just had her kitchen done. Used some buy a "kitchen in a box" place she found at a home show. Haven't seen her kitchen yet. They came to her house with samples of what they offered from cabinets to appliances and she chose from that. I find most people I talk to are like that. The research, interesting product sharing and number crunching we do here on this site are not what I find in my neighborhood or among my friends in general.

Annac: I am in Thousand Oaks, so not too far away from you. Hardly anyone around here has heard of soapstone or quartzite, and my GC has never done a kitchen with anything other than granite and occasionally quartz. I bought my slabs in San Diego and they are being fabricated/installed by them. I have to drive there on Thursday to verify my quartzite slab (and visit my soapstone). I am positively dreading the long round trip in one day, but am excited that I am weeks away from install!

A fascinating thread -- our neighborhood was built mostly in the 70s, and think most folks have remodeled, but probably 20+ years ago. I think Watchme hit the nail on the head with the observation that most people don't want to see ALL the possibilties -- its overwhelming. We remodeled in 2005 and got rid of a gas cooktop in a tiny island....we now have dark green engineered quartz counters and slab front light wood cabinets, with a cherry floor, but think we are the outliers in the neighborhood, stylewise.

melis918- we're neighbors! any chance you would consider emailing me -I would love to talk to someone local about their contractor/kd experiences. if you would consider I am at discountmom03 at gmail dot com.