With stone benches and monochrome tones, the modern kitchen makes its own statement in style, writes Jenny Brown.

After location and the number of bedrooms, two other elements sell a house because, as agents tell it, women are the final arbiters of most property deals. And what do women want?

They want an updated bathroom but, more importantly, a nice kitchen that is part of an open living area.

They want a fashionable, functional, easy to clean, aesthetically interesting kitchen with excellent appliances and decent bench space.

The head designer of Mod Kitchens, one of the city's leading kitchen renovation companies, Peter Treweek, says women also want a layout that means they won't be crowded into squashed corners by children and guests invading their cooking and preparation territory.

For this reason, he emphasises kitchen design "that removes fridges and pantries from the main preparation area".

A prep area of sensible scale and swing-around proximity to the sink and stove is critical in making a kitchen workable.

"You don't want to be crossing too much floor with hot pots," he says.

Sufficient storage space under sufficient bench space goes without saying and storage these days favours handleless drawers over cupboards.

"Drawers are one of the main trends in cabinetry," he says.

 Kitchen fashions come in recognisable cycles and, unless you are tarting it up for a house sale, the general kitchen makeover cycle is 15-20 years.

The general spend is according to your budget; anything from $15,000 to $100,000.

The giveaway element that dates a kitchen is the bench material. A 1980s kitchen often has wooden benches — now considered an absolute no-no from a health perspective.

A '90s kitchen is identifiable by black granite benches; a 21st-century kitchen has a reconstituted stone bench and, Mr Treweek says, "stone is here to stay".

A 21st-century kitchen is, and will continue to be, predominantly within the white tonal range.

"People are very conservative, so about 70 per cent of our clients want some shade of white because they want it to still look good in 10 years," he says.

CaesarStone, the company that led the way in benchtops with reconstituted quartz benching, has just released some new colours by exciting professional designers.

Browns and even reds are showing up in Europe. But if you think white stone benches are an exhausted trend you would be mistaken, for this year the company has released a pure-white option.

Samantha Dowsley, who promotes the Italian Bontempi kitchen range through Richmond's Rogerseller, says to save a white-benched kitchen from looking "too clinical", the surrounding elements are undergoing subtle changes.

The new variations on the white kitchen introduce more "layering of textures, such as white glass overhead cupboard doors, stainless steel elements and perhaps walnut veneers or black lacquer, so a kitchen will still look clean and contemporary but not clinical and boring".

 "There is a little more detailing. Cupboard doors are being profiled and sometimes bevelled," she says.

Ms Dowsley says the effect reminds her of Shaker style and, indeed, the aesthetic of the kitchen is being treated as if it were "beautiful, like furniture".

Although she prefers the expensive option of Corian — a durable acrylic and natural mineral surface — the shape of the stone benches, which are the first choice for most clients, is also changing from the floor-squared "waterfall" shape to a cantilever.

Where the average spend for her clients is $60,000 to $70,000, for those with a very elastic budget and spatial scope, the butler's pantry, or a second kitchen behind the show kitchen in the living room, is becoming popular.

"The dishwasher, another sink, the drawers, pantry and shelving systems are being put away in a scullery," she says.

"The stove remains in the first kitchen." Both designers say they are emphasising eco-friendly options that include matt-finish cupboard paints that don't show fingerprints.

Mr Treweek adds: "People are more often asking for low-volatile paints and low levels of formaldehyde in products." He says appliance options come down to budget and personal taste.

European appliances can be up to $1000 more expensive for each item than local or New Zealand-brand stoves and fridges. One item he says does warrant emphasis, however, is a quality rangehood to extract the cooking odours from a kitchen that is within the living zones. "And if you pay more, you definitely get better efficiency," he says.

Contacts
■Mod Kitchens, 26 Koornang Road, Carnegie, phone 9564 7700. 386 Bridge Road, Richmond, phone 9428 0827. modkitchens.com.au
■Rogerseller, 173-177 Barkly Avenue, Burnley, phone 9429 6966. rseller.com.au
■Kitchen and Bathroom Design Institute, org.au

New kitchen trends
■Pure white stone benches
■Cantilevered island benches
■Frosted or white glass overhead cupboards
■Touches of black lacquer, wood veneer and stainless steel
■A separate scullery or butler's pantry
■Super-efficient rangehoods
■Eco-friendly materials and paints