Paint, Hardware, and Cabinetry

Consider a new paint color for the walls or ceiling (low- or zero-VOC, of course) or updated cabinet hardware (look for recycled hardware at antique or salvage shops). These creative kitchen updates don't generate remodeling waste that usually ends up in a landfill. You can also save resources by keeping your existing cabinets while updating your cabinet fronts.

Most wood cabinetry contains urea-formaldehyde. When considering new cabinet fronts, look for solid-wood products or alternative materials such as wheatboard. Also, look for products finished with non-toxic finishes. Cabinets made with a sustainably harvested wood variety can refresh a kitchen. Bamboo, one of the world's fastest-growing plants and doesn't require pesticides. Eucalyptus is another good option.

Whether you're considering new cabinet fronts or a whole new set of cabinetry, check out local makers or craftspeople who use reclaimed, salvaged, or responsibly harvested lumber in their work.

Flooring

A new kitchen or dining room floor would also give these spaces a refresh. Bamboo and cork are durable, sustainable options. Real linoleum, installed with low- or zero-VOC adhesives, is dent and moisture resistant and easy to install and maintain.

Update Appliances: Go Electric 

Another way to refresh the kitchen is to update outdated appliances, especially if they're more than ten years old. Look for the ENERGY STAR logo. ENERGY STAR models are 10 to 50 percent more efficient than standard appliances. A new, energy-efficient refrigerator might use less than 400 kilowatt-hours per year, compared to the 1,200 kilowatt-hours annually consumed by an older unit.

Consider an electric cooktop and oven. Traditional electric cooktops and ranges use 65 to 70 percent of the heat generated to cook food; gas cooktops use 40 percent. Induction cooktops, however, use 90%.

Induction cooktops use electromagnetic induction to generate heat in pots and pans. The element itself remains relatively cool to the touch. The pot or pan must be made of a material attracted to magnets, like cast iron or magnetic stainless steel. The induction process is 50 percent more efficient than gas or electric. Also, the cooktop is safe to touch as soon as you remove the pan .

Dishwashers are also great energy-saving appliances. Top-rated ENERGY STAR-certified dishwashers use between 199 and 220 kilowatts hours (kWh) of electricity per year when averaging 215 loads per year (which equates to about four loads per week). They also incorporate advanced technologies that reduce water consumption while improving the dish-cleaning method.

Dining Rooms: Single or Multi-Use? 

Trend analysts are all over the map when forecasting how we'll use our dining rooms in 2021. Whether a large and formal space or a simple and cozy nook in the kitchen, dining areas often serve multiple purposes these days. From 8-5, they're work-from-home offices and virtual learning spaces. After 5:00 p.m., they're places for happy hour, gathering with bubble-or pod-worthy family and friends, and perhaps even the spot for sit-down family dinners. 

Trend forecasters also note a movement toward incorporating more niches or partitions in the kitchen and dining areas to provide zones for work, study, and private time. Mobile, modern walls are unobtrusive and create small spaces perfect for a mini-study, reading area, or nest for binging on a favorite streaming service.