Adding Diversity to the Kitchen:
Designers Push Mismatched Look

After years of focusing on marble countertops and stainless steel, designers and manufacturers are pressing a new look: the jumbled kitchen.

An estimated six million Americans will renovate their kitchens this year, according to the National Kitchen & Bath Association. To try to win some of that business, the industry is toying with new designs, from ultra-minimalist "hidden" kitchens to colorful themes. But another strategy that's getting more attention lately combines multiple materials, styles and dimensions -- like three kinds of countertop stone, or cabinets in glass, metal and wood.

A similar aesthetic emerged in other parts of the house 20 years ago, when homeowners traded bedroom and living-room sets for stand-alone pieces. Now, many companies are promoting the idea for the kitchen. The Los Angeles showroom for minimalist design company Boffi just installed an L-shaped island in oak and stainless steel, with Corian cabinets and melamine drawers. German kitchen manufacturer SieMatic recently introduced a new collection of wood cabinetry, designed by Chicago-based Mick De Giulio, that is built to work with multiple thicknesses of countertops and varying accent materials like stainless steel and stone. Wm Ohs, a Denver cabinetry company with 28 showrooms nationwide, added stainless-steel and glass-accent doors for the first time in April -- a departure from its traditional all-wood look.

Nickel and Limestone

When Lori Naccarato's designer proposed the idea, she wasn't convinced. "I'm the kind of person who needs everything to match," she says. But after seeing all of the components in a showroom, she agreed. Her new $150,000 kitchen has five different materials incorporated into the counters -- including French limestone near the oven, a handmade nickel sheet in the pantry and red granite on the island -- two sinks made out of stone and stainless steel, and a Turkish travertine floor in two patterns, herringbone and puzzle. Ms. Naccarato, a 34-year-old homemaker in Hinsdale, Ill., calls it "more homey" than the all-white kitchen in her old house.

"At one point, everything had to be perfectly matched," says Ed Pell, market-research manager for the National Kitchen & Bath Association in Hackettstown, N.J. "Now people want diversity. They like to see things broken up."

The campaign is making some headway. Two years ago, Wilsonart in Temple, Texas, launched a marketing campaign stating that "mixing materials is the new black." Annual sales of its collection of colorful mix-and-match laminates, which are used in counters and backsplashes and promoted for their compatibility with other materials, were up 30% last year, compared to 3% for the company's laminates overall. At DuPont, the Wilmington, Del., maker of countertop materials like Corian and Zodiaq, 10% of customers are combining two different surfaces in the kitchen, up from practically zero seven years ago.

"People are still asking for stainless, but they're asking for less of it," says Robert Schwartz, owner of design firm St. Charles of New York. The company has specialized in stainless-steel kitchens, but one recent display, built for last month's Kips Bay Decorator Show House in New York, included a red porcelain island, brass ceiling, white compressed-glass countertops, crystal hardware, mosaic floor and cabinets in walnut and stainless steel.

Designers have experimented with mixing over the past decade for mostly functional reasons, by inlaying a cutting board directly into the counter or adding a few glass cabinet doors that would let homeowners show off their plates. They're building on the idea as kitchens become more of a place for entertaining and living -- and as they look for ways to differentiate their products from off-the-shelf kitchens sold at companies like Ikea.

The pitch comes as sales have slowed for the estimated $80 billion kitchen-remodeling industry, and as some trends show signs of aging. The number of home-kitchen renovations fell 1.8% last year, according to the National Kitchen & Bath Association. Stainless steel, once a luxury feature, now appears in 25% of all kitchens, says market-research firm NPD Group in Port Washington, N.Y. And as prices for granite have dropped because of cheap imports from Brazil, sales at the high end have shifted to engineered stones that come in many colors and expensive materials like concrete and zinc, says Mr. Pell.

The kitchens could bear a high cost. Brokers say that an unusually eclectic design could knock off 10% from a home's asking price. "The cleaner look tends to please more buyers," says Bonnie Adams, a residential broker in La Jolla, Calif. Using multiple materials can also increase labor costs as much as 10%, contractors say. "It does make a job more difficult," says Michael Graziano, owner of Aladdin Remodelers in Massapequa Park, N.Y.

The juggling can compound a classic renovation problem: construction delays. Myron Martin's kitchen overhaul was originally estimated to take four weeks. It's now in its third month. One problem is engineering issues in fitting a prep sink, made from copper and mother of pearl, into a black walnut and granite island. "Everything takes longer than you would think," says the 63-year-old lighting-company executive from Atlanta.

Cleaning Rules

The work may not end there. Darlene Landsittel's newly eclectic kitchen came with a list of cleaning instructions for each material, compiled by her designer. Though she has a regular housecleaner, Ms. Landsittel placed the kitchen off-limits for fear something will get damaged. "It's my project right now," says the 63-year-old caterer in Chicago, who polishes the nickel counter every six weeks, seals the Calcutta marble once a month and uses only soap and water on the bamboo island.

Don Silvers, a kitchen designer and former professional chef in Los Angeles, sticks to more traditional looks. Mr. Silvers, who once ripped out a mismatched kitchen for a frustrated client, says combination countertops can be prone to splitting or unevenness over time. "They create spaces that look wonderful," he says. "Too bad you can't cook in them."

Some homeowners may find that the melting-pot approach doesn't come with easy accessories, as Carol Flier did after a $140,000 renovation last August. In the month before Thanksgiving, the dance teacher in Newton, Mass., scoured a dozen shops within 20 miles, hunting for dishes that would match the three types of stone in four colors. She finally went with French country-style serving pieces. But Ms. Flier has no regrets about leaving behind her old kitchen, in white and stainless steel. "That, apparently, is out," she says.

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