Induction-Burner Stoves, High-Gloss Cabinets Are Latest Must-Haves for Trend-Conscious Consumers

The downside to induction cooking is that you can use only cookware with iron content; the unit won't operate with aluminum or glass pans. To make the switch to induction easier, Diva de Provence includes a five-piece set of cookware. With purchase of the Sears unit, you get a griddle.

The Diva de Provence unit is available now at appliance dealers; the Sears unit will be on the market in September.

Another change seen at the kitchen and bath show is that the slick look of European-style cabinetry, which has been exclusively a high-end product, is now affordable for a much bigger segment of the market.

Sensing that many consumers are ready to be stylistically adventurous, KraftMaid -- a mid-price, semi-custom cabinet maker with the highest cabinet sales in the United States and a reputation for traditional-looking products -- has developed a new line, Venicia, that verges on edgy.

For "I want something that looks traditional but with a difference" homeowners, KraftMaid offers the Venicia-Natura collection. The doors are wood with raised or flat panels, but the detailing is unusual.

For the "I want something definitely different" group, the cabinet maker offers the Venicia-Lustra collection. Doors are finished with a top grade of thermofoil that looks and feels like lacquer, an expensive finish that is offered only by custom cabinet makers. The door styles include a severe flat panel for both the door and drawer front, which is common in Europe but unusual here. The colors include stark black or white, metallic gray and one that looks like an exotic African hardwood.

For the "I want something really different" crowd, KraftMaid offers the Venicia-Mirra collection. The doors have a heavy acrylic finish that's so glossy you can see your own reflection. Two of the four flat-door styles have continuous polished aluminum pulls (the pulls run the full width of each drawer and cabinet drawer), and two door styles have metallic gray edging for both the cabinet doors and drawer fronts.

The cabinet boxes and drawers in the Venicia line are also new. The cabinet boxes are frameless, common in Europe but unusual in this country and a first for KraftMaid. With frameless cabinets, the cabinet box has three sides instead of four, and the doors are hinged to the sides instead of the front. Without a front frame, you gain three inches of width in each cabinet, and you don't have to reach around a center stile when taking things in or out. To give the Venicia kitchen a more unified look, the cabinet interiors match or blend with the door color in the Lustra and Natura collections. In the Mirra group, all the interiors are gray.

The drawers can be either wood or gray metal. (KraftMaid calls this the Contempo drawer.) For either, you can purchase wood or metal dividers and customize your drawer storage to a remarkable degree.

The Venicia line will be available through kitchen and bath dealers and home stores this summer.

Katherine Salant can be contacted atwww.katherinesalant.com.

© 2005, Katherine Salant

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