Realtors agree: Kitchens sell. In fact, homeowners returned 85.2 percent of their investment on minor kitchen remodels and 80.4 percent on major remodels, according to a 2006 Cost vs. Value report in Remodeling magazine, prepared in cooperation with REALTOR Magazine. A minor remodel was defined as one that cost an average of $18,000 and a major remodel claims the heftier price tag of $54,000.

But that doesn't mean that remodeling a kitchen has to be more about the next owner of your home than about yourself. There is plenty of room in the myriad kitchen products and designs on the market today to express your personal style and safeguard your investment at the same time. There's no reason to wait—make yourself a dream kitchen, enjoy it, and cash in on the competitive advantage when it's time to sell.

OPEN FLOOR PLANS

"The biggest trend in kitchens," says Jay Sponenberg, Vice President of Kitchen Associates in Sterling, Massachusetts, "is seeing them as the entertainment center of the home. People want open kitchens that are an extension of the family room; they want a small TV or a computer in the kitchen. It's not just a place for preparing food anymore."

Alan Lavine, of Percy's TV and Appliances in Worcester, Massachusetts, concurs. He says he's selling lots of TVs for the kitchen, both those that flip down from under the cabinets and wireless TVs that sit on the counter.

"I've been wiring speakers into kitchen ceilings," he adds, "so you can listen to the Red Sox on TV in the other room while doing the dishes."

The smaller kitchens found in many condominiums, Sponenberg says, are the toughest to design, but he believes that by making good use of all the available space, condo dwellers can certainly accomplish the integration of the open kitchen concept. I like to use the deep corners where you can't reach," he says. "They're a good place to put a sink or tuck in an oven."

Joseph Ricardi, Sales Manager at Royal Cabinets and Countertops in North Oxford, Massachusetts, says that open floor plans can make small condos feel bigger. He points to his own home as an example.

"I put an open kitchen into my condo," he says, "where the kitchen, dining room and living room are all together with no walls in the way; it just seems bigger than when you go into the condominium next door where they still have the walls up." Ricardi's kitchen, like many open floor plans, features an island, a countertop area that is open on all sides. Some islands include seating on one side; others house an appliance such as a cook top or a range. Many islands will serve as prep centers and include a sink.

Where space doesn't allow for a full island, a peninsula counter, sometimes known as a breakfast bar, can function similarly. Jutting out from a wall, a peninsula counter is open on three sides. Usually, one side faces the kitchen and the other, the living room. Simple fix: replace a wall with a peninsula and you've got an open floor plan!

Lavine says that buying smaller appliances can sometimes make a difference in being able to achieve an open kitchen in a smaller space.

"Everyone wants French door, counter depth refrigerators," he says, so there's room enough to walk around the island without a big fridge sticking out and getting in the way.

Another trend Lavine notes is the beverage center, a 24 inch refrigerator located in a quiet corner of the kitchen island or in a completely different part of the house. "Fill it with wine or soda, snacks for the kids or for guests. People can get what they need without coming into the kitchen," he explains.

The quiet factor of appliances becomes even more important in a kitchen without walls. Lavine highly recommends Miele and Kitchen Aid dishwashers with stainless steel interiors. He says they're excellent for performance and dependability.

MIX AND MATCH MATERIALS

The popularity of kitchen islands has spawned an increased ability to mix and match materials in kitchen design. Sponenberg remembers working with a condominium owner in Marlborough, Massachusetts, who wanted new countertops and a kitchen island but did not want to replace all the cabinets in the original kitchen.

"We couldn't match her cabinets," he says, "but it didn't matter. I suggested a cherry island that had a furniture look to it and complimented her old cabinets. The new countertop unified the island and the original kitchen, and it looked great."

Ricardi's showroom features six kitchens, each with an island. In order to show as many different products as possible, they often put different kinds of cabinets and counter tops in the main kitchen and in the island. He says that what started out as a marketing strategy has turned into fashion. Now, he says, it's not unusual to have customers ask for an exact duplicate of what they see on the showroom floor. There's one in particular, he mentions, that they've done at least four times.

"We used red birch cabinets, which are kind of unusual," he says, "with a cream colored Corian counter top. Then for the island, we used cabinets with a cream glaze, and a dark, speckled Silestone counter. Some of the flecks were cream colored, which tied it all together."

ACCESSORIES

Speaking of countertops, the world of possibility is huge. Some designers suggest that counters and backsplashes are like the jewelry in your kitchen. With a relatively easy swap, you can have a whole new look. Both Sponenberg and Ricardi say that granite is still highly desired. On the other hand, Barbara Ballinger, the Architecture Coach in Realtor Magazine, writes in her compilation of design trends for 2007 that man-made quartz is becoming more popular. She says it's easier to maintain and "looks different from granite, which has lost some of its cachet due to the proliferation of inexpensive variations."

Quartz is a natural material, a mineral found in great abundance throughout the earth. Because of the way it forms, it does not lend itself to being cut into large, flat slabs like granite. As a result, quartz countertops are made of ground quartz crystals — 93% by industry standards — and mixed with synthetic resin. They retain the hardness of stone but can be engineered to a uniform look in a wider variety of colors than a purely natural product. Both shiny and matte finishes are available.

For the more adventurous, try a concrete countertop. Hailed as an environmentally-friendly product because it is made from natural materials and can contain recycled substances, concrete can be formed into many custom shapes and dyed in a wide range of stunning colors.

Backsplashes, because they usually cover a small area, can often be replaced for moderate sums, even when using expensive materials. BuilderOnline, a key information source for the home building industry, says that "glass is probably the hottest material in tiles," and suggests that high-end products used sparingly in accents go a long way in giving the kitchen a custom look.

Another option suggested by BuilderOnline is stainless steel and other metal tiling. A metallic look, they say, is popular in contemporary kitchens and works as well as accents in traditional ones. The Formica Corporation's newest line called DecoMetal offers laminate and solid metal surfaces that "glimmer with the metallic glow of gold, brass, copper, aluminum, steel, and now, graphite and champagne" — designed, they say, "especially for today's vertical interiors."

A glittering backsplash or a shiny granite countertop can really brighten a small kitchen. Take down a wall, add a TV, and your open kitchen will be the one you dream about. And don't forget, the money comes back at resale — go for it!