Jodi participated in the August At Home Webinar, sponsored by KitchenAid, and hosted by The Boston Globe. Moderated by writer Marni Katz, the panel included interior designers Healther Alton and Tyler Karu. In case you missed it, click the link to watch the webinar.

“People are spending more time in the kitchen right now and they want to remodel,” explained Jodi. “This goes for primary and secondary homes where people are in quarantine. They aren’t dining out or buying as many prepared foods as in the past, and they’re not going to the store as often. Families are cooking together and trying out new recipes.”

Jodi also pointed out that men are doing more cooking and they like the latest gadgets. Smart appliances have grown in popularity. One of the most requested appliances is a steam oven as seen in this Wayland kitchen below.

“People love steam ovens; they do everything except boil water and pop popcorn. They’re fabulous for bakers as you can proof your dough in them. Try can put a dozen eggs in a cardboard carton in a steam oven to hard boil them,” Jodi says. “They’re great for lobster and make incredible pizza. They steam vegetables quickly without oil and restores moisture to dried out leftovers. You can tell it what you want to cook and it determines when to put each dish in.” We agree, that’s pretty darn smart.

The steam ovens come in a variety of sizes and there are full-sized ovens that have the steam option. There are also speed ovens which combine microwave and convection technologies.

Induction Cook Tops

Another technology gaining in popularity is the induction cooktop. “They cook concisely, like gas, and do not need big ventilation systems. That works well in multi-unit buildings,” Jodi explains. KitchenVisions specified an induction cooktop for this 68 square foot kitchen city condominium.

Eating Together

Another phenomenon that has taken place during the Covid-19 era is that people are eating together. With all of the cooking and eating taking place - not to mention homework from home schooling and work from home situations - kitchen islands have become prized areas in our central hubs. The Sudbury kitchen below features two islands - one a dedicated work space with a butcher block surface and one with stools for eating and storage on the other side.

Many KitchenVisions projects involve taking down walls which allows spaces to open to one another. Often we can then fit a larger island into the kitchen. Read more about reconfiguring spaces and islands on some of our earlier blog posts.

Thank you

We want to thank The Boston Globe and staff there, Marni Katz, and KitchenAid for giving us the opportunity to participate in the August At Home Webinar.