Hot trends for home remodeling

Decisions, decisions. Whether you're building a brand-new home or pondering a kitchen makeover, there are dozens of big and small details to lose sleep over.

We've enlisted architects Marcy Schulte, Sarah Nettleton, Geoffrey Warner and John Vetter to share their perspectives on hot home trends and the most popular projects, sustainability and making the most of your budget.

Kitchens

Q What's hot in kitchens?

MS: Everyone wants an eat-in kitchen and a large working island because there are more social activities around food, wine and cooking. We often knock down walls and open up the kitchen to the family room or other spaces. We turned a separate kitchen and dining room in a 1980s builder home into one big room.

SN: Kitchens are the No. 1 remodeling project because it's the part of the house that feels the most dated and typically done in the style of the era the home was built. What people want today goes back to the farmhouse idea of the kitchen as the heart of the home -- with cooking on one side and a big table for seating on the other side. Now it's updated with a center island, easy pullout drawers and walk-in pantries. Today's kitchen fits more seamlessly aesthetically with the rest of the house.

GW: The party always happens in the kitchen, and people want it open to the rest of the house. Big center islands give you enough room to spread out, cook and work on a laptop. We use a lot of stock Ikea cabinets -- they're cost-effective, and people like the clean look. Granite is still popular because it's cheaper now. But a lot of people are attracted to salvaged marble -- it's softer and can stain, but they like the tactile qualities.

Bathrooms

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Hot trends for home remodeling