When many of us start fantasizing about a dream kitchen, the potential price tag is a jolt of reality. And while traditionally the kitchen was considered a prime home investment for resale purposes, things have changed in this slumping housing market. Real estate agents caution sellers about dumping too much money into a dream kitchen project if homeowners plan on selling in the near future.

''People spend far too much,'' said Lynne Bode, a real estate agent with Remax Results. ``Buyers are looking for a deal right now.''

There used to be a higher payback on very expensive kitchens, she said. According to Remodeling Magazine's cost vs. value report last year, the minor kitchen remodel -- a national average of $21,000 -- offers a slightly better return than a large-scale kitchen renovation. The smaller projects tended to return 74 percent of the cost at resale; those around $57,000 returned about 70 percent at sale, the magazine survey said. Most of the innovations and trends, however, start at the luxury end of the market (think $100,000 kitchens and up). Those products and ideas trickle down to the mass market over a period of years, so they're the best place to look for inspiration.

We surveyed kitchen companies and designers to find out the hottest high-end kitchen trends and searched for ways to fit their best ideas into a low-end budget.

POPS OF COLOR

Bright, bold splashes of color are hitting kitchens in a big way, such as with a $15,000 candy-apple red AGA range on display at Expo Home Design Center (see www.expo.com for locations, including Miami, Davie and Boynton Beach). We also spotted a deep eggplant-colored fridge and matching appliances. Right now, warm, rich Tuscan colors are popular, according to Anne Varel, a designer at Expo. Backsplashes were the most popular spot to see interesting color play, including displays of canary yellow, iridescent tiles or deep shades of red.

Budget-friendly options: Rather than investing thousands in an appliance that may be a permanent fixture, some companies offer appliance panels that may be changed.

Italian appliance company Bertazzoni (for South Florida locations, check www.bertazzoni-italia.com) offers similarly colored appliances for a third of the price of the AGA range. Vice president Joan Hart says they are getting a growing number of orders for the brightly colored European appliance, which creates an ultra-high-end look at a fraction of the cost.

Less permanent color options include adding smaller, free-standing appliances in a favorite color, changing knobs or hardware, lighting fixtures, a splash of tile and of course, by painting.

GO ECO-FRIENDLY

Cabinets can be made of bamboo, which is an environmentally friendly wood choice, but it adds about a 40 percent premium to the cost of standard cabinets, according to Brian Burmeister, designer with Beck/Allen Cabinetry in St. Louis. Lyptus is another sustainable wood option for cabinets.

Budget-friendly options: Certain ''green'' materials, however, are comparable in price or even cheaper than their counterparts. Bamboo or cork floors are gaining in popularity. Using bamboo for flooring is much less expensive than using it for cabinets. Cork, which is a softer material, is especially popular among older homeowners, Expo designer Varel said.

COUNTER INNOVATION

Granite countertops have become so common that high-end clients are asking luxury St. Louis kitchen designers at brooksBerry and Associates, ''What's next?'' They are increasingly using wood, concrete, copper, quartzite and recycled conglomerates for countertops, said Chris Berry, president of the company. Pyrolave countertops are made of enameled lava and cost a small fortune ($220 to $350 a square foot).

Join the discussion

Note: If this is your first time using our NEW commenting system, you will have to LOG OUT and then LOG BACK IN.

The Miami Herald is pleased to provide this opportunity to share information, experiences and observations about what's in the news. Some of the comments may be reprinted elsewhere in the site or in the newspaper. We encourage lively, open debate on the issues of the day, and ask that you refrain from profanity, hate speech, personal comments and remarks that are off point. In order to post comments, you must be a registered user of MiamiHerald.com. Your username will show along with the comments you post. Thank you for taking the time to offer your thoughts.

     Showing: Oldest first Newest first Most-recommended first Least-recommended first

@Nyx.AuthorDisplayName@ wrote on @Nyx.PostedAtTime@:

@Nyx.CommentBody@

@Nyx.Recommender@ @Nyx.AbuseReporter@