Men at Work

The woman’s place of choice is not always in the home and the man’s preferred place is more often than not – in the kitchen. Men love to cook, entertain, and make decisions about how the kitchen is designed.

“Men want simplistic, straight lines, and less upkeep in the kitchen. ... Lighting is more hidden,” said Pamela Short, Sales Associate and Designer for Design House Kitchens & Appliances, L.L.C., in Chantilly. “They’re getting on-line and researching. Clients (men and women) are becoming more educated.”

Men are often in the forefront of the kitchen, even when there is a little woman in the household. “More men want to be involved, even if it’s still up to the wife,” she said.

And what are they looking for in culinary décor? Cool, dark, and uncluttered. Men seem to prefer the clean look and feel of stainless steel and the blacks, bisque, and mahogany colors, said Short. They like granite counters without a lot of appliances left out on them.

While many women like things on the counter at their finger tips, men seem to like everything put away, including cords and chargers. In fact Short is called upon often to design phone centers that may include magnetic, chalk or push pin message boards. Everything is made to match the kitchen so that phones or boards blend in.

Many clients are tired of seeing chargers, for every electronic gadget in the house, on the counter. “iPods, BlackBerrys, Day Timers ... they don’t want to see this all over the place and they don’t want to see wires hanging out,” said Short. So she can design a center where these devices are plugged in, but hidden from view. And the phone center can be designed to completely disappear into the woodwork when it’s time to cook. She has even designed bulletin boards made of stainless steel.

Many men are also realizing how far the family kitchen has come. Today, it is a focal point for entertainment and an important part of the house as a whole. “They want to be a part of the fun while they are cooking,” Short said. “And the kitchen is so beautiful you don’t want to close it off.”

Many homeowners are becoming increasingly concerned about the environment and there are many ways to live “greener.” As far as cooking there is the induction cooktop, by GE which is ninety-nine percent efficient, using most of its energy for good, said Mark Romeo, sales manager at Appliance Connection in Woodbridge.

There are four models at Appliance Connection that demonstrate induction cooking. While most people guess it takes 6-8 minutes to boil six cups of water, induction cooking does it in just under four minutes. “People are really impressed,” said Romeo. “It’s pretty exciting.”

Induction cooking uses a cooktop that controls and intensifies heat using electromagnetism. Basically the pot is used as the element that cooks the food, so the cooktop surface doesn’t get as hot as others. While having the same instant control as gas induction cooktops perform faster. You won’t get overflows and spills won’t stick to the surface.

The coolness of stainless steel is popular and brands like Thermador, with its professional series, are often used for the more masculine touch. There’s the 48-inch Pro Grand Dual-Fuel Range with STAR Burners, electric griddle and gas grill. It easily handles big batches of pancakes, French toast, and eggs. And the gas grill features a titanium surface that is easy to clean and dishwasher safe. This item will run you about $10,150.

For the refrigerator, Thermador has a 48” stainless side-by-side with Professional handles and internal ice. It has an adjustable temperature meat storage drawer and a special holiday mode which complies with religious holiday observances. This refrigerator starts at $8,050.

The staff at Design House Kitchens and Appliances, L.L.C., can be reached at 703-263-2700 or at www.webdhk.com. And for more information, call Appliance Connection at 703-492-7283.

– L.A. Eaton
Staff