Retiring boomers plus the proliferation of cooking shows on TV has led to more men in the kitchen. It’s a trend that Chicago’s Michael Menn, principal of Michael Menn Ltd., sees with his many 50-and-over clients. “Part of my discovery process is asking how the kitchen will be used. Who cooks? Who cleans? In many cases, the husband really gets into it,” Menn says.
In this Italianate home, the couple wanted a Tuscan kitchen. The husband spends a lot of time making his own fresh pasta and cooking for large family gatherings. The wife does all the baking. She has “her” counter space and two pop-up areas on the island that hide her MixMasters. He has “his” prep sink.
The standard sales perception is that women are the ones who really make the remodeling decisions — especially when it comes to kitchens. But that perception is changing. So it’s important to remember to also consider men when designing what were traditionally thought of as women’s spaces. —Stacey Freed, senior editor, REMODELING.