These days, it seems as if manufacturers and retailers are on an endless quest to modernize the kitchen, modifying its decor to become more sleek and high-tech, and its function to become lower-maintenance.

Among the most sought-after amenities and design features available to homeowners right now are stainless-steel appliances, concrete floors, granite countertops and flat cooktops. Contractors are commanding -- and receiving -- high prices to install such features in existing homes. And homebuyers with deep pockets are closing on single-family homes, townhomes and condominiums priced well into the $200s and above, due in part to these modern features. The kitchen is a decision-maker for any prospective homebuyer. After all, it's where we spend a significant portion of our time, whether it's cooking, flipping through the newspaper, chatting on the telephone or congregating around the kitchen table with family or friends. With that fact in mind, builders are pulling out all the stops to make their kitchens attention-grabbers.

Head to any home show or high-tech show around the United States, and you'll be treated to a dizzying array of choices currently available for your kitchen, as well as a preview of what's to come this century. Realizing that people are more time-pressed than ever, the kitchen and bath industries have responded -- sometimes to amusing extremes. Consider some of the innovations we can look forward to in the 21st century (no word yet on exactly when these products will be rolled out in major department stores, or how much they'll cost):

Published: July 5, 2000

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