Here are some of the hottest kitchen trends in interior design and renovation that suit city life, and bring home and hearth for those who eat, as well as for those who cook.

Go with the Flow:

And make your kitchen an integral part of your living area with open spaces. An open kitchen allows everyone to hang out while the pasta sauce is simmering on your stove, while you pay your bills, or while the kids have their after school snack in the kitchen table. When you look out from your kitchen, isn't it nice to see your living area, a glimpse of the dining room, and maybe even a view from your living room window?

Continue your flooring from the kitchen to the living room to create a feeling of space.

An Island Adventure:

Having an island is becoming more and more functional in today's kitchen. There are eating islands with bar stools, there are cooking islands with a stove top, and very often an oven, and there are preparation islands, equipped with a second sink, a garbage disposal, and lots and lots of drawers for easy access. If you can plan your kitchen with an island in mind you will benefit from beautiful design and a convenient work area that will provide your kitchen with extra space.

Clean it Up!

One of the hippest trends in kitchen design is imported from Europe. Long, clean lines, kitchen cabinets all at the same height, lots of stainless steel, clean cabinet doors with simple handles, and long stretches of open counter space. The resulting look is clean, crisp, and modern. You can twist the modern look by curving your angles - make your island half-moon shaped rather than rectangular, or one part of your counter and cabinets flow with a sweeping curve. To complete the look add stainless steel appliances.

Culture Shock:

A recent trend in kitchen design is to apply an ethnic look and feel to the kitchen, emphasizing a specific country style: Santa Fe, Tuscan, French modern, Old English, Mexican, Spanish, and so on. The important thing when doing your kitchen cultural, is to pick one theme and stick to it. Don't mix and match too much - Santa Fe styles have more than enough color on their own without mixing in Provencal. These kitchens are usually more "country," than modern, but certainly are homey, and when well designed, a masterpiece to eat in!

Steel Sharp:

Stainless steel is back, as the lit torch for modern, sleek, new kitchens. High-end kitchens tend to emphasize the shiny (or matte ) steel design in appliances, cabinet fixtures and assorted kitchen accessories.

Stainless steel gives your kitchen an extremely clean feeling. It appears sanitary, and it gives a kitchen that "this is a real cooking place" feeling. Stainless steel countertops and appliances are very popular at restaurants and large kitchens.

Colorful Appliances:

Some of the bolder home decorators are brining color to their kitchen appliances. It started with the rainbow hues of the KitchenAid mixer, and has more recently been seen on refrigerators, ovens, blenders, and even Aga stoves. This unique touch of color on appliances that used to be white, beige, or steel at best, is bringing even more life to the new center of the house. A red refrigerator, a purple Aga, or even a cheerfully yellow KitchenAid can give your kitchen that extra spicy punch!