.floatimg-left-hort { float:left; margin-top:10px; margin-right:10px; width:300px;} .floatimg-left-caption-hort { float:left; margin-right:10px; margin-bottom:10px; font-size: 10px; width:300px;} .floatimg-left-vert { float:left; margin-top:10px; margin-right:15px; width:200px;} .floatimg-left-caption-vert { float:left; margin-right:10px; margin-bottom:10px; font-size: 10px; width:200px;} .floatimg-right-hort { float:right; margin-top:10px; margin-left:10px; margin-bottom:10px; width: 300px;} .floatimg-right-caption-hort { float:left; margin-right:10px; margin-bottom:10px; width: 300px; font-size: 10px; } .floatimg-right-vert { float:right; margin-top:10px; margin-left:10px; margin-bottom:10px; width: 200px;} .floatimg-right-caption-vert { float:left; margin-right:10px; margin-bottom:10px; width: 200px; font-size: 10px; } .floatimgright-sidebar { float:right; margin-top:10px; margin-left:10px; margin-bottom:10px; width: 200px; border-top-style: double; border-top-color: black; border-bottom-style: double; border-bottom-color: black;} .floatimgright-sidebar p { line-height: 115%; text-indent: 10px; } .floatimgright-sidebar h4 { font-variant:small-caps; } .pullquote { float:right; margin-top:10px; margin-left:10px; margin-bottom:10px; width: 150px; background: url(http://www.dmbusinessdaily.com/closequote.gif) no-repeat bottom right !important ; line-height: 150%; font-size: 125%; border-top: 1px solid; border-bottom: 1px solid;} The kitchen used to be a place to cook food. Period.

Today, it also serves as a place to socialize, surf the Internet, finish homework and even do laundry. To accommodate this multitasking world we’ve become accustomed to, kitchen remodeling remains a top project for homeowners, who are faced with an endless array of choices. Many of them are willing to dish out big bucks to transform their tiny kitchens into comfortable, functional and stunning centers in their homes.

For example, “it used to be that granite was something that was used as a luxury,” said Chaden Halfhill, president of the design/build company Silent Rivers Inc. “Now it’s becoming an expectation. People’s standards continue to mature and expand.”

The investment is worth it, Halfhill said. According to Remodeling magazine’s Cost vs. Value report for 2006, an average upscale kitchen remodel of $107,973 produces a 75.9 percent return when the house is sold.

Halfhill said a full kitchen renovation can range from $300 to $1,000 per square foot. Chris Brown, a sales and marketing representative for Kinter Construction Co., said his company works on kitchen remodels ranging from $60,000 to well over $100,000.

“It’s really easy to spend that kind of money,” Brown said. “There are so many different extravagant products to put in there. The kitchen is the main focus of the house, and you want that to be as comfortable as possible.”

When it comes to a style, there is no trend, said Halfhill; it’s based on personal taste. But there are some standard features that everyone wants these days.

First of all, people want a multifunctional unit, which can be a challenge, according to Debbie Bohnsack, a remodeler at Builders Kitchen & Supply Co. “Remodeling is a challenge,” she said. ” They’re living in old digs and their space is not planned for modern appliances, so they have to choose whether to destroy the original integrity of the room and try to incorporate a bunch of little rooms into one larger one or adjust their needs to fit the home.”

Many kitchens today have a small office, a social area with a couple of bar stools and even a washer and dryer with counter space on which to fold clothes. To accommodate these activities, people are planning the layout of their kitchen ahead of time to ensure that traffic will flow well, and often create different centers for cooking, eating and other activities.

People also want their kitchens to better connect with the rest of the house, said Shawn Leonard, a designer for Silent Rivers, and many are starting to use their formal dining rooms only for special occasions, putting tables for everyday use in thier kitchens.

After a plan is set, it comes down to details, said Halfhill, which is when homeowners become very involved. Brown said, “A lot of people want the ‘wow’ factor,” which might be created with lava-stone countertops or flooring made from trees pulled out of the Mississippi River.

Appliance packages can range anywhere from $25,000 to $100,000, said Halfhill. This can include a separate freezer and refrigerator or multiple refrigerators that double as drawers near food preparation stations and the sink, , and a dishwasher so silent that a light shining from the bottom gives the only clue that it’s running. The only appliance that may have reduced in size is the microwave oven, Leonard said, because people are using it less often.

Cabinet design is moving from the French country look, which has heavy glazed finishes, heavy moldings and carvings, to a simpler design, Bohnsack said. Many people are using rich woods, said Brown, such as maple and cherry.

Granite is still the common choice for countertops, but some people are going for more solid surfaces such as Corian or concrete, said Brown. Countertops also are being custom-built to the height people need to perform certain tasks.

Sinks come in all kinds of materials, said Brown, but the main trend is to put the sink below the countertop, which makes it easy to wipe debris from the counters into the sink. He also said that some faucets come with a pedal that you can step on to turn the water on, which makes it easy to fill pots.

When it comes to lighting the room, Leonard likes halogen lights, which are warmer and closer to sunlight than fluorescents. He also likes to add dimming capabilities to transform a sunlight room into a more romantic space.

Finally, wood is in when it comes to floors, and Brown said many people are using more exotic varieties. He also said environmentally friendly products such as bamboo are becoming more common.

With so many options, it’s easy to get discouraged at this point, but the photos on these pages offer a stunning example of one West Des Moines couple’s new dream kitchen.