Slideshow: Colorful Facades

You won’t see too many builders roughing in butler pantries, secondary prep areas, massive islands, and other foodie indulgences these days. And that’s not necessarily a bad thing. There are plenty of compact kitchens on the market now that are proving yesterday’s excess unnecessary. Casual is in, and with formal dining rooms trending toward passé, it’s perfectly acceptable — if not downright desirable — to mix cooking, eating, and hang-out areas into a single all-purpose workhorse hub that brings people together. Peninsula countertops, which both unify and delineate spaces, can be an especially useful device in small kitchen plans.

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