Congratulations to the Interior Design and Architectural teams at Santa Cruz Green Builders for winning the coveted Best of Houzz award for 2026 in the Design Services category.
The team was called out in particular for an ADU project we completed on the West Side of Santa Cruz.
Fair Ave New Home and ADU
Explore the winning project selected as this year’s Best of House 2026
Natural light, low cabinetry, communal gathering spaces, and remote workplaces: Explore this Santa Cruz kitchen remodel in our Project Gallery
In a recent conversation in our design studio, our interior design team noted that the kitchen as centerpiece wasn’t always this way. Going back in history, kitchens were often located in the basement where food could be prepared out of sight. By the 20th century, the kitchen was elevated into the home, but even then it was often hidden in the corner and behind closed doors.
Today the trends have flipped, and our team believes the kitchen of the future will become even more central. The kitchen is where people spend the most time in their home, and in our work with homeowners, it’s also where they spend the most money when remodeling or building a new home.
We asked our Interior Design team to weigh in on the top trends homeowners should consider when designing for the future:
Inside our design studio
Gas stoves have long been the standard in high-end kitchens, but the future of homebuilding in Santa Cruz is electric, Darling predicts. Foodies fear not. Advances in technology have elevated the electric induction range to perform equal to or better than a gas appliance, while also offering a safer and cleaner option. “You get the same control and power of gas, sometimes even better, but there’s zero gas exhaust entering your home,” he says. “Not to mention, you get the easy-to-clean solid surface.”
Say goodbye to ornate, bulky cabinets and hello to streamlined, frameless modular cabinet designs, says Interior Designer Genevieve Absey. “Frameless cabinets became popular in Europe but we’re seeing our clients choosing them more and more.”
Frameless cabinets have more usable storage space than traditional face-framed cabinets, Absey explains, and they can cost less, while also presenting a more clean, contemporary and uninterrupted aesthetic.
Absey also suggests cabinet doors will wane in favor of more drawers and pull-outs. “No doors,” she says. “Drawers are much more easy to access and operate, and allow you to utilize every inch of storage space.”
Frameless cabinets create a sleek and even look. Explore this Santa Cruz kitchen remodel in our Project Gallery
“I would say natural materials are making a comeback,” says Cody Work, an interior designer on the team. “People were crazed about engineered quartz for a while but we are seeing more requests for natural countertops like marble and soapstone.”
When consulting with homeowners on countertops, Work notes they are often are weighing the pros and cons of natural versus engineered materials. For example, leaving a cut onion or lemon face down on the countertop for too long may leave a mark.
"The fact that natural stone patinas is actually what attracts people to it,” Work says. “It makes a house feel more lived in and timeless.”
Stainless steel kitchen appliances may be the workhorses of your kitchen, but they don’t have to stand out. In the kitchen of the future, appliances are designed to blend in, seamlessly integrated into the kitchen cabinetry, all three designers agree.
Hidden refrigerators, panel-ready dishwashers, warming drawers, and beverage fridges provide great function while also helping kitchens feel less cluttered and more cohesive. These upgrades enhance both convenience and luxury, catering to the way people truly use their kitchens.
“My kids love getting drinks out of our beverage refrigerator,” Darling adds. “And it’s nice to have the fridge not be the go-to place for everything.”
Modern design details like an induction range, concealed appliances, and a beverage fridge, sets up this new home for a bright future of function and family gatherings. Explore more photos in the Project Gallery.
Nothing elevates a kitchen like ample natural light. Expansive windows, skylights, and glass doors are becoming key features in modern kitchen design, as those products continue to improve and offer great energy performance.
One design trend that’s helping to make room for more windows is a reduction of upper cabinets, Darling says. Instead prioritizing that wall space for floating shelves to display art and objects, or adding more windows.
One sink is no longer enough in the kitchen of the future. Homeowners may want to consider multiple faucets and sinks to streamline cooking and cleaning: A prep sink on the kitchen island, a pot filler over the stovetop, and even a dedicated hand-washing station are becoming must-haves, and not just at the high-end. "It’s all about optimizing workflow and convenience," says Absey. "When you have multiple people cooking, extra faucets make a huge difference."
“When we are designing a new kitchen, we are thinking about how it is much more than a place to cook. We want to build a timeless space that is efficient, beautiful, and adaptable so it can easily be updated over time. The kitchen should enhance everyday living and make your day more enjoyable.”
By embracing some of these ideas, you can design a kitchen that is not only more stylish and functional, but will also stand the test of time.
Contact us to learn more about working with our design/build team on your remodeling or new construction project.
Our house. Featured in Dwell Magazine Nov/Dec 2024. View the Photo Gallery
If you’re thinking about designing and building a new home or remodeling your existing home, you have probably read Dwell Magazine or have come across its stellar architectural photography on Pinterest or around the web.
For those of you who plan to consume the next issue (Nov/Dec 2024) published this week online and on newsstands, we can’t wait for you to turn to page 78. That’s where you’ll find a story about the special house we built on Fair Ave in Santa Cruz.
Author Kelly Vencill Sanchez shares the rich history of the historic plot of land it’s built on, which dates back to the 1940s when the eccentric “Kitchen Brothers” owned the property and erected a series of elaborate stone and masonry structures that were later preserved by the city as historic landmarks.
Sanchez also explores how its architecture and design is one of a selection of homes that define the current state of American design: “Optimistic American Architecture.”
Editors write in their annual issue: “This year, we’re highlighting work that shines through an acrimonious moment—and makes the case for optimism.”
The two-story home is designed in collaboration with Young America Creative (thisisya.com) and showcases a host of materials, systems, and building practices that embody the elements of a green home, like the smart use of passive solar design, which allows the house to essentially heat and cool itself, saving on energy and making it more comfortable to live in.
Text by Kelly Vencill Sanchez
Photos by Nicholas Albrecht
We had a great time volunteering our time with Habitat for Humanity helping to get two new houses off the ground!
“Spencer Keenan and almost his whole team at Santa Cruz Green Builders sacrificed two days of work doing construction to, well, do construction. On December 9th and 10th, the Green Builders crew joined Habitat for Humanity…”
Have you ever thought about building an Accessory Dwelling Unit (ADU) on your property in Santa Cruz, but did not know where or how to start? Are you interested in learning about rough costs for these smaller homes? Do you want to learn about the process, how long it is likely to take, and some good design guidelines to make small spaces feel larger? Do you want to learn how to determine if an ADU can be built on your property? Are you wondering how a design and construction firm may help you with a project like this, and what exactly they do?
During this comprehensive workshop at Cabrillo, we’ll cover:
How to determine ADU feasibility on your property
How to get started
The process for designing and building an ADU
Rough costs for ADU's of different sizes, building on a slope, cost of utilities, different costs by city/region, water meter fees
Value engineering - how to save money during design and construction
Design concepts and ideas for making small spaces work
Possible uses for ADU's
Timeframe for the entire process
Overview of how a loan can be used for construction, and payoff time
Common pitfalls
We are excited to be teaching this course!
UPDATE: If you missed our February class, you can still sign up for the next class at Cabrillo on May 9!