The eighth season of “Brother vs. Brother,” which pits property brothers Jonathan and Drew Scott against each other renovating separate homes room by room, is getting crazier by the minute.
That could be because, for this season, they’ve thrown out all rules. They can spend as much as they want and do whatever they want, wherever they want.
The episode “Who’s King of the Kitchens” has them squaring off on kitchen and dining spaces. Jonathan thinks he has it in the bag, because he’s won every single kitchen competition so far.
“I haven’t lost a challenge yet,” he boasts.
But that just gives Drew more motivation to topple him.
As they both try to go bigger and better, viewers get an invaluable look at some of the property brothers’ favorite kitchen trends that are bound to be big in 2023. Check out what they do to best each other, which might surprise and inspire you to try something similar.
Some of the smartest renovations are ones you can’t see
A large, expensive beam and joists no one will ever see
HGTV
As Jonathan and his team struggle to put new extra-strong metal joists and beams in the ceiling and then hide them under drywall, construction crew member Chris Lumpkin asks, “Can you believe all this work we did inside and no one’s going to see it?”
They also spend an additional $7,000 on something else few will notice: a beam holding up the ceiling in this open space.
“A big-ass kitchen requires a big-ass beam,” says Jonathan.
Yet while the beam and joists are not visible, knowing they’re there makes everyone feel more secure and the house that much stronger. After all, they’ll never have to worry about the roof caving in.
Tech sells (and is good for laughs)
Smart panel
HGTV
“The roof is getting solar panels to power all the kitchen appliances,” says Jonathan.
The solar panels, as well as a zillion other things in the house, will all be controlled by a smart panel, operated from a smartphone.
“Buyers are going to love that I’m making this whole house eco-friendly, starting with a state-of-the-art smart panel that will keep everything running as efficiently as possible,” says Jonathan. “This is what I have in my house. So buyers are going to be able to come into this house, and they’ll say, ‘OK, I’ve looked at 20 houses, and none of them have all of the technology that you have in here.’ All of this technology is supposed to make life easier.”
But there’s a bonus.
“Also, it’s really good for messing with your partner,” says Jonathan as he whips out his phone and launches his smart panel app. “See? I can see that Zooey‘s in the kitchen right now, so I can just turn off all the kitchen lights. She’s going to wonder what in the heck’s going on!”
Hide the oven vent hood
Note the almost invisible vent/hood in the ceiling.
HGTV
No room for a bulky vent over the stove? Jonathan has the solution.
“I have the winning kitchen,” he says. “My hidden ceiling vent hood adds a really slick look to the cooking area.”
He’s right! The vent hood is placed right up, flush with the ceiling, and you can hardly tell it’s there. Streamline to the max!
Save space with a banquette
Drew Scott’s kitchen banquet
HGTV
Meanwhile, over at Drew’s kitchen, he’s weighing the fact that he doesn’t have space to build a 42-inch island and put a family dining table nearby.
“This space is way too skinny,” he observes. “I mean, we don’t have enough room for a proper walking path, we don’t have enough room for the seats for the bar or the seats for the table to work, and I do not want to shrink the size of the island.”
He ruminates on a solution. “I can’t have a 24-inch table. It’s just too skinny. It’s like me, going to the beach with my ‘mankini’ on—that’s way too skinny,” he says.
The answer is to build a banquette against the wall behind the table, so the homeowners won’t need room to pull out chairs on that side. It’s easy enough just to scoot behind the table.
Cabinet drawers are more accessible than doors
Judges admiring the deep kitchen drawers
HGTV
As Drew is designing his kitchen cabinet space, he decides to add more big, deep drawers in his kitchen.
It makes a lot of sense: If you put big appliances or bowls in a cabinet, some of them invariably wind up in the back, and bending over to access them is a real pain. But put them in a drawer, and they slide right out into your hands.
Which property brother’s kitchen is better?
Drew gave himself a $120,000 budget for his kitchen and dining area. But because he extended the room and had to have the banquette built, he came in slightly over budget, at $140,000.
“It was worth it, though, because I have the ultimate big kitchen that will finally beat Jonathan,” he says.
Meanwhile, Jonathan stuck to his $100,000 budget, creating an “amazing, eco-friendly kitchen that I know will stand out to buyers.”
But it’s what the judges think that counts. This time they’ve pulled in celebrity chef Alex Guarnaschelli of “Alex vs. America” and designer Veronica Valencia of the upcoming series “Revealed” to do the judging honors.
They really like Jonathan’s sleek, sophisticated kitchen, but they also appreciate Drew’s whimsical, playful kitchen with the scalloped banquette and checkerboard hood.
And the winner is…
… Drew—for the first time ever!
He wins a date with his wife, Linda Phan, at a Michelin-starred restaurant, set in an art installation, while Jonathan has to serve them. It’s the perfect kitchen design prize (and punishment).
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