Homeowners are increasingly mindful of the need to keep costs down when renovating their kitchens, an expert has said.Eliot Sefrin, editorial director of Kitchen Bath Design News, argued that there has been a marked transition from years of uncompromised, more-is-better luxury, to a new era where design preferences are more in tune with economic realities.He suggested that conspicuous consumption is no longer considered cool, adding that non-essential kitchen additions and alterations are now being reassessed and put off to a later date.Elsewhere, Mr Sefrin observed that cost-conscious homeowners have become more inclined to search for professional renovators who can make the most out of their limited funds.Homeowners are searching for designers who are creative, but equally mindful of budgets that have been pinched, he said.Susan Kitzman-Erickson of Kitzmans Rockford Design Studio in the US recently told WickedLocal.com that adding a tile backsplash can be an inexpensive but dramatic way of changing the look of a kitchen sink area.