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The kitchen is the center of the house, and is used for many functions. The preparation of food may be the main activity, but this is not the only one. Today, the kitchen serves as a place of meeting for the family, the area for serving meals, the base computer, and the social center.
Remodeling a kitchen will likely be the most expensive and the most durable project that a homeowner will undertake. But this doesn’t have to scare you. To remodel a kitchen, choosing new appliances, flooring, lighting, fixtures, cabinets, and counters may extend beyond three months! Of course, time will be decided by the extent of the project. But in the end, the results will be wonderful and you’ll have added to the value of your home. If you plan to completely remodel your kitchen, I would strongly recommend hiring a professional interior designer and an expert in cooking.
1. Find the help of an interior designer or a kitchen professional
You can find someone who specializes in this particular area of interior design or you could ask someone to guide you to one of the many home improvement centers nationwide. If you pay them just for the design or when the work is completed, it’ll be worth the price and you’ll probably save money in the end.
2. Determining your needs and your budget
There are many elements to consider when remodeling a kitchen, and your budget will determine how much you can do. You will need to decide what to keep and what to change. If you’re a serious cook, undoubtedly more money will be spent on appliances, equipment, and surfaces for preparing food. If you don’t use your kitchen extensively, you need to spend more money on the appearance of the room.
3. Look for quality for your kitchen appliances
The original purpose of a kitchen was to prepare food. Thus, the chosen equipment should be from the highest quality that your budget allows. If you are a gourmet cook, it’s time to make a big investment in the finest tools you can find. Don’t try to pinch pennies because making additions and changing broken stuff will cost a lot more long term.
4. The kitchen cabinetry
The style of the kitchen cabinets sets the style for the entire room. Because most kitchens are an extension of another existing space, they should reflect the style of the rest of the house. Either with natural wood or a painted finish, the cabinets will be the decorative focal point.
5. Colors and materials
Speaking about decorative aspects, the credenza and the wall coverings will play with the cabinet’s look to create a decorative contrast or harmony to set a particular atmosphere. That’s why it can be interesting to play with mood-boards that you grab from scraped catalogs and magazines. This way you’ll find your guidelines for your color and material combinations. For further information, I encourage you to check out this article about mixing various materials in kitchen design.
6. Storage and functional aspects
Storage space is often important in a kitchen and every remodeling project should consider making the kitchen more comfortable and practical. Large deep drawers make it easy to find the pans. An island in the center of a large space provides additional storage and a new work area. The divider tray helps to keep utensils in place. All these elements should be a part of the kitchen’s layout.
7. Sometimes a good kitchen design book can bring new solutions
Since keeping all of this in mind can be difficult if we don’t team with an interior designer or a kitchen professional, a good handbook will be a great companion to work with, especially if our budget is limited. From inspiration to practical work through case studies and checklists, this kind of guidebook will gather and order the most important information for you.
The book from Chris Gleason, Kitchen Makeovers for Any Budget: Layout, Design, Build
