How to Design a Kitchen Remodel
The design of a kitchen remodel is, for many people, the
most satisfying and fun part of the procedure. While it
is possible to design a beautiful, elegant kitchen by
yourself, you may also want to consider hiring a
professional to help you with your design. A
professional can give you many ideas and introduce you
to new products while staying true to the spirit of your
original design vision. Whether you decide to do all the
design work yourself, or hire a professional, there are
some things to consider that will get you launched on
the right track for your kitchen remodel.
The art of kitchen design is intricately linked to how
you will be using the space. The old saying, form
follows function, has a lot of truth to it. Design is
not only about how things look, but how things are used.
And while most of us no doubt start our dreams of a new
design for our kitchen with visions of a specific look
in mind, space planning is equally important.
The kitchen is often called the heart of the home, and
many distinctive activities take place there besides
cooking. You may routinely linger with a cup of coffee
and the morning newspaper, or feed your family breakfast
before they dash out the door. Your children may like to
do their homework while you cook in the evenings, or
perhaps you and your spouse share cooking duties. Maybe
you regularly host large gatherings, or cook for
intimate dinner parties. All these various activities
will affect your kitchen design, and it is important to
consider them as you begin planning. You will also want
to ponder storage space as you plot your design. Do you
routinely have trouble finding space for all your pots
and pans? Is there enough room for every family member
to sit around the nook? All of these space-use issues
and any other problems you have with your current
kitchen design should be noted. You might want to talk
to each member of the family and see what their concerns
about using space are.
Once you've made a list of problems to fix in your new
plan, the fun part of kitchen remodel design begins, as
you make choices about cabinetry, flooring, countertops,
and lighting. All of these design elements need to work
together to create a coherent design, but that's not
difficult to accomplish with the huge variety of
products available today.
There are a multitude of cabinet options, beginning with
your choice of wood or laminate. If you decide on wood,
you'll need to choose what kind-oak or cherry or birch?
And then there are door styles-plain, curved, recessed
panel, arched? With flooring you need to consider not
only looks but durability and ease of cleaning.
Countertops need to be sturdy and durable, and with the
variety of natural and synthetic choices today, your
design can pair beauty with easy maintenance. Lighting
is also intimately paired with space issues in your
design-are there places in your current kitchen where
you need more light? Is the preparation area currently
too dark? Perhaps you want recessed or track lighting to
increase the brightness, or maybe you prefer an elegant
chandelier.
Begin with these concerns of space and use as you mull
over your kitchen design and the rest will naturally
wall into place. Your kitchen design will not only be a
thing of beauty, it will also be a functional, efficient
space.
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