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How to Design
a Kitchen Remodel
The design of a kitchen remodel is, for many people, the
most satisfying and fun part of the process. 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 referred to as the heart of the home,
and many different 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 correct 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, starting 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 considerations of space and use as you
ponder 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. |
