Must Know Kitchen Remodeling Tips
One of the most popular remodeling projects, kitchen remodels are a great way to give the central hub of your home a fresh new look. When remodeling your kitchen, these design tips will provide you with the right information to make your kitchen the most functional, beautiful space possible. Our kitchen designers are sharing their expert tips for remodeling a kitchen that will help you in creating your dream kitchen.remodeling your kitchen, these design tips will provide you with the right information to make your kitchen the most functional, beautiful space possible. Our kitchen designers are sharing their expert tips for remodeling a kitchen that will help you in creating your dream kitchen.
Keep Your Walkways Wide
A common mistake made during the kitchen remodeling process is not enough added space in the walkways throughout the kitchen. Nobody wants to finish their kitchen remodel only to realize that their kitchen feels cramped when used for everyday tasks. It is vital to design walkways wide enough to allow for comfortable passage throughout the kitchen, particularly when carrying a full tray of food or big pot full of boiling pasta.
As a general rule of thumb, pathways throughout the kitchen should be at least 36 inches wide, while paths within the cooking zone should be 42 inches for a single-cook kitchen or 48 inches for a two-cook kitchen. Designing the width of your walkways will affect the configuration of kitchen islands and peninsulas, so be sure to double check that the overall design still functions correctly with wide walkways and adjust as necessary.
Plan Your Kitchen Around Your Daily Routines
Now it may be tempting to create a trendy and minimalist kitchen, ideal for dinner parties and entertaining. But is this really your lifestyle on a daily basis? Be mindful and practical when planning your kitchen layout to make sure that it meets your actual day-to-day needs. For example, while having only open shelving may look beautiful on Pinterest, if you have four kids who need lunch each day and you need to have containers for their food each day, it may not be the most practical or functional choice for your lifestyle needs.
If you always prepare breakfast in one area of the kitchen, make sure the cabinet space fits the dishware you use for breakfast. If you know which corner you have your coffee pot in, select the storage to house all of your coffee cups, coffee beans, and sweeteners in a way that is organized. A kitchen remodel offers the opportunity for you to design your kitchen to meet your needs rather than adjusting your needs to fit the space, so be sure to create a functional space that fits with your lifestyle.
Plan Your Plugs
One thing many people forget when remodeling their kitchen is to plan where to put power outlets. Before you finalize the design for your kitchen, consider the work zones and where you will want all of your appliances to sit on the counter (and if you will want them to be visible). There are many ways to design your kitchen to hide or showcase countertop appliances, depending on your preferred kitchen aesthetic, but whether you would like your countertop appliances hidden or out on the counter, you will need to plan your power outlets accordingly.
If appliances will be out on the counter, make sure that there are enough outlets to accommodate your daily use appliances, as well as a few extra appliances so that you never have to unplug one appliance to use another. In addition, be sure to place outlets in close proximity to where the appliances will sit on the counter so that you do not have cords running all over the counter detracting from the beauty of your kitchen.
Factor in the Cleanliness of Your Space
Choices in materials, appliances, and finishes will affect how clean your kitchen will look each day, so it is important to consider the potential ramifications of each decision prior to finalizing it. While a solid black granite countertop with white cabinets may seem like the ideal choice, both these materials can be hard to maintain compared to other options. Black countertops tend to show crumbs, spills, and stains much more and over time white cabinets will show hand marks and stains. Be practical about the amount of time you want to spend cleaning your kitchen each week to keep it looking beautiful, and make sure that your aesthetic choices align with your practical, day-to-day reality.
A glossy finish may look more appealing, but matte finishes disguise dirt, dust, and much more. Wire shelves in a refrigerator may be aesthetically pleasing, but won’t catch spills like a glass shelf would. Flush or undermount sinks prevent an unsightly crumb-catching rim from marring the beauty of your remodel. Even the smallest decisions should stand up to practical scrutiny in your kitchen and should aid in making your space appear clean while also being beautiful and functional.
Pick Your Focal Point
Where do you want guests to look when they enter your kitchen? When designing your ideal kitchen space, it is best to pick one focal point where you want to attract attention and then design your kitchen around this space. For some, this may be a sizable chrome range hood, a modern light fixture, or colorful backsplash tile. Make sure not to overwhelm your kitchen design by trying to combine all bold elements as this may lead to a design that is too busy and overwhelming.
When designing a kitchen, choose one main focal point and a few accent details to supplement this focal point. Decide what your ideal kitchen has, and which one feature makes it the most beautiful, and then follow that idea to find the focal point. Your focal point should incite joy, marvel, and appreciation. Make your focal point count and be sure it will give you the reaction you want each and every day.
Consider the Natural Light
An often-overlooked detail in many kitchen remodels in the way in which the natural light will interact with the designed space. Beginning with walls drawn on a sheet of paper and designing your kitchen from there is a good start, but can sometimes hinder you from considering natural light in the space of your kitchen. Take your paper design and bring it into your kitchen with you and then watch the patterns of natural light as they occur throughout the day.
Once you see how the light currently interacts with the space, determine if you want more natural light let into the space and how to achieve that goal. Many people do not realize the significant impact natural light can have on the beauty of a space. There is a reason that catalogs often show kitchens bathed in natural light; it is because that is the way in which the space will be more aesthetically pleasing. To make your kitchen catalog perfect, it is extremely important to consider the unique natural light in your space and plan accordingly.
Keep the Plumbing Where It Is
One major cost in a kitchen remodel is to move plumbing to accommodate a change in appliance layout. This kitchen remodeling tip could save you a significant amount of money. If possible, it is best to keep the plumbing where it is as it can be extremely costly to move. Utilizing the existing utility and piping layout will save you money that can then be reallocated to upgrade finishes, materials, appliances, or to add on additional desirable features. Current estimates put each move of existing plumbing architecture at costing approximately $5,000, making it a frugal financial move to maximize on the existing utility and piping layout.
Refinish vs. Replace
One of costly aspect of most kitchen remodels is the purchase of all-new, custom cabinetry. While custom cabinets are ideal and beautiful, they are not always the best budgetary choice. If getting all new cabinets will sink your budget, there are many other solutions that can help you upgrade your existing cabinetry to fit your new kitchen. Refacing existing cabinets with a fresh coat of paint or upgrading hardware can make it seem as if you redid your cabinets.
Another tactic to add interest to existing cabinets is to replace some doors with glass. Having a few glass cabinets throughout the kitchen to showcase beautiful dishware, a wine collection, or a coffee station can instantly upgrade your kitchen and make it feel more high-end. Another strategy to maximize your cabinets is to make the existing cabinets more functional by adding in spacing, structure, and features to make the cabinets fit your needs. This will cost a fraction of what all-new cabinets would but can often achieve the same end. If the insides of your cabinets appear dirty and out-of-date, try lining all of your cabinets and painting the insides to make them feel fresh, clean, and worthy of your remodeled space.
Avoid Short-Term Trends When Picking Large Features
While it can be appealing to make your kitchen trendy, it can sometimes backfire over time. Trends change quickly and what may seem perfect today may be unimaginable in three years. A kitchen is a space you will be in each and every day for the duration of your tenure in your home, making it one of the most important spaces in your home. While incorporating some current trends into your kitchen is a good idea, it is best to think through large features and make sure that they are what you will want long-term. Make sure that the decisions you make on large features are timeless and will not sway with changing trends.
Use these kitchen remodeling tips to make sure you end up with the kitchen of your dreams. At Remodel Works we are design-build experts that can help bring your projects to life. Contact us today at 858-413-2305 or request a free quote.
