A Little Ditty, 5 Important thoughts Before Remodeling Your Kitchen
It’s a lot to think about
Remodeling the kitchen is a big job and an important investment in the value of your home. Let’s face it: you prepare all your meals in the kitchen, do homework, pay bills — it’s the heart of the home. You want to be sure to get it right. You want to be sure to come into the project with an open mind ready to explore all of the options. You want to Dream First. You can always narrow down the choices later. And to do it right, you want to be sure you are working with a team that listens to you, prompts you to think about things you may not have thought of, shows you all of the options, pros and cons, and can translate all of that into the kitchen of your dreams. Then you want it all done without a hitch by people who are experts because that is all they do. Here are 5 great tips to ensure a better job and result.
Appliance Selection
Arlene was excited about her appliance selections. They were top of the line and beautiful, and they served her everyday needs nicely. But when it came to whole family gatherings and holidays, she needed more oven space; she was always scrambling to get everything ready at the same time for the large crowd. She wished she had thought about this when she was purchasing her new kitchen. It’s important to give some serious thought to your appliances when remodeling your kitchen AND to make those decisions very early in the design process. What you choose will impact the design, how much cabinetry you can have, and how easily you will be able to function in your new kitchen when it is complete.
Lighting
Carrie made the mistake of putting one ceiling-mounted light in her new kitchen and was very disappointed when it didn’t illuminate the room or her work areas. There is nothing worse than dark spots in your kitchen when you are trying to read a recipe or prepare food. As in any room in the house, the ability to adjust light levels in the kitchen is a great option to consider. When cooking or cleaning up, having a bright light placed in the right way makes the job easier and more pleasant. For leisurely dining and conversation, special occasions or romantic moments, dimmed lights create great ambiance.
Color and Style
We all love those dream kitchens we see in magazines. Barbara remodeled her kitchen based on one of those pictures. She showed it to the store clerk where she purchased her cabinets when they were designing her kitchen, but when it was finished, it just didn’t have the look she wanted. Designing a room involves so much more than just what you put in it. To get the coordinated look and feel you see in the dream kitchen pictures in magazines, you have to consider color, style, and the mood you want to create in the room. How do you want the room to feel? It is how all the little things add up to create the total look you are going for.
Functionality and Storage
Human beings are very adaptable. When we have something we don’t like but can’t really change, we “learn to live with it.” When thinking about the functionality, storage needs, and other kitchen options, Anne forgot how annoying the placement of her refrigerator was, how difficult it was to find storage for her larger pots, and that she had to wipe down the side of the cabinet next to the trash can at least once a day. When you are redesigning your kitchen, it is time to shed all of the things you “learned to live with” and put in the storage and the options that eliminate those problems. The Dream First process helps you learn how to eliminate what you don’t like about your current kitchen. A designer can help you live without those annoyances.
Counter tops
When Cindy thought of counter tops, she thought of one thing: how they were going to match the cabinets. She picked a beautiful granite with lots of interest. It looked great, but because it had so many elements in the stone, it was porous and required more care than she realized. Although she loved the look, she didn’t like the extra care she had to take with it or the work to keep it sealed. There are many different counter top materials, and all have pros and cons. Be sure you are working with a designer who is going to help you understand them and not just let you select based on looks.
Bon Appetit!
Tim Holick