Kitchen Remodeling Decisions
We know how you feel. You’re finally in the market for new kitchen, the one you’ve always wanted, your dream kitchen, but then you started doing research and feel the anxiety every homeowner feels when they realize the endless possibilities that exist when remodeling a kitchen. While kitchens can come in endless varieties based on size, budget, and taste, the decision to pursue a kitchen remodel don’t have to be any more stressful than it needs to be. Below, we offer you a kitchen remodel guide to help you understand the best ways for starting a kitchen remodel with a high quality kitchen designer.
KITCHEN REMODELING DECISIONS
Kitchen Remodeling Doesn’t Have to be Overwhelming
This is one phrase we can’t stress enough. Remodeling is a simple process once you know the parameters involved, how the process works and what part you play in a successful kitchen remodel. A lot of the stress that people feel from the remodeling process can stem from a single design choice that is made before you even start. During the consultation and design phase, you need to visualize what you want based on design templates, pictures of completed installations and samples from manufacturers and designers. For some people, visualizing what they want their kitchen to look like can be extremely challenging, which makes deciding on what you want and how to properly accommodate your designs more complicated than anticipated.
Fortunately, the design process for a major remodel does not rest on your shoulders. Kitchen designers are specialists trained not only to help you through renovation projects and create kitchen design for your kitchen based on your input but also to walk you through the potential impacts of various decisions and how the design and installation process will unfold. The talent of kitchen designers, which are different than interior designers, is that they provide an overall vision for the project and help to determine what new appliances, cabinetry, hardware, and other fixtures will complement each other to make your kitchen as functional, beautiful, and enjoyable as possible.
KITCHEN REMODELING DECISIONS
Factors You Will Need To Consider
When going through the design and decision-making phase, here are a variety of factors that you should consider in order to ensure that your kitchen remodel is completed perfectly.
KITCHEN REMODELING DECISIONS
Cabinets are Critical
Cabinets may seem like relatively simple and innocuous storage areas, but the right new kitchen cabinets makes your space livable and harmonizes with the other components. In order to integrate your cabinets into the overall design scheme and create a functional kitchen, there are various characteristics you need to evaluate for your new space. First step is what style of cabinet would you like? The major style considerations are relative to the door shape: inset, framed or frameless. Inset cabinet doors fit within the cabinet frame for a seamless transition. framed cabinets have an additional frame supporting the door to the cabinet, which adds extra support. Frameless cabinets lack the frame and many find them to have a sleeker look, as is popular in Europe and the US with potential buyers
You will also need to consider the style of the door frame. Here are some style options: shaker, which has a rectangular inlay; slab, which is a solid piece of wood; recessed panel, which has a beveled inlay. There are also doors that have special moldings attached or ornate trim work on the edges that will often require custom fabrication.
In addition to the door style, the composition of the door is also important. Cabinets can be constructed entirely from wood, but often they will be made from a variety of products including wood, plywood, medium density fiberboard (MDF), or particle board with various quality of materials. The cabinet doors, particularly with custom cabinets, will generally be made of wood. The type of wood used will affect the look, durability, staining types and cost of the cabinets. Wood choices include cherry, maple, walnut, mahogany or oak, with maple being considered one of the best but one of the most expensive cabinet wood choices.
You should also take into consideration who is manufacturing and constructing your cabinets. Do you want Chinese-made cabinets, which usually are less expensive but include less durable parts and less durable construction? Conversely, factory-assembled semi-custom cabinets allow a more consistent and precise end result due to the quality of manufacturing practices and will include such techniques as dovetailed joints for draws which adds greater stability and durability.
Quality cabinets will also come pre-assembled from the factory, whereas those of lesser quality will often require site assembly before installation which will increase labor costs. The construction also affects which materials are used. New cabinets made entirely of solid wood will be the most durable but the most expensive.
Most often, custom cabinets will be made with a combination of solid wood for doors and plywood or particleboard for the cabinet box. Plywood is often used for factory assembled cabinets, though cabinets can be completely customized which allows for a range of materials and to be used based on preferences.
As important to the composition and style of the cabinets is the finish. Many like to use stains, especially to bring out the grain of solid wood. Paint is always a popular finish that allows you to customize your cabinets and match them with your overall color scheme with different colors. Distressing and weatherizing are also popular finishes that create a used look with the help of sanding, paint thinners or special stains.
In addition to the color of the actual cabinets, choosing the right decorative hardware will bring the finishing touches to your cabinetry. When it comes to choosing knobs, hinges and latches, the possibilities are nearly endless.
Make sure that you take into account how the interior of your cabinets is configured. Drawer dimensions and positions can be variable, especially if the cabinets are custom-made, however, drawers will be more expensive than the base cabinets with doors. The dimensions of your cabinets will be limited by the confines of your kitchen.
Are you looking to use tall cabinets to maximize storage in a small space, to use stacked cabinets to cover the wall above a large countertop, or to use custom cabinets to help to create an airiness relative to an open concept?
You can even add corbels or ornate trim to cabinets, though the presence of cabinets will affect the trim work and molding that can be applied around your kitchen. Ultimately, the size of your kitchen will be one of the determining factors in how many, how large, and what style cabinets you can choose.
KITCHEN REMODELING DECISIONS
Lighting, Appliances, and Overall Design
Once you’ve walked through the seemingly endless cabinet considerations, you also need to consider the other aesthetic and functional components. Lighting is a crucial component of a usable and presentable kitchen. When considering lighting, you should determine whether you want any cabinet lighting, which may require special wiring or electrical work, undercabinet lighting to illuminate countertops, uplighting from the floor, or recessed lighting within the ceiling. Effective lighting is also determined by bulb usage, such as LED, incandescent, fluorescent or compact fluorescent. This will also affect the temperature of the lighting, which affects how the bulb is situated as well the light that’s emitted and how it illuminates the space.
Once you have the lighting squared away, the countertop plays a critical role in tying your kitchen together. If you cook, you want a countertop that has durability or longevity. You probably also want a countertop that is presentable and, since it occupies an exceptional amount of space, ties the room together.
Granite counters are still very popular but countertops come in a variety of materials, from natural stones to composite, cement to tile. In addition to its composition, countertops can vary based on the detailing. You may also want to consider multiple countertops, whether for additional cooking space, such as with a butcher block island, or for storage purposes.
Lastly, when it comes to countertops, you will also need to take into account the backsplash, people often opt for a ceramic tile backsplash. It’s not just a functional component that prevents moisture and kitchen contents from getting onto walls but it also provides an excellent aesthetic showcase. You can have the backsplash as a continuation of your countertop or have a custom made backsplash from tile, stone, composite or other materials.
When it comes to functionality, especially if you use your kitchen often, kitchen appliances are critical. When doing a kitchen remodel, high-end appliances are a great opportunity if you are seeking to upgrade or renovate the space entirely. Do you prefer gas or electric? Do you prefer stainless steel composition or overlay panels? Do you want one oven or a stacked combination? Have you been dreaming of other accessories, such as a wine cooler, ice machine, warming drawer or steam ovens? All of these considerations are critical during the design phase to help create the perfect cooking space.
Lastly, new flooring is the part that ties your kitchen together. There are an endless amount of flooring types, including tile, laminate, vinyl, or even bamboo among other hardwood floors though you want to consider the foot traffic and subflooring; always remember that kitchens tend to be spaces that endure a lot of traffic and can get wet on occasion so you to choose the right materials.
With that in mind, options always abound as to whether you want to open your kitchen up to another room, such as a dining room area, or close it off to create a breakfast nook. You can add or remove a kitchen island, change plumbing locations, change the electrical configuration or add ventilation depending on what functionality or aesthetic you are seeking. In the end, the design stage is the most important time to take advantage of a kitchen remodel guide so you can get what you want.
When all is said and done
Every project is unique, every design is different and every kitchen is special because it can be designed to fit your tastes and preferences. That’s the beautiful part about the kitchen remodel process. While the number of possibilities potential kitchen design ideas can make your head spin, knowing what exists can help you when reviewing, planning, and shopping so that you can pick the right product and fit it into your overall design concept with out incurring additional cost.
Our design team has decades of experience helping people make decisions that make the most of the kitchen remodel process and make the process as streamlined as possible. Hopefully, the above kitchen remodel guide has helped you to get a better understanding of how to achieve the kitchen of your dreams and where we can help you get the most out of your ideas.
If you’re in the Orlando area and are looking into starting the kitchen remodel process, please contact us so that we can help you achieve the perfect kitchen.
