Designing, Decorating and Painting a Kitchen

Major kitchen renovation projects range from a complete removal of the existing kitchen and a rearrangement of its basic components to removing and replacing existing cabinets, countertops, and appliances.   Minor kitchen renovations range from painting the existing cabinets and replacing appliances and countertops to basic enhancements, like painting the walls and ceilings and adding a few decorative elements.

Regardless of the scope of your particular project you need to keep a basic design principle in mind as you plan your renovation.   Although some see little difference between interior design and interior decorating, decorating is actually a subset of design.  The basic principle is simple:  form follows function.  The function is how the space will be used – in this case the kitchen – and the form is the physical appearance the space will take – the decorating – to support the function.

Begin by asking yourself how you use your kitchen.  Since kitchens are central to family life, consider involving all interested members of the family in this planning process.  Create a specific list.  Are you a gourmet cook with many high tech cooking appliances like food processors, rotisseries, deep fryers, bread makers, and juicers?  Are you constantly buying new gadgets?   Do you entertain often and how many people are typically present?  Is your kitchen used solely for cooking, for cooking and serving food, or as part of a larger family room style combination of cooking area, eating area, and lounge room?

Once you have a basic design plan you’re ready to learn about configuring the appearance of your kitchen to best match how you will use it.   As an example of the benefit of approaching a renovation project from this functional point of view, consider the selection of countertops.   An avid cook wants countertops throughout on which a hot pot can be placed, directly from the stove, without fear of burning the countertop.  A casual cook might not care.  Most gourmet cooks use a wide variety of tools and like to have them easily accessible.  Decorative hooks and hanging utensil and pot racks are incorporated into the decorating scheme.  Casual cooks might prefer a less cluttered approach, calling for more sliding storage drawers within the cabinetry.

It is unrealistic to assume you will learn enough about kitchen design from any one article to create the elements you need for your functional kitchen.  Even if you plan to hire professional help, spend some time on the Internet researching the topic.  Visit your local library to look through kitchen design magazines.  You may wonder why you need to bother if you’re going to hire a kitchen designer to assist you.

All professionals will ask you about the placement of your work triangle or if you have a preference for a u-shaped, an l-shaped or a galley kitchen.  Your time with whatever professionals you use will be more productive if you have some basic knowledge of issues like these.  The work triangle consists of three points:  the refrigerator – where you store food – the sink – where you clean and prepare food – and the stove – where you cook food.  Traffic is a concern in all kitchens and few gourmet cooks appreciate others stepping into their work triangles while they are cooking up their masterpieces!

Depending on your project, painting may be minimal.  Many designs extend the countertop to the bottom of the upper cabinetry, creating a perimeter wide splashboard.  In this case, you’ll only be painting the space above the cabinet, the ceiling, and any exposed areas.  Color throughout your home should make a statement about you and your family.  If you’re quiet and traditional, bold, daring colors say the wrong thing.    If your tastes run toward cool colors, keep the color scheme consistent, even in the kitchen.  Don’t be afraid to make a statement with your choice of color.

Here’s a final quick tip for those of you who may be doing your own painting to save a few dollars.  Painting the walls, ceiling, and other exposed areas before the cabinetry is installed can be a great time saver.  While the installers may get a few scratches in the paint -- which can easily be touché up -- you won’t have to tape the cabinets and countertops and appliances to protect them while you paint.