Kitchen Design Tips

We’re going to offer you a few design tips and a few decorating tips.  The difference between designing and decorating is really pretty simple to understand.  Designing is the grand plan, the big picture, the description of how you want to use your kitchen.  In architectural terms it is known as the function of a structure – how it will be used.  Decorating is defining the specific components needed for the kitchen to meet the functional requirements you defined in your design plan.  Architects follow the principle of form following function – the physical appearance or form of a building should support its function.

To some this discussion might seem like a waste of time, but it’s vital to understand the difference.  Many of the tips you find on the Internet are “form” tips that fail to consider how they support the unique functions of your personal kitchen.  We’re going to offer here a few design tips, and a few decorating tips.

Design it yourself.  Many who are planning a major kitchen renovation start by hiring a professional interior designer to create a design plan.   All too often even the soundest plans created by experienced designers end up with unanticipated cost overruns as consumers alter form elements of the plan during construction.  Why does this happen?  An uneducated consumer is not always capable of fully understanding and evaluating the ideas presented by the designer.

To avoid falling into this trap there are two different approaches to the creation of the design plan you can take; both involve an investment of time and effort on your part.  Educate yourself.  Spend time searching the Internet; visit your library to look through kitchen design magazines and books; go to some Home Improvement Trade Shows; and talk to anyone you know who has been through a major kitchen renovation.  This investment will yield the knowledge you need to sit down and begin the creation of your own plan.  A valuable additional option here it to take your preliminary plan and spend an hour or two with a professional designer for their opinion on what you’ve included and what you may have missed.  The next tip is a cost saving tip.

Invest some of your own labor.  As a general rule, most of us take greater pride in something we have helped create.  We have almost a primordial urge to get our hands dirty to produce a result of which we can be proud.  There are some areas of a kitchen renovation even the unskilled with a little time to spare can get involved.  For one, you can do your own demolition.  Your contractor will charge you to remove the old cabinetry so why not do it yourself?  If your new floor treatment requires the removal of the existing flooring, why not do it yourself?  You’ll save more than a few dollars and feel pretty good about yourself as well.

Do your own shopping.  This is another cost saving tip.  Some homeowners select cabinetry and fixtures from samples supplied by the interior designer or contractor.  You’ll pay more for this service as well as a hidden delivery charge.  In addition, if you shop on your own you can take advantage of sales and clearance discounts at local Home Improvement centers.

Consider tile countertops. Laminate countertops will burn if a hot pot from the stove is placed on them so most homeowners look for heat resistant material like granite, granite composites, or Corian.  As a more cost effective alternative, consider ceramic floor tiles.  They are equally heat resistant and can be installed by moderately skilled homeowners.  In addition, using the same tile on the countertop as on the floor adds to the continuity of the décor. Their only disadvantage is the grout line between the tiles, which can be difficult to keep clean.  Stick with dark colored grouts and narrow spacing.

Position your lighting to avoid shadows.  Recessed lighting is very popular for kitchen renovations but if not properly placed the cook will be staring down at food on the countertop to be prepared, bathed in their own shadows.  Whatever lighting you select, it must be positioned to illuminate the surface of the countertop without blocking from someone standing in front of the counters.

Use quad electrical outlets, not doubles.  This is a simple tip many of us simply don’t think about.  Your plan should call for additional electrical outlets to handle the ever growing number of countertop appliances and other cooking toys.  Most call for a standard two plug outlet.  Do yourself a favor and expand the opening a bit and add a second dual outlet – leaving you with four plugs instead of two.