The kitchen is the meeting place of most homes. People tend to gather there more than any other room in their house. You may eat, cook, entertain and do school/work there. To make the kitchen more inviting, keep countertops clean and clear of clutter. A cluttered kitchen causes uneasiness and a tense atmosphere to most people thus affecting your desire to be in there as well as others.

There are a few key things to consider when designing a kitchen:

Functionality

The function of your kitchen is just as important as the visual appearance. If a kitchen is not designed the right way it could impact the productivity that is required there as well as discourage people from spending time in there. The kitchen triangle is an important rule when designing a kitchen. The rule is used to create an efficient work space with clear access to the main elements of a kitchen, drawing an invisible triangle to the sink, refrigerator and range/cooktop. The rule states that each leg of the triangle is between 4-9’ apart with a combined sum of about 13’. Other cabinets or other obstacles should not intersect any leg of the triangle by more than 12”. Creating the triangle is a good starting point to all kitchen design. Also make sure there is adequate counterspace at each of the key elements in the design. Before you design the kitchen, sit back and contemplate out how you work in your kitchen. Think about where you’re going to put all your storage containers, kitchen utensils, baking items, pots, pans, dishes etc. The things you use every day should be in an area quickly and easily accessible to where it will be used. Think about how to store items and appliances to keep your counters clutter free. Large deep drawers are a good way to store things like pots and storage containers. Cabinets now offer tilt-outs and roll-outs to make the deep cabinet spaces more accessible. Cabinets also offer ways to easily hide everyday items like trash cans, spices, and even appliance garages have changed to be less obvious.

Aesthetics

In picking out materials, look for items that complement instead of compete against each other. Choose one main item, whether it’s your backsplash, flooring or countertop, and pull colors from there. Balance light colors with dark colors to provide contrast. It is also important to balance the visual weight of the room. You can achieve this is with furniture and cabinetry. If one side of your kitchen feels weighted down with cabinets, add something else (bakers rack, bookshelf etc.) on the other side to pull your eye around the room. Consider taller cabinets that extend all the way to the ceiling to reduce wasted space above and prevent the need to dust. Add interest to the kitchen by varying the heights of the vertical items you have in the room. For instance, if your cabinets go all the way to the ceiling then add shelving or another piece of furniture that stops 2-3’ from the ceiling.

Circulation

Make sure there is adequate space for traffic flow. Take into consideration how much space you have when the refrigerator door or oven is open. Is there enough space to open it while standing in front of it? Is someone able to walk by it without having to close it? Also, be careful to not over crowd the kitchen. If you are thinking about having an island make sure you have at least 110” from cabinet, to the other cabinet across the room. If you don’t have that much space then maybe a peninsula or a narrow roll away island that you can get at a home store would work better in your home.

Cost

Unfortunately, most of our dream kitchens are out of our realistic price. Let’s face it, the kitchen is the most expensive room in the house to renovate. A helpful tip to figure out how much money you should spend on your kitchen remodel is to calculate what 10-15% of your house’s worth. Now, this tip does not take into account the size of the space and the finishes you choose. If you decide on high end materials, expect to spend more.  To stay on budget, concentrate on what’s most important to you and work with that.

How to bring costs down when designing a kitchen

• Consider refacing or painting your cabinets if they are in good shape. Also, just by changing the hardware, you give your old cabinets a new look.
• Everyone wants granite countertops these days which is great, however for a less expensive alternative, look into laminate. Laminate countertops have come a long way. There are many different color choices, including some that mimic natural stones. Laminate is also non-porous and has no long-term care maintenance.
• Spend some time looking into flooring options. There are many choices to consider tile, hardwood, Engineered flooring, and vinyl, etc. Find the one you like, then do some research. Is it easily cleaned? Does it chip or scratch resilient? Is it comfortable if your standing for long periods of time?
• A fresh coat of paint goes a long way a can dramatically change the look of your space.
• Backsplash, can be a large part of a remodeling cost. Make sure you choose something that is easily cleanable. Anything with rough textures will become a catch-all for grease and dust. Although it may look good when first installed, it will be more work to maintain over the long term.

These are just a few things to consider when planning a kitchen remodel. There are so many materials out there, just make sure you do your research and read the reviews of others. Absolutely love the materials you choose, they will be there for a long time. When you have it all planned out, your finished project will be a creation you can certainly be proud of!