5 Things to Do Before Starting A Kitchen Design Project
When deciding to update your kitchen there are 5 things you should keep in mind before you embark on this journey.
So it’s time to update your kitchen. Where to start?….When deciding to update your kitchen there are 5 things you should keep in mind before you embark on this journey.
A good kitchen designer should be able to work with you to create the design that will both fit your desires and needs and that squares with your budget. Therefore, an experienced kitchen professional will be key! Here we’ll discuss 5 important things you need to determine prior to contacting your kitchen expert.
1. How much are you willing to spend?
Be honest with your designer about how much you feel comfortable spending on your kitchen design renovation. This helps your designer have a clear direction on what to recommend for your project as far as material and appliance selections go. Now, of course, you may have no clue on how much things cost these days so be open minded as your designer pro elaborates on the current cost of labor, materials and goods. This is a very important conversation to have at the very beginning to ensure a proper design is created that respects your investment level.
At CPDS we spend a considerable amount of time during our on-boarding phase to ensure we understand the scope of your project and then take the time to create a realistic investment proposal for you to approve. Then, and only then can we begin designing your perfect kitchen.
Download our Good, Better, Best kitchen budget samples list to get an idea.
2. How much time and stress are you willing to take on?
Know that kitchen renovations can take anywhere from weeks to a couple of months. Consider what your personal daily demands are and can you add a construction project to that workload?
You may realize that you are so busy with work, life and family that it would be a nightmare for you to be the point of contact for every decision and detail. Or you may decide that now is the time when you have lots of free time in your schedule and are finally ready to take on a kitchen remodel. Or you may be somewhere in between, with a semi busy schedule, but can make the time to be involved in the renovation process. Which ever of those scenarios you fit into, there’s a level of service available to you to help you as much or as little as you need.
FULL SERVICE DESIGN: Most interior designers who specialize in kitchens will offer what we call Full-Service design. This is the most comprehensive level of service to ensure that your design project is as stress free as possible, for you.
The designer takes on all the stress away by providing the design concept, layout, elevations, all material specifications and product/appliance selections. She will handle procurement of all finishes that she has specified and handle them until ready to be installed. She may even recommend a contractor if you don’t already have one. Then together with the contractor, the designer will communicate and work together to ensure that the design is implemented accordingly during the construction phase. The designer oversees all phases of the construction and if problems arise (as they always do), the designer and contractor will figure out solutions together without the need to always involve the homeowners. Of course, if it’s a situation that involves your approval to do something totally unexpected or costly then the homeowners are brought in. But, for the most part, the entire project is handed over to the designer and contractors for them to execute and make all the magic happen on your behalf so you can go about your daily life with minimal disruptions and enjoy a beautifully finished space in the end.
DESIGN-ONLY: Another level of service that might be right for you is getting all the ideas, solutions and all the design specifications from the designer in what we refer to as the Design-Only. This means, you get have a professionally designed kitchen plan and then you’re off to the races on your own. You have more time on your schedule, so you decide to take a more hands on approach - you hire the contractor, show him your design plan, he bids it, you sign on and together, you and the contractor make it happen. This type of involvement on your part requires you to be present and/or available (a lot) to the construction team to answer questions and make decisions that arise out of unexpected circumstances. Together you and the contractor will find a solution. You’ll need to be aware of all the details involved in your design to ensure that the contractor and the subs implement the design as intended.
Read more information about our Full-Service process HERE and about our Design-Only process HERE.
3. What is your design style and preferences?
Now, it’s not absolutely necessary for you to know the exact style you envision for your new kitchen. After all, that’s what designers are for. However, it is necessary for you to know at least what you don’t like so your designer can make sure to cross that off the list. It is extremely helpful to provide a collection of inspiration images from any online source like Pinterest or any print publications.
Here are some things you can think about: Do you like shiny and glossy surfaces or matte? Light and neutral colors or bold contrast? Barstools with backs or without? Casual and kid friendly or dressy and elegant?
You get the point! This should be a fun exercise so don’t let it overwhelm you. At CPDS we have a fun way of helping our clients figure this out and it’s part of our Design Development phase. This ensures we’re all on the same page and that we will deliver a design that is right for you and also compliments the architecture of your house.
Design: Grayscale Design | Photo: Carina Skrobecki
4. How do you use your kitchen?
Think about how you want this space to function for you. Do you cook alone of do you have helpers? How often do you cook? Do you bake often and need a baking station? A coffee station? Is the primary cook very tall or short? You might need taller or lower countertops to accommodate for this. Will you be doing a lot of entertaining with family and friends? Is the kitchen the primary place where the kids hangout to do homework and school projects?
Design: Kasamia Interiors
As you can see there are lots of questions that are unique to you and your family’s lifestyle. A well designed kitchen should meet all your needs and it’s worth spending time thinking about all this prior to starting your kitchen design.
5. Set up a temporary kitchen during the renovation.
You will need to prepare for the disruption that will be caused by your kitchen design project. But with the right planning it is possible to still have your household function smoothly. Think about where you’d like to set up a temporary kitchen in another area of the house. This might be in the dining room, if completely separate from them kitchen. Here you can set up a hot plate, small appliances like a blender, toaster oven, crock pot etc., lots of paper plates and disposable cutlery, a few basic spices and condiments, a coffee and tea station of course. Designate a bathroom sink (or tub) as your washing station for items like pans, blender, spoons etc. This is not a fun picture I know, but it’s very helpful to have a makeshift kitchen so you don’t feel like you have to go out for every single meal for the next 8 weeks. If you have an outdoor kitchen you might decide to schedule your kitchen renovation during the warmer months to make use of the outdoor kitchen as much as possible.
The more organized you are prior to “demo” day, the less frustrating it will be to live through a kitchen remodel. It will all be worth it in the end and you will be so glad you did it!
XX,
Claudia
How We Transformed A Boring 90's Kitchen Into a Bright and Cheerful Farmhouse Dream
Read how we helped a very deserving single mom of two twin boys renovate her outdated 90’s kitchen and turn it into a delightful farmhouse dream.
All our kitchen transformations are fun and exciting, but this one was REALLY exciting! Our client was living in England due to work and had this cute little ranch style house rented out. The house was built in the 90’s and had good bones but it was crying for some loving. As she planned her move back to the US, she contacted us to do a complete transformation of the kitchen, living and dining space before her arrival! We worked almost exclusively via email, Zoom and phone. Oh technology!
Her dream was to open up this space and connect the living and dining spaces. We loved the high ceilings and the amount of natural light that poured in from the windows all around. It was a good start. Her wish list included adding rustic wood beams to the ceiling and having a big island with the cooktop taking center stage. We went to work right away and began analyzing the space, time and budget.
Before….
We began exploring all our options. The first thing we did was work on the floorplan. We knew we could take down the wall and remove the soffit to raise the ceiling, this was really going to help open up the space. Adding reclaimed wood beams proved to be a bit of a challenge due to some architectural details that would have been too costly to fix, so the client decided to eliminate that from her wish list.
Next, we worked on putting an island in the space. No problem. Plenty of room. However, relocating the gas line there posed to be another challenge. We would need to break through the foundation and that would eat up a good chunk of change $$$. Something the homeowner did not want to spend money on. So we continued to work on the plan and realized that by relocating the door a few feet to the right it would allow us to fit a 36” range, plus the refrigerator on the back wall and still have adequate cabinet storage. It was starting to take shape!
We created an open floorplan that allowed for plenty of room for this young family of three, plus a dog, to grow into and entertain friends and family for years to come.
Once the layout was solidified, we began to work on the pretty. We began by creating several mood boards to determine the direction the client was envisioning. Based on answers from our client, we determined that she was drawn to soft blues and greens mixed in with some rustic wood elements throughout. A clean and light filled space….
Being a single mother of two twin boys she didn’t want the space to feel too feminine and she loved the idea of a casual, slightly rustic, inviting space that could withstand the traffic of kids and dogs running around and still feel grown up when she wanted to entertain.
We selected materials that were are low maintenance and could take on a lot of heavy traffic, like luxury vinyl flooring, butcher block and quartz countertops. The classic white cabinetry and light wood tones on the floor definitely had a huge impact on creating a light and airy space. We added a much larger window over the sink that actually opens to the outside patio where we installed a countertop and two barstools. This was a fun touch! We sprinkled a few touches of black metal throughout without overdoing. This is what gave us the clean, modern farmhouse look without having too many rustic, chippy paint type elements. We kept all the appliances and plumbing fixtures in stainless steel for a crisp, clean design. And voila! The boring 90’s kitchen was boring no more!
During…
With such a time crunch on our hands, our construction team worked quickly and efficiently to ensure this home was at least 80% ready before their arrival back to the US. The kitchen came together first while our team continued to work on the rest of the space.
After…
The result was an astounding transformation with light pouring in from every angle. The homeowner was delighted with the new space and so were we. The large sink window opens to the beautiful garden and fountain outside which is one of my favorite features.
The client’s favorite feature was this fun and easy “barn wood wall”. We used a cool product called Stikwood that are actually thin planks of peel and stick wood! The contractors loved how easy it was to install!
This large window opens out to the beautiful lush garden with a fountain. We installed left over countertop material on the outside to create a bar with seating for two. How fun!
The addition of the floating shelves serves as functional storage with easy access to everyday cups and dishes plus it’s also aesthetically easy on the eye.
It was such a delight to help this family bring their dreams to life. I’m sure they will all enjoy this space for years to come! To see more pictures of this project click here.