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San Diego real estate library
How to Design a Kitchen Remodel
The design of a kitchen remodel is, for many people, the most
fulfilling and fun part of the development. While it is possible
to design a beautiful, elegant kitchen by yourself, you may also
want to consider hiring a professional to help you with your
design. A professional can give you many ideas and introduce you
to new products while staying true to the spirit of your
original design vision. Whether you decide to do all the design
work yourself, or hire a professional, there are some things to
consider that will get you launched on the right track for your
kitchen remodel.
The art of kitchen design is elaborately linked to how you will
be taking up the space. The old saying, form follows function,
has a lot of truth to it. Design is not only about how things
look, but how things are used. And while most of us no doubt
start our dreams of a new design for our kitchen with visions of
a specific look in mind, space planning is equally important.
The kitchen is often referred to as the heart of the home, and
many separate activities take place there besides cooking. You
may routinely linger with a cup of coffee and the morning
newspaper, or feed your family breakfast before they dash out
the door. Your children may like to do their homework while you
cook in the evenings, or perhaps you and your spouse share
cooking duties. Maybe you regularly host large gatherings, or
cook for intimate dinner parties. All these various activities
will affect your kitchen design, and it is important to consider
them as you begin planning. You will also want to ponder storage
space as you plot your design. Do you routinely have trouble
finding space for all your pots and pans? Is there enough room
for every family member to sit around the nook? All of these
space-use issues and any other problems you have with your
current kitchen design should be noted. You might want to talk
to each member of the family and see what their concerns about
using space are.
Once you've made a list of issues to edjust in your new plan,
the fun part of kitchen remodel design begins, as you make
choices about cabinetry, flooring, countertops, and lighting.
All of these design elements need to work together to create a
coherent design, but that's not difficult to accomplish with the
huge variety of products available today.
There are multiple cabinet options, starting with your choice of
wood or laminate. If you decide on wood, you'll need to choose
what kind-oak or cherry or birch? And then there are door
styles-plain, curved, recessed panel, arched? With flooring you
need to consider not only looks but durability and ease of
cleaning. Countertops need to be sturdy and durable, and with
the variety of natural and synthetic choices today, your design
can pair beauty with easy maintenance. Lighting is also
intimately paired with space issues in your design-are there
places in your current kitchen where you need more light? Is the
preparation area currently too dark? Perhaps you want recessed
or track lighting to increase the brightness, or maybe you
prefer an elegant chandelier.
Begin with these considerations of space and use as you
contemplate your kitchen design and the rest will naturally wall
into place. Your kitchen design will not only be a thing of
beauty, it will also be a functional, efficient space.
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