Tackle Your Kitchen Remodeling Project One Choice at a Time

There are thousands of small and large decisions that go into the kitchen designing process. Taken all at once, the choices can be overwhelming. By breaking the entire design process into manageable sections, you can focus on a few major choices at a time, educate yourself on the options, keep the project on track and save yourself some major stress.

Plan the Space

Sometimes called the preliminary design stage, the crucial first step to your kitchen design is planning the overall space. Get a general overview of what the kitchen will look like, where the cabinets will be, where appliances will stand, and how the traffic will move through the room. Determine whether or not every design idea you have for the kitchen can be accommodated. For example, you may want a floor to ceiling pantry or double wall ovens, but when you lay out the kitchen you may find there is no wall space that will allow those features.

Appliances and Sinks

During this phase of the project, pick out the appliances and sinks. The sizes and designs of these elements determine the cabinetry layout, so these decisions need to be made early. While you do not have to choose details like color and faucets, you do need to set the basic style and size in this first stage.

Lighting

Next determine the type and number of lighting fixtures you will have. The lighting junction boxes must be installed during the early construction process, so lighting choices need to be made early on. While final design choices aren’t necessary, you should decide if you want under counter lights, can lights, pendants over the island, etc.

Cabinets, Countertops and Tile

As the foundation pieces for your kitchen, these major features are the next design decisions to make. Work from a palette of colors rather than being tied to a particular type of wood or tile, then look at a wide variety of materials and designs in those colors. There are wide-ranging choices in all of these areas, so take your time in deciding.

Flooring

Flooring choices should complement the counters and cabinets. If you use tile or stone on the walls or countertops and want tile or stone floors, be sure to choose the same materials for the floors as you did for the counters and walls. Mixing too many types leaves your new kitchen looking like a kitchen showroom.

Paint Colors

After choosing all the large features of the kitchen, choose the paint colors. This step can often take place after the cabinets and countertops are installed so you can paint sample color sections on the wall.

Knobs, Faucets and Furnishings

Tie your kitchen together by choosing the perfect accessories to complement your carefully-designed space.