1. Understanding the big picture

by | Oct 25, 2018 | Planning Tools | 0 comments

Credenza vanity

Successful kitchen designs stay in harmony with the rest of the house

What's the first step when planning a stylish, functional, enjoyable kitchen? Most people would start by creating a wish list, compiling clippings of design ideas, or perhaps establishing a budget. While these are all great ways to get your kitchen remodel rolling, I believe it's important to back up and look at the big picture. Let me explain.

 

Have you ever walked into a home and upon entering the kitchen felt like you had been teleported into a completely different house? Perhaps the homeowners went wild with color and texture, but failed to extend that throughout the remainder of the home. Or they expanded the footprint dramatically, creating their "dream kitchen" at a size completely out of scale with the rest of the floor plan. Failing to understand and work within the boundaries of a home's pre-existing scale and style can create a space that—while it may be lovely as a standalone—takes away from the home as a whole. This can be off-putting to the homeowners, their guests, and—when it comes to selling the house—potential buyers.

 

Before jumping into wish lists or design concepts, I like to start by assessing the current home and kitchen according to four criteria: scale, layout, style, and purpose. Call it "Step Zero" if you like, but following these steps for evaluating your house will make your design decisions easier and help you to avoid creating a kitchen that is at odds with the rest of your home.

GOING OVERBOARD WITH A "DREAM KITCHEN" CAN BECOME A DESIGN NIGHTMARE.

Establishing scale

Most of us want more space in our kitchen, regardless of how much storage, square feet of countertops, or power outlets we have. If you are contemplating a major renovation that would dramatically expand the size of your kitchen, take time to consider the scale of other rooms in your home. Will your kitchen now be out of proportion when compared to your dining and living spaces, or are you bringing an undersized kitchen up to par with the rest of the house? If you are upsizing the room, can you extend the usable space of adjacent rooms as well? If your kitchen feels cramped, is it possible to open up a wall into another room to create a more open feel without having to move exterior walls?

Evaluating layout

Where is your kitchen located in your floor plan? How does your family walk through the room? Do you have traffic flow issues because of tight spaces or doorways? Improving flow and creating a more open feel can start with simple adjustments. If you have a door to the kitchen that is never closed, you can remove the door and trim to gain back a few precious inches without changing the overall size of the doorway.

Defining purpose

Kitchens often aren't just for cooking. Does your kitchen play a role that might typically be performed by another room? How does your family use the space? Is it a spot for meals? Conversations? For homework or working from home? What gets "dumped" in the kitchen? Backpacks? Laptops? That gigantic 48-pack of paper towels you couldn't resist?

 

Spend time thinking about how you currently use the room, paying attention in particular to the uses that don't relate to cooking. Every custom kitchen designer understands how to optimize your space for typical tasks like food prep, cooking and baking, but providing them with details on how you currently use the space will help them create a new design that is more tailored to your family's needs.