kitchen remodeling

Kitchen Remodeling

 

Kitchen Remodeling

Kitchen remodeling - step by step

Kitchen remodeling is a great DIY (do it yourself) project or a fun adventure with an interior designer. When looking into remodeling your kitchen, there are a number of design elements to think about, not the least of which is the value it adds to the resale of your home.

The first thing to think about when doing major kitchen remodeling is the cabinetry. In many kitchens the cabinets are the most visible element and have the greatest impact on the style and design of the kitchen. Sometimes a great deal can be accomplished by painting the cabinets and changing out all of the handles. A more drastic overhaul, however, calls for new cabinets all together because a coat of paint can only do so much.

The next kitchen remodeling step is to decide on the countertops. Counters are another major element in the effectiveness of your design and can serve as a feature by themselves or compliment another focal point. The important thing is that they not compete with another design element to be the central focus of the room. They need to either be the focal point or serve as a subdued background element that compliments the focal point.

One often overlooked kitchen remodeling step is the flooring. Changing the material or color of your flooring can make an enormous difference in the overall design. Going from white vinyl tiles to earthy flagstone or adobe tiles can take your kitchen from typical ‘80’s to sunny southwestern in a heartbeat. If you’re only going to change a couple of major elements, your flooring should be one of them.

Another important element to kitchen remodeling is what to do with the walls. Whether to paint or wallpaper depends on the style you’re going for. Country kitchen almost requires wallpaper where sleek and modern must have paint.

Once you’ve decided on the style of cabinetry, countertops, flooring and walls it’s time to design any changes to the placement of your kitchen elements. If you’re putting in new cabinetry and countertops you don’t have to put them exactly as they were before! You may be able to change where your stove, sink, dishwasher and refrigerator are located as well as how the cupboards are arranged. Perhaps you would rather have an open shelf to put plants on instead of another closed cupboard. Or maybe an open spot with a decorative baker’s table or built in wine rack and server instead.

Now that you’ve got the major elements of your kitchen remodeling project sorted out it’s time to move to the complimentary elements. These elements are such as the kitchen sink, faucets, lighting, and furniture.

By no means a minor element to consider during kitchen remodeling, the lighting needs to be functional as well as fashionable. The preferred lighting system is comprised of two or three separate systems that serve different purposes. Bright lighting focused on the countertops, stove and sink for functionality and medium to dim lighting focused on the ceiling or island for intimacy.

Also important to kitchen remodeling are the sink and faucet. Often overlooked, the sink area can be sleek and subdued or serve as a focal point itself. Think how interesting it would look to have a bright, shiny red sink with an odd and unique faucet in a perfectly white kitchen. Just be careful that the sink doesn’t compete with another element as the focal point, distracting from the overall effect of the design.

No kitchen remodeling project would be complete without updated furniture. You may be able to get away with painting or staining your old furniture, but more often than not it is the style as much as the color that needs change. Look for materials and styles that compliment the colors you’ve chosen for the other elements. If you’ve chosen a series of lively greens for the cabinets, countertops and paint, wicker or bamboo styled furniture might set it off perfectly. Or maybe you’ve gone for minimalist white with smooth contours; brushed metal furniture might be just the thing.

There are a lot of elements to think about in any kitchen remodeling project. Don’t let it overwhelm or intimidate, have fun with it and if in doubt, ask an expert.

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