How to Design a Kitchen Remodel

The design of a kitchen remodel is, for many people, the most satisfying and fun part of the process. 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 intricately linked to how you will be using 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 different 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 problems to correct 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 a multitude of 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 ponder 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.