Kitchen Design
DEAR TIM: I need some help with the kitchen design for my home. I am pretty sure I know what I want, but kitchen designs are as varied as faces in a crowd. How will I know what is the best design for this kitchen remodel job? What is the best way to approach a fresh kitchen design project? Sheila B., Hardeeville, SC
DEAR SHEILA: Kitchen design is very important, but it is sometimes confused with kitchen planning. Both planning and design are critical, and ignoring one while concentrating on the other can lead to a disaster and heartbreak. Let's make sure we are on the same page with respect to what you need.
Kitchen design, in my opinion, speaks to the overall look of the kitchen once it is completed. A designer can use different materials, cabinets, finishes, lighting, etc. to achieve a sleek, modern look and feel or a kitchen that was transported in a time machine from a quaint Irish cottage. There are an infinite amount of kitchen designs you can have.
There is no simple answer to your main question. I feel you can ask 100 top kitchen designers what they would do with your new kitchen, and you will likely end up with 100 different designs some of them being similar, but no way identical. My suggestion is for you to start to immerse yourself in research where you look at hundreds of different designs and see which few really put your head on a swivel.
Your research will undoubtedly take you across the vast tundra of the Internet, into numerous kitchen cabinet showrooms and possibly design centers built by large remodeling contractors who specialize in kitchen remodeling. I also suggest you start looking at any number of excellent kitchen design books and magazines that have hundreds of gorgeous color photos of kitchens large and small, expensive and affordable. If you really want to be on the cutting edge, look at kitchen designs done in European countries. European kitchen designers often produce stunning results in small spaces.
Be sure to look beyond just cabinets and countertops. Every surface in the kitchen is a design element. The backsplash space between the countertops and underside of the wall cabinets, floor, ceiling, doors, wall spaces above and around cabinets, etc. all should contribute to the overall design theme.
For example, if you are on a tight budget, you may decide to paint your existing floor and incorporate a design of some type into the paint. Painted floors hold up very well when they are coated with high-quality clear urethane. Don't forget lighting as it is a very important design element. Unfortunately, lighting is often overlooked in many kitchen designs that I see.
I urge you to consider interviewing several professional kitchen designers. They may be able to offer you great advice about how to maximize your design dollars. The fee you spend for a kitchen designer may be paid for from dollars you might otherwise waste on rookie design mistakes.
Not all professional kitchen designers are made equal. Some have years of professional and industry training mixed with years of field experience. Others may have little or no training in the field. Before you sign any contract for design fees, make sure you investigate the qualifications of the person you are going to hire.
At a bare minimum ask to see the last 20 kitchen design projects they have worked on. Try to determine if the designer has experience working with the look and feel you have decided you like. Ask the designer what kind of training and classes they have taken. Probe to see if they have any type of certification from industry associations. Some certifications require many hours of training.
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John Pitzer 21 Mar 2008, 07:22
My Kitchen Island is wobbly. I installed a 2 x 4 frame underneath and it
worked well for the bottom but the top appears top heavy, especially with
the new granite top. I have two side by side drawers above two doors
design of the island.I want to stiffen up the top but the only solutions I
can see are to put a 1 x 3 or 4 around the inside top but the drawers
prohibit this or create a flat metal cross members in the middle from below
the drawers to the cabinet base shelf on the opposite side, sort of a X
pattern. Will this work or do you have a better solution?
AsktheBuilder 21 Mar 2008, 07:40
John,
What? How could it be wobbly if all of the cabinets were screwed together, shimmed solidly at the base of all cabinets and then each one screwed to the floor? That's how I make my islands immovable.
Robin Carpenter 21 Apr 2008, 16:20
I live in a 6-yr. old poured concrete, double rebar home in the Virgin
Islands. About a week ago, part of the floor, 2nd level not the first
level, about 12"x12", moved up. The grout on this tile has a crack but am
afraid to pull up the tile without knowing what to expect. I read the part
on your site about a possible simple fix using an apoxy-type product. Is
it possible this issue could fall into that category? Or could it be that
the builder (I'm the 2nd owner) cheaped out on the rebar in the flooring?
Any suggestions are appreciated. Thanks and the site is very helpful (I
also looked under the structural section of your site but didn't find
anything).
AsktheBuilder 23 Apr 2008, 16:26
Robin,
That is a small area as defects go when talking about structural issues. I would carefully remove the tile and snoop around under it to see what happened. Take photos of what you see as soon as the tile is out of the way.
Steve 24 Sep 2008, 16:45
Nice distinction between kitchen design and kitchen planning.
Steve http://www.kitchenspro.com
Jeff Williams 29 Nov 2009, 20:18
My kitchen island is currently in front of my stove about 45 five inches
inbetween, my wants to turn it where the island is perpendicular to the
stove. How would this be accomplished? Island has one outlet on the right
side while facing the stove.
Jobi R. 15 Sep 2011, 19:48
Great article! Thank you! I love the idea about looking at Euro kitchens.
Awesome! On to all of your other Kitchen advice! : )
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