Home Remodeling Guide >>  Kitchen Guide >>  10 Easy Steps

STEP 1  •   Step 2  •   Step 3  •   Step 4  •   Step 5  •   Step 6  •   Step 7  •   Step 8  •   Step 9  •   Step 10

Getting Started: Kitchen Lifestyle and Design

Whether you’re updating an existing space or building your dream kitchen, consider these questions of lifestyle and function. Your answers will shape nearly every choice you make about your new kitchen, from layout and lighting to furniture and flooring. The help and expertise of kitchen design professionalscan be invaluable during the entire process.

When planning your kitchen remodeling project consider your food preparation style. Do you cook solo or in tandem? Consider conveniences such as a second sink or a work island for efficient activity. A gourmet cook needs far more space and uses a wider variety of appliances than a “basics-only” cook. For bread-making or candy-making projects you may want a special work center.

How you use an appliance will determine its location. If you use a microwave to cook main course dishes each day, place it front and center. But if you use it only to reheat leftovers or make popcorn, place it in a less frequently used part of your kitchen.

If you entertain often you may need an uninterrupted counter top, a table to stage a buffet, a second oven or warming drawer to keep foods toasty or an elegant wood wine rack with space for hanging glassware. Also, a desk comes in handy when planning elaborate menus.

Is your kitchen used exclusively for cooking? Or is it the family gathering spot for dining, snacking, paying bills, doing homework, conversation and relaxation? lf so, maybe your plan needs a kitchen open to an adjacent living area. Wood moldings, paneling, wainscoting, chair rails and other decorative details can seamlessly connect these spaces. Could you use a kitchen desk for bill-paying and other household tasks? Is there a safe, accessible location for the kitchen TV, radio or stereo? How about a place for cookbooks, note pads and phone directories?

What are your family’s special needs? Do family members have physical limitations, such as arthritis or poor eyesight? Account for these when planning work areas, storage and lighting. You may discover a need for child-safety closures, convenient counter top heights for very short or tall family members, and roll-out cabinet trays that can be opened with a toe-kick.

After you have done a careful review of all the features that you would like to have in your kitchen as well as all of the things that you like and hate in your present kitchen, make a wish list for your future renovated kitchen, including general features as well as specific items. Write down the kinds of things you would like to do in the kitchen but you can’t. Take a few rough measurements and make note of where windows, doors, doorways, sinks and appliances are located.

Get Inspired

Look through home design magazines, search internet for kitchen design ideas and trends. When you find some kitchen roomscenes you like, tear out the pages from your magazines, print out images from the internet, then you can look them through and compare. That will make it much easier for you to choose the right style for your kitchen and decide on which design elements you like better, which will fuction perfectly for you.