10 Expert-Approved Dos and Don'ts for a Flawless Kitchen Makeover

The kitchen is the heart of the home, especially nowadays in circumstances that we spend so much more time at home, and within the home, in the kitchen. Let’s go straight to the point of this post. What matters when designing that often long-awaited kitchen renovation? Here are my top 10 tips for this major home renovation project. These tips consider ideals. Most people cannot incorporate every single one of them, unless they’re building from scratch. So choose what’s most important for you.

1.     Budget: Don’t go into a kitchen renovation naively. This will probably be your largest renovation expense overall as every single aspect of it can be costly, and being a space that is used so, so much, it is important to plan it to be one of your favorite spaces in the home to be in. Budget will be impacted by many aspects of this renovation: Do you need to add or move electric, gas or water lines? What kind of finishes are you aspiring to use? What kind of appliances are you planning on using? How specialized will your organization solutions be? Unexpected surprises… It is impossible for a designer to know what is under the floor or behind the walls of a kitchen and with so many outlets and structural issues, you are almost bound to come up against unexpected surprises. So start off with a healthy budget, and probably double whatever budget you initially thought you would need.

2.     Flow: Do consider how you will move about your kitchen, including entry and exit, work stations and space for more than one person at a time. Does the kitchen entry and exit allow for an easy flow to your dining space? How about bringing groceries home? You don’t want to come home loaded with heavy bags and have to walk long distances or climb all kinds of stairs to get to the kitchen. And if you have a patio, it is a good idea to plan direct access to the patio from the kitchen. While in the kitchen, you also want to make sure you have the triangle set up too, where the stove, sink and refrigerator form the points of a triangle for comfortable work. Also, consider a layout in which the cook is not missing out on conversations and the fun when with others. If possible, make sure the cook is not on a far end by themselves, with their back to the rest of the company!

3.     Appliances: Do make this choice first. It may sound funny, but it’s important to choose your appliances before you design the whole cabinet layout. Doing so, will allow you to design cabinetry that fits like a glove with your appliances. Oftentimes, people approach the appliance selection at the end, only to find out that they don’t have space for that dream range they discovered or that there’s too much space between it and the counters, allowing for a messy situation that is hard to keep clean.

4.     Storage: Do invest as much as you can on this aspect of the kitchen. It’s hard to come across someone whose kitchen is always photoshoot ready. But we can at least try to keep it as tidy as possible, and storage solutions have evolved enormously. From deep cabinet boxes that could hold many objects but made them too hard to reach, to the incredible drawers, trays and innovative ways of storing everything while still making them handy for the cook. Storage will definitely drive costs up, but in my personal opinion, one should invest as much as possible to make storage in the kitchen the best possible in relation to how one uses it.

5.     Lighting: Do make sure you have all your bases covered. A lot happens in the kitchen: work, social life, and even homework or office work. Make sure you have some good bright task lights. The kitchen is one of the places in the house where I believe recessed lights are an absolute plus. Some directed lights can help a lot too. Lights pointing at your food prep area or above the sink are very useful. Alternative lighting that allows for a more intimate mood is important too and should not be forgotten. Dimmers can help with that if you only have recessed lights.

6.     Outlets: Do plan for every possible electric outlet you may need in your kitchen. You may be surprised just at how many outlets you will need, and oftentimes in unexpected places. It’s definitely better to plan for more than to not have enough. Outlets, outlets, outlets, especially nowadays that we use the kitchen for more than just preparing meals.

7.     Cleaning: Do select materials and colors in relation to ease of cleaning and hiding dirt. If you are a cleaning wizard, that’s awesome. I’d love to be your best friend. But in a space with the amount of traffic the kitchen gets, it is wise to consider surfaces—both floor and countertops—that hide a little bit of a mess and are easy to clean. In this sense, floors that have a pattern hide more. Think terrazzo, mosaics or cement tiles with a pattern. Midrange colors are great for this too, like terracotta or medium-hued greens, browns and neutrals. If you choose a color that’s too light every single bit of dirt or spill will show. Dark colors are similar in that way. When it comes to countertops, the issue is similar, but with the added issue of the many materials you could use. We’ll touch on that point in the next section.

Another cleaning aspect to consider is where you will keep your trash, recycle, and compost bins. Make sure you know which kind of bins you will be using and where the best placement of each will be.

8.     Countertops: Don't get carried away by looks only. Countertops take up a large amount of visual real estate, so do consider design here.  Marble can be stunning and also add that level of sophistication that will make your space look very special, but make sure you are prepared to deal with its porosity that makes it stain easily. It can also chip more or less easily. When choosing a countertop material, consider how well it takes heat or scratches. Find your ideal look and take your time to research the options that will grant you the look you love and work well functionality-wise. You can also combine a couple of different types of surface to add interest and warmth.

9.     Style: Do express your personal style. Like any other space in the house, the kitchen should be a reflection of you. It’s fine to consider trends when renovating your kitchen, but keep in mind what you really will want to live with in the long run. An example of this is Zellige tiles, which I personally love. The hand-made character and fabulous colors are to die for. But cleaning them can be annoying. If you don’t see yourself dealing with a tile that has rougher edges, and an uneven surface, then go for something else. Find the color palette you want to live with every day: bright and fresh, moody, all white, cool and contemporary, etc. It’s your space to love.

10.  Backsplash: Don't underestimate the power of this little monkey. The last item to look at is the backsplash for your stove. This is an opportunity to make a statement and draw the eye. This very practical bit of wall space can also be designed to add more depth to the overall design of the kitchen, and it can be done by color, pattern, material, placement, etc. Have some fun with it!

Lots of red in these kitchens.... I love red. I love many colors, but I absolutely love good strong colors and spaces with character... If you would like to find out more about how I work. And if you would like to design a space with character and richness, get in touch.