For many people, the kitchen is the most important room in the house. It’s not only the room where you cook and serve meals, but it’s also where you host gatherings for relatives and closest friends. That’s why the way this room is arranged is extremely important.
If we also consider that the finishes, the furniture and the appliances used for this space are quite expensive, we realize that the kitchen remodeling process should be done after rigorous and careful planning so that you don’t have to spend more money after you finished the kitchen remodeling. To ease your planning task and make it easier to arrange and configure this room in your home, you should take note of the following:
1.Choosing finishes
If you plan a major kitchen remodeling, it means that before you choose your furniture, home appliances and decorative accessories you have to decide on the finishes. And when it comes to choosing them you have to keep in mind the following:
- To be accessible as a price so you don’t spend your kitchen remodeling budget with the purchase of floor finishes and kitchen walls;
- The materials purchased must be of good quality, resistant to humidity, contact with detergents and be easy to maintain;
- Last but not least, their color must come naturally to complement the chosen furniture and help, if necessary, to visually correct the drawbacks of the kitchen: size, shape, brightness.
Among the best materials that you can use are high quality kitchen tile. For a modern, minimalist decoration, secure glass panels can also be chosen. And if you want another style, you can opt for brick, natural stone, cork or sanded concrete.
2.The shape and size of the furniture
Choosing the shape and size of the kitchen furniture must be done in relation to the size of the space and the lifestyle of the family. If you cook often, on daily basis or maybe even several times a day, you certainly have an entire collection of dishes and cooking utensils that need lots of space to store. But if cooking is not part of your lifestyle and you use this room occasionally for a breakfast or to prepare a sandwich or salad from time to time, some kitchen cabinets will be enough to hide the few pots and plates.
Cornered or L-shaped cabinets are suitable for squares of different sizes (except those that are too small), as well as for rectangular or open-plan kitchens that connect to the living room. Open-plan kitchens offer you a great freedom of choice in the configuration of the furniture, it can be both simple, straight and round, bilinear or on 3 sides with or without a kitchen island. The decision must also be made depending on the configuration of the living room in this case, but also depending on the position of the doors and windows.
Rectangular kitchens can be equipped with two rows of cabinets arranged in parallel, but also with linear cabinets. And for kitchens that are small and narrow, simple, linear cabinets are the most appropriate choice.
3.Ready-made or custom-made furniture?
The answer to this question is also very important. It’s true that furniture bought from a specialized store is the simplest option, but most of this furniture has dimensions that correspond to only a limited type of kitchens. It’s best to choose custom furniture that is perfectly suited to the shape and size of the available space. Another advantage of custom-made furniture is the freedom of choice of colors, which will make it easier for you to create a harmonious, chromatic environment. The main disadvantage of this option lies in the high price that the final product will have.
4.Interior configuration of cabinets
If the outside of the furniture set defines its aesthetic appeal, its interior denotes its usefulness. When you choose the kitchen cabinets, you should keep in mind that shelves are a good solution for upper cabinets that are less deep and easier to access in general. When it comes to lower cabinets, things change. Yes, in the simplest version (also the cheapest) the lower cabinets are also equipped with shelves. But if you want practical and comfortable furniture, ask the company that will produce your furniture to present all the modern variants of cabinet equipment, so you can choose the most practical. For example, if you fit the interior of the lower cabinets with drawers or retractable shelves instead of fixed shelves, it will be much easier to get to all the dishes and utensils stored inside of them without leaning too much.
5.Number of sockets and switches
Although this point in the kitchen is extremely important, many overlook it and struggle with the regrets of not taking it into consideration when, unfortunately, the kitchen remodeling is complete. If you are going to make a radical change, include the electric route in the project. More specifically, analyze and calculate carefully how many sockets you will need for all the appliances you will be using. Besides the refrigerator, modern kitchens are equipped with a lot of appliances that need an electric power supply to operate: electric oven, dishwasher, kitchen robot, microwave oven, coffee maker, toaster, sandwich maker, mixer, bread maker and the list can continue. Make sure that each large appliance has an outlet and then make sure you have at least 3 double sockets in the worktop area and at least a double one on the opposite wall.
6.Choosing the sink
Choosing a sink is not a complicated thing, but it’s important to know that a double sink with a dripper is more practical than a simple one. It’s true that it’s difficult (if not impossible) to allocate the space needed for a double sink with a dripper in a small kitchen, in which case you can limit yourself to a model with a single, smaller, dripping vessel. In extreme cases, when space is extremely limited, a non-drip model can be chosen.
7.Choosing household appliances
It’s not important now to note the characteristics of each household appliance required in a modern kitchen, but it’s important to emphasize that you should know exactly what you are going to buy before buying or ordering. If you know that you don’t want to leave the refrigerator in sight, turn to a built-in model. The same applies to all large-size devices: keep in mind that the built-in models look different from the usual ones.
8.Kitchen lighting
The kitchen remodeling plan has not been completed until you have decided on the lighting of this room. Depending on the surface, a kitchen needs at least two sources of lighting: the main one, installed on the ceiling and the auxiliary one, which provides illumination of the worktop. If the space allows you, you can add other lighting fixtures whose main task will be to ensure the brightness of the dining area. In this case, it may be a pendant chandelier, a set of ceiling lights or even a floor lamp.
The Good Deal Remodeling team is specialized in home remodeling projects, especially kitchen remodel and bathroom remodeling. You can contact us to tell us what you have in mind, and we will make sure that you will have the kitchen of your dreams.