First Steps When Designing a New Kitchen
Posted By Houston Decorator on May 20, 2010
Designing a kitchen is no easy feat. There are various aspects of the kitchen’s functionality, usage, and design that need to be kept in mind while planning the kitchen. But where do you begin your design? Do you go with a grand scheme like Feng Shui? Or do you tackle certain smaller obstacles first like the floor materials? When starting a kitchen renovation it is perfectly normal for it to be a hair pulling stressful experience, if you were going in blind. Lucky for you, there are countless sources of information on how to go about designing the perfect kitchen.
There are three things that you need to keep in mind while designing your kitchen no matter which way you plan on doing so. First you must acquire detailed measurements of your kitchen. You should measure the windows, the doorways, electrical outlets, and any sort of plumbing lines. Also keep in mind that once the kitchen is functional you will be using it for cooking and storage, but you will unfortunately also be in charge of cleaning this space. Keep these three aspects in mind as you go through your design plans. Lastly, make a list of all the appliances that you wish to use in your kitchen and their dimensions. This will help you mentally place them.
Once you have you measurements together you can begin the fun part: picking a design theme or scheme. You may want to pick out a certain style and incorporate everything in your kitchen with that style. Let us say you opt for a Tuscan inspired kitchen, you are going to incorporate warm reds and mustard yellows. Everything from your paint to your cabinetry and your back splash to your tiling will have you feeling like you are sipping wine in the Italian countryside. This sort of theme may not be for everyone. In this case you may want to tackle certain obstacles one by one. For instance you may start of simply picking out your cabinetry, and from there you will pick out your paint color and your tiling. Figuring out the aesthetics is simply a matter of taste. So what works for some people may be impossible for others. Remember to design as you feel comfortable. This is going to be where you spend most of your time, so forget what Home and Garden tells you to do. Do it the way that makes you comfortable.
There are also different types of kitchen layouts. Depending on your floor space and situation, you may have some room to play with the actual shape of your kitchen. There are a few basic kitchen shapes that everyone has been exposed to. There is the corridor layout. This layout is used for narrow kitchens, and in this layout there are two rows of cabinetry running parallel to one another. One row is typically used to storage and counter space, and the other is used as a work area. Another type of kitchen layout is the L-shaped kitchen. The L-shaped kitchen is when there are two rows of cabinetry running perpendicular to one another, thus forming an L. This brings the work space to the meeting point of the two rows of cabinetry, therefore, bringing about a lot more room to move around. Lastly, there is the U-shaped kitchen. This is when there are three rows of cabinetry in the form of a U. This layout offers tons of storage space and ample counter room. No matter what your floor plan allows for and what your design idea is, you have to remember that it is your kitchen. Choose a layout that will not only serve a purpose in your kitchen, but that you will enjoy being in. Go about the design process in your own personal way, and the outcome will be your ideal kitchen.
Article provided by Andrew R. Stolpe of the Kitchen Cabinet Kings. Kitchen Cabinet Kings is one of the largest distributors of kitchen and bathroom cabinets on the internet. At our website, you can purchase kitchen cabinets online at wholesale prices. We ship to the entire continental United States within a 1-2 week delivery time.
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