Does your kitchen need a little bit of an update or even a complete overhaul? If so, you’re looking at a massive (and fun) project!
No matter what your lifestyle is like, chances are that your kitchen is a central place in your household. Every person’s got to eat eventually, so the kitchen is usually a pretty important room in the house.
But regardless of how much you cook, you might not know that much about how to redesign a kitchen. There’s a first time for everything, though, and the process can be super rewarding. Read on to learn some of our favorite tips on redesigning a kitchen layout.
How to Redesign a Kitchen: First Steps
Before you start drafting up blueprints, there are some important factors to consider. Kitchen remodels are a huge investment of time, money, and energy, so it’s important to get off on the right foot!
Set a Budget
The first thing on your to-do list should be to evaluate your finances and set a budget. It’s easy for large projects like this to spiral and become much, much more expensive than you intended, so it’s important to draw a clear line in the sand so that you don’t end up spending more than you can afford.
For example, it can be easy to forget about delivery fees, taxes, or even labor costs when you’re looking at kitchen remodeling materials. That’s why it’s important to think through your finances and make sure that it’s the right time to remodel your kitchen before you start tearing up your cabinets!
Plan, Plan, Plan!
The next thing you’ll want to do is the plan. Even if you want to leap into action right away, creating a new design for a kitchen takes time and a certain amount of trial and error, so expect to be planning for a significant amount of time before making any physical changes to your home. As carpenters say, measure twice, cut once!
When planning your kitchen layout, you’ll need to think about a lot of things: traffic flow, work station set-up, and what kind of appliances you’ll need, for example. The more planning goes into a kitchen, the happier you’ll be with the final result, so be patient and take the time to think things through!
Hire an Expert
Sometimes even the most dedicated layman needs help planning a kitchen. If you’re not super familiar with home renovations or your current kitchen setup, it’s not a bad idea to talk to a professional and pick their brain. Otherwise, you may find yourself running into roadblocks that you weren’t expecting!
The same goes for actually installing your new kitchen. If you’re not trained in plumbing, for example, it’s probably best to hire a professional to hook up your new sink. It may be a bit more expensive, but chances are that it will be well worth the money!
Get Your Priorities Straight
Even if you had an unlimited budget, kitchen remodels require a fair amount of compromise. Whether you’re deciding on a new refrigerator or choosing between a gas or electric stove, you’ll need to weigh the pros and cons to make sure you’re making all the right choices.
The first step in this process is to think about why you’re remodeling. What about your current kitchen isn’t working? What do you want to change?
From there, you should make a list of needs that are absolutely essential to your new kitchen. That way, you can prioritize those over your wants or desires and you won’t get lost in the moment thinking of your dream kitchen!
Kitchen Necessities
There are some things that every kitchen needs. Here are some of the essentials that you’ll probably want to put on your “need” list!
Appliances
In terms of kitchen appliances, there are some staples that are hard to forget about: a refrigerator, a freezer, a stovetop, an oven, and a sink. In addition to these, there are smaller appliances that you’ll need room for, such as microwaves, blenders, coffeemakers, etc.
Those larger items are probably the most important things to add to your design. Once they’re there, you can build the rest of the kitchen around them!
Counter Space
Counter space has got to be the most underrated portion of a good kitchen. Depending on how many small appliances you have, counter space can be crucial for storing frequently used machines. Trust me, you won’t want to lug your coffee machine out of a cabinet every morning to use it!
On top of that, counter space provides a work area. This work area isn’t only for prepping food, but also often doubles as a workspace for kids who are doing their homework or dining space for a busy family.
Storage
Lastly, you want to consider how much storage you need for your kitchen materials. It’s easy to underestimate how many cabinets you’ll need, so it might be worth considering how many cabinets are currently taken up by your kitchen materials and dishes and applying that to your new kitchen plan.
This is also the time to consider where are you store your food. How large of a fridge will you need? Do you have pantry space that you can use, or will you need to store food in your kitchen cabinets?
These are all questions you’ll want to ask while planning your dream kitchen!
Traffic Flow
Lastly, make sure you’ve considered the traffic flow in your new kitchen. Try to design your kitchen so that you have a usable and convenient workspace, and aren’t running around like a headless chicken while trying to make Thanksgiving dinner.
On a macro level, you’ll also want to make sure that your kitchen fits with the rest of your home. While the kitchen is often the centerpiece of a home, it certainly shouldn’t be imposing on other areas or getting in the way of your daily routines.
Get Started!
Once you’ve done all the necessary planning, there’s only one thing left to do: get started! Now that you know the basics of how to re-design a kitchen, you can start the process feeling confident in your abilities (and the dream kitchen you’re installing!) For more tips on how to create a home, you’ll love, check out our other blog posts!