Important Things to Consider when Remodeling Your Kitchen

The kitchen is the focal point of most family homes and the room where the most time is spent together. So it should come as no surprise that the kitchen is the most common room for remodel. When you are planning a kitchen remodel, consider some of these simple things that make a big difference.

Space planning

One of the biggest benefits of a kitchen remodel is that it gives you an opportunity to reimagine the room and design your kitchen to work best for you. Think about what you use the most in the kitchen now and also what new things you might want to include but keep in mind there will be some give and take given the constraints of the room. For example, if you want to install a massive kitchen island with lower cabinets in a room that doesn’t currently have an island, you’ll want to make sure that adding an island won’t impact your ability to use the rest of the kitchen. 

Usability is important, but equally important in the planning is your lifestyle. The kitchen is the heart of the home. Whether you are the family that has all home-cooked meals or you eat out every night, many social activities revolve around the kitchen. Plan your kitchen space to reflect your lifestyle. Prioritize having a space for everything that you and your family use and don’t get caught up trying to integrate everything you see in the design magazines if they aren’t things your family will find useful. 

There are a number of tools available to help design a plan for a new kitchen, but the simplest, tried and true, place to start is to measure the space you have now, account for any additional space that might be freed up if you’re knocking down walls, etc., and get measurements for things like your refrigerator and other appliances that will be in the room. With that information you can work on a rough sketch of the area using a pencil and paper and start working with a professional designer at a custom cabinetry company like Tharp on the project. 

Cabinet Choice

Cabinets take up the most space in the kitchen and are one of the first things people notice when entering the kitchen. When selecting cabinets, you want to make the right statement by choosing a style that you like and also make sure that you choose cabinets that work for your storage needs. 

There are a number of options when styling your cabinets. You can choose from a variety of woods, doors, finishes, and hardware to create a look that is unique to your kitchen or you can look to some of the popular styles like transitional, modern, or contemporary for inspiration. You can also consider open shelves, glass doors, and even floating shelves to find the look that fits your style and functional needs.

Speaking of functional needs – while style is what catches everyone’s attention, at the end of the day you need cabinets that provide you the storage and organization you need in the kitchen. So make sure to have an idea of all the things you’re going to use the cabinets for and how you’d like to have them organized as you’re planning cabinet placement, size, and accessibility. 

And if all of the cabinet choices are too overwhelming, the team at Tharp would be happy to work with you to design custom cabinets to fit your space and budget.