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We spend so much time in the kitchen during the holiday season.  Families gather for dinner and inevitably a large group gathers in the kitchen.  This gets us to thinking that we need a larger, prettier, or more usable space.  That’s likely why so many kitchen remodels take place after the holidays.  If you are planning a kitchen remodel, take your time making design decisions, the kitchen is a complex room with many different elements to consider.

Here are a few things to consider in your planning:

•Pick your appliances first — everything gets built around them.

• Pick your countertop before you …
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Hi Peggy

Your point is a very good one.  But I think where NightOwl is right about picking appliances first is really a question of deciding how you use your kitchen.  I don’t think she meant that you have to decide on a specific model and then force your designer to build custom around it.  But your designer needs to know that you want a giant fridge with side by side freezer to store enough for your 4 hungry boys.  Or that you plan on baking alot and want a high end convection double wall oven or a 6 burner cooktop etc.

Part of defining requirements is figuring out how to live in the space and then designing around that life style.  But you’re right that asking a designer to over-cram a space just because you really have to have a specific piece that’s totally out of scale and overwhelming is counterproductive. 

My experience is more limited, my own kitchen and the experience of friends, but I think picking appliances first, given the space constraints and while working with a designer (if you can afford that) makes sense.  You don’t need to be totally set on ONLY those, but to have an idea of what you want early on and then to know exactly the pieces before the remodel begins makes sense to me.

Certainly. Michael.

Giving thought to how you want to use your kitchen and your equipment needs are both part of any good kitchen designer’s interview process.

Telling your designer you prefer cooking on gas burners with high BTU output or like stainless steel is a far cry from telling your designer you have chosen a 36" Wolf range, model #XYZ.

The first might get you a pro cooktop and separate ovens, the second might get you your 36" Wolf range, model #XYZ, with no pot and pan storage under or next to the range.

In the first instance you will have everything you need at the point of use; in the second you might have to walk across the room to less convenient storage every time you want a pot, and wonder why cooking a meal is so tiring.

Kitchen designers are trained to meet the needs of the client while being mindful of the available space and prioritizing wish lists.

We also hear from previous clients about appliances that are problematic or don’t live up to their expectations.

We know the importance of all these issues and help the homeowner make choices that reflect all of the important considerations instead of just the ones they happen to think of or hear about.

Using a qualified and experienced kitchen designer ensures that the final result will not leave you saying "I didn’t know that…" or "I wish…"

In fact, I daresay we actually SAVE our clients more than we cost, because the kitchens we design are better thought out, and we direct them on what to buy and where.

You don’t have to be rich to hire a kitchen designer either. My clientele is invariably middle class, just like I am.

Peggy Deras, CKD, CID

Michael said:

Hi Peggy

Your point is a very good one. But I think where NightOwl is right about picking appliances first is really a question of deciding how you use your kitchen…

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