All About Kitchens

The kitchen is often the most gathered place in the home probably due to the fact that it is the room where food is prepared. Kitchens have been around as long as people have cooked – the beginning of man – albeit primitive. The interesting thing though is that kitchens were mostly just cooking over an open fire. Kitchens were not commonly equipped with appliances until after the American civil war. The invention of electricity probably contributed to the development of kitchen appliances more than anything else.

The kitchen has been a favorite spot of every home ever since for obvious reasons. The advent of industrialization and freedom of markets brought an amenity largely enjoyed by only Kings and feudal lords to nearly every home in developed nations. Most modern residential kitchens consist of a dishwasher, microwave, refrigerator, sink, stove-top, and kitchen cabinets arranged according to a modular design.

Design

Whether you are a professional chef or a stay-at-home mom, you can greatly benefit from a well-designed kitchen. Most of us survive on the appliances we have and dream about the ones that we want. While a properly designed kitchen certainly isn’t going to make you a gourmet chef (that takes a lot of practice), it will give you the most efficient layout which saves you time and increases the quality of your cooking experience. Let’s discuss some of the essential elements of a genuine cook’s kitchen.

Colors

One of the most elementary elements of kitchen design is choosing your color tones. This is no easy task to say the least. Ideally, you want to mix the perfect balance of traditional colors with trendy ones. That way your color scheme doesn’t fall out of favor when it is no longer en vogue. Fortunately, Behr, Sherwin Williams, Benjamin Moore, Pantone, and others have developed yearly color trends by color experts taking out most of the hard work. It is important to understand that the colors you use in your kitchen set the tone for its mood and when done right makes you feel at home. Deepen your understanding of colors to make a successful choice or merely rely on the professionals. Either way, make sure that the color fits your style and mood.

Layouts

Ideally, the layout that you plan for your kitchen is going to incorporate all the elements that make your kitchen the most cook-friendly. Here are some questions that you should consider when determining the layout of your kitchen:

• Does my kitchen need eating space?
• Do I need an extra prep-sink?
• Do I prefer combination range/oven or separate?
• Is the dishwasher close to the cleanup sink?
• Is there enough walking space for more than one person in the kitchen?
• Are my stored ingredients close to the preparation area?
• Do I have enough space to prepare meals such as chopping, slicing, and dicing?
• Will I have to walk far between the stages of cooking?

Obviously, if you are remodeling a kitchen, you will be restricted somewhat on designing options for your kitchen. A lot of kitchen plans are either G-shaped, U-shaped, L-shaped or double-L, galley, corridor, or one-wall kitchen designs.

Organization

Proper organization in your kitchen is going to save you loads of time and increase your productivity. It is important that all your cabinets, storage accessories, islands, and hutches are organized in a method that produces the best results. You want adequate storage space, but also accessible space. You can incorporate rollout or swingout shelves to transform hard-to-reach places into easy access areas. Here are some other organization tips for your kitchen:

• Make sure everything is easy to reach by keeping it at least a couple feet off the floor.
• Store infrequently used things in a closet or pantry to free up valuable cabinet space.
• Store dishware near the sink and dishwasher to add clean up convenience.
• Trays and baking sheets are best store in vertical dividers.
• Store spices on a door rack alphabetically for super easy retrieval.
• Cleaning items such as sponges should be stored near the sink in a tiltout panel or small sink rack
• Long cabinet pulls can double as dish towel hangers.

Products

There are vast arrays of products available for your kitchen. All of them work together in a complimenting synergy that makes for an effective and valuable experience. Every homeowner can benefit from all the products available in the market today. The future is bright for the kitchen. Innovations are moving rapidly to make our kitchens more convenient, efficient, and powerful than ever before. Let’s explore some of the most common kitchen products.

Appliances

Most common kitchen appliances include the stove top, oven, microwave, refrigerator, and dish washer. However, there are other appliances available such as ice makers, coffee and espresso makers, toaster ovens, ventilation hoods, and mixers. People are warming up to induction cooking and warming drawers. There are endless features that you can choose from whether it’s built-in, slide-in, grills, griddles, steam or convection. The best thing to do is educate yourself on what is available and then decide on what you need or want for your kitchen.

Countertops

Every kitchen needs a good base of countertops that provide lots of workspace in the kitchen. Countertops come in all sorts of material such as concrete, granite, natural stone, glass, stainless steel, laminate, tile, quartz, wood, recycled surfaces, and engineered stone.

To help you decide which material is best for your countertop, we recommend asking yourself some of these questions:

• Will I worry about getting spills on them?
• Do I want to be able to put hot pots on them?
• Do I want to roll dough?
• Is a cutting board sufficient for slicing, dicing, and chopping?
• Is natural or man-made important to me?
• Will I like a patterned or solid color?
• Do I want a textured or smooth feel?

Cabinets

Cabinets are full of so many choices that it can be overwhelming to choose them for a new home or a remodeling project. The first step is to determine which type of cabinet do you want. This will largely affect the space and budget required. You have a choice between custom, semi-custom, and stock cabinets. Stock is typically cheaper and requires the least amount of time. Custom cabinets are obviously the most expensive and come exactly how you specify that they be built. In recent years, the development of stock and semi-custom has provided many attractive and personal options for homeowners to choose from. If the size of your space is different than most homes, then you might be forced into a semi-custom or custom cabinet job to fit your space.

You also have to decide whether you want frameless or framed cabinets. Framed cabinets are more traditional and have the disadvantage of having less interior space than frameless. Of course, frameless are more difficult to install therefore they cost more. We definitely recommend that you learn about how cabinets are built so that you can recognize what constitutes a quality cabinet. The easiest way to find the quality of your cabinets is to pay attention to the materials and joints used in the hard to see spots because they are most likely to be cheap or skimped. Thick and sturdy is a good sign of quality cabinets.

Flooring

The flooring in your kitchen is somewhat unique to the rest of your house. You will need to consider style, durability, and stain resistance when making your choice. You will likely have to choose the flooring that fits the best combination of these three characteristics because there is no “perfect” flooring type.

Here are some other flooring tips that might help you choose which floor is best for your kitchen:

• Avoid carpet as it is the least practical for a kitchen even if it is a durable type. You are better off putting carpet in adjoining rooms to the kitchen.
• Stone, wood, and concrete are naturally stain absorbent. You will need to make sure a special sealant is applied to protect these floor types from the certainty of spills.
• If comfort is very important, linoleum and vinyl are good options as they are cushioned. If those types are unappealing, then you might consider placing a strategic throw rug in areas such as in front of the kitchen sink.

Hardware

Your cabinets need some love to finish them out and decorative hardware is just the right jewelry for your cabinets. You will need to select a certain theme or style that is consistent for all your pulls, knobs, and hinges. There are literally thousands of options available so it might take you a while to find the “perfect” hardware for your kitchen. The most important thing is to maintain continuity in your choices.

Some other things to consider with hardware is the ease of use, placement, finish, and size. You will want to balance the usability of each piece with the aesthetic of the kitchen. Ideally, you can get the best of both worlds, but you might have to choose somewhere in between.

Lighting

The lighting in a kitchen can make a huge difference in the function and style of a kitchen. There are three types of lighting that you need to address when planning your kitchen. You will want to ensure that you have accent, task, and ambient lighting. Ambient lighting is the general lighting that allows you to see and move around the room. Task lighting will make your kitchen more functional by illuminating a specific area. Accent lighting is used to enhance the kitchen’s style by drawing attention to the decorative elements in the kitchen. Needless to say, the lighting is one of the more important concepts of a well-designed kitchen.

Sinks and Faucets

Most sinks range from modern and sleek to colorful and eye-catching. There are lots of different choices to make with sinks and faucets. Do you want stainless steel or cast iron? Self-rimming or undermount? Single or double bowl? Most people consider the sink merely a functional part of the kitchen. However, there are tons of options out there that are stylish as well. One thing is for certain though – you want to match it with the rest of your kitchen. You should also consider whether you want a garbage disposal, instant-hot water faucet, and a filtered water spout.

Planning

Whether you are doing a new home kitchen or an old kitchen remodel, it is essential that you don’t skimp on the planning phase. If you do, you will regret it after it is all said and done. If you are buying/building a new home, there is very little that will limit you in the flexibility of designing your kitchen. Your flexibility on a new home will come from whether you are getting a custom home, spec home, or developer-built home. An old kitchen remodel is going to restrict you some, but with a little creativity and a strong budget you should be able to accomplish whatever you desire.

Remodel

A kitchen remodel begins with demolition. That’s right, you have to demolish all your existing kitchen stuff that you will be replacing. You will have to consider the surrounding rooms and architecture of your home when planning a remodel. Another vital step is ensuring that all plumbing, electrical, and mechanical components are up to code as they may need to be updated. You should also check to make sure that all structural elements are kosher as you may need to shore them up some. Here are some remodeling tips for you to consider:

• Get a professional with remodeling experience. Remodeling can be much more complex than new construction so it is important to have someone that knows what they are doing especially if things get hairy.
• Always weigh the costs of remodeling with the costs of moving into another place. When you start to get into structural repairs, you are going to be incurring some serious cost.

Budget

Budgeting is probably one of the most tricky aspects of building or remodeling a kitchen. It always ends up costing more than you expect. A job rarely ends up going perfectly as planned and unexpected items surface that can cause havoc with a tight budget. When planning your budget, you definitely need to ask yourself some questions to help determine your selection process. Read through these questions and consult the answers as you go through your plan:

1. Why am I planning to invest in a kitchen? Is it going to be for a long term dwelling or a quick resale?
2. How much do I want to spend?
3. How much can I spend?
4. How much are my favorite products and materials going to cost?
5. Are there any items I can substitute successfully for a lower cost?
6. How quickly do I want to finish my kitchen?
7. Do I have extra cash just in case I go over the budget?
8. How much for cabinets? (typically 50% of the budget)
9. Do I plan on doing any of the work myself?
10. Am I going to need a professional designer?

Hiring Professionals

It’s often easy to get hyped up about a do-it-yourself project. I can do this and save thousands we imagine. Let’s be honest though – not everyone is cut out for this type of work – especially if you are busy with day to day activities and schedules. A skilled professional can not only provide meticulous planning for your project, but they can also do all the grunt work for you. Here are a few basics you might want to know about contractors and designers:

• You will get to know a professional best by seeing his or her work. Peruse their portfolio and you will get a pretty good idea of what they can do for you.
• You can easily expect to pay anywhere from $50 to $150 per hour. Sometimes professionals even require a retainer of several thousand dollars for the job.
• Get recommendations from friends and family first and then check the Better Business Bureau for other candidates.
• A good designer is going to take out the hard work of planning and allow you to do all the dreaming. They should help guide you through maintaining your budget, logistics, and keeping the project on schedule.

Design and Construction

Your kitchen’s design is going to lay a foundation for a great building or remodeling project. Designing is usually very exciting, but also quite stressful. The more time you spend in the planning and design phase of your project, the more likely you are to have a successful construction phase. You will need to consider styles, items, cost, and time for the project. Learn as much as you can because it will pay off in preparing yourself and your kitchen for a totally new design. Watching a design show can often lead to unrealistic expectations of construction time. In reality, it doesn’t take thirty minutes – it takes more like weeks and likely many months to complete. There are a couple things you need to consider before breaking ground. Determine what you plan to do with all the mess that is accumulated during the project. Also, figure out where you plan to eat and cook while your kitchen is missing in action.

Styles

Your kitchen’s style will represent the springboard for which you will make a lot of your design decisions. Which style you choose depends on the type of kitchen you want, the functionality that you need, and your personal taste in aesthetics. Let’s explore some of the most common kitchen styles for you to consider.

Outdoor

An outdoor kitchen can encompass a wide variety of sizes and complexity. Most outdoor kitchens are more simple than an indoor kitchen. The center piece is usually the grill, but you will also need a counter spot for prep work and some type of dining table or counter to sit and eat. Your outdoor kitchen will need an electrical line, plumbing, and gas line to supply the necessary tools of the kitchen. This will be a hot spot in the warmer months and a great place to entertain during outdoor and pool parties.

Transitional

A transitional style kitchen is a combination of both traditional and contemporary elements. These designs are typically a mix of man-made and natural materials. For example, a traditional kitchen can be turned into transitional by lightening the colors, using bamboo flooring, and accentuating the appliances.

Traditional

A traditional kitchen is not just marked by old or vintage elements, but also a formal and elegant look typical of European and American homes beginning in the 18th century. Some of the subcategories of traditional design include Neoclassical, early American, Italianate, Regency, Edwardian, Georgian, Federal, and Victorian. A lot of traditional kitchens have ornate trims and molding combined with antiquated fixtures, appliances, and lighting. They are also known for elegant and striking furniture.

Rustic

The regional American flair of a rustic kitchen is quite unique. There are various regions that are typically associated with this style including: Pacific Northwest, Adirondack, Southwestern, and Mountain West. If you think of a log cabin or even a lodge, you will get a pretty good idea of the elements commonly linked to this style. Wooden cabinets made from knotty pine, alder, or hickory are common. The colors are usually warm including yellows, greens, reds, and browns often in rich shades.

Old World

An Old World kitchen is one of large furniture and unfitted cabinets. A style mostly traced to pre-17th century Europe. Some of the design themes included with this style are Dutch cottage, medieval, Normandy cottage, Mediterranean, Tuscan, Castle, Italian Villa, and French Chateau. You will typically find copper or pewter accents, plaster or brick walls, mosaic tiling, and stoned floors.

Country

A Country kitchen is often marked by its warm and cheery hospitality. You will often find light and bright colors with this style of kitchen. There are many decorative elements such as shelving, molding, floral motifs, beaded board, woven baskets, and metal inserts. Some of the themes include Tuscan Country, French Country, English Country, cottage, garden, and farmhouse. Each theme typically shares a homemade, handcrafted look.

Contemporary

Contemporary kitchens are modern, geometric, and minimalist. They don’t include much ornamentation and are marked by horizontal lines with asymmetry. Most of the materials used include linoleum, lacquer, chrome, stainless steel, frosted glass inserts, laminate, and concrete. Most of the themes encompassed in this style are post 1940s with German, Scandinavian, and Italian influences. You will often find a kitchen of this style in a modern home.