How to Avoid Costly Mistakes When Remodeling Your Kitchen
custom kitchen remodel home kitchen remodel home kitchen remodeling home remodeling kitchen kitchen bathroom remodeling kitchen design remodeling kitchen remodeling designs latest kitchen design ideas
How to Avoid Costly Mistakes When Remodeling Your Kitchen - As a kitchen
specialist, I try to educate my clients on the mistakes they can easily
avoid when remodeling their kitchens. While beauty and functionality are
important in the design, longevity is an equally important factor.
Kitchens are a significant investment and should be designed to last
twenty years or so.
These tips not only
explain the most costly errors made by homeowners, but also serve as a
guideline for ensuring a greater lifespan for your kitchen.
Good Lighting is Essential
Proper lighting in a
kitchen is essential as it serves many different functions. Kitchens
require bright task lighting to define usable prep work areas, and
softer mood lighting to create ambiance for the island, seating, and
entertaining spaces. Great mood lighting can be achieved with a fabulous
statement light fixture over an island or eating enclave. While the
light fixture may be an investment piece, it can easily be swapped into
another room if it doesn’t work in the kitchen.
 |
| The sink area above is brightly illuminated for prep work and does not affect the natural mood lighting of the room. |
Design your cabinets
with task lighting built in, as it’s difficult to add after they’re
installed. You’ll also avoid having pockets of shadow and darkness in
the most important prep areas. Task lighting needs to be carefully
planned — not only because it’s costly to change, but also because it’s
absolutely vital for the functionality of your kitchen.
Understand Your Materials and Finishes
I always say to clients that there are no bad choices when it comes to materials, only poor applications. Materials and finishes need to survive the day-to-day stresses of the space and suit the owner’s lifestyle. If you’re concerned with staining, avoid using white marble countertops in prep areas. They may look beautiful, but marble is extremely porous and thus easily stained. If you’re interested in using marble in your kitchen space, opt for incorporating the material in another prominently featured area. For example, luxurious Calacatta marble is a fabulous material for a backsplash or buffet island.
Changing countertops is expensive as they’re custom cut and difficult to install. Most of the magnificent marble slabs or semi-precious stone counters we use are so large and heavy that we commonly remove windows or walls in order to even get them into the home. Once the counters are installed, the plumber needs to come in to fit the faucets, and the electrician needs to seat the appliances! It’s a huge and costly undertaking.
Like marble
countertops, painted white cabinets are a popular finish. However, if
you have young children or a lot of activity in your kitchen, chipping
is inevitable. Painted cabinets chip, even with the best topcoat. So you
need to consider the long-term maintenance of the material you’ve
chosen.
Metal cabinets are a more durable alternative — and remember, there is more to metal than stainless steel.
 |
| A combination of metal and lacquer coated cabinets in this kitchen for a family of active cooks. |
A few more tips:
Wood floors look
gorgeous, but if you have large or active dogs at home, they might not
be the best choice, as they are likely to show signs of scratching.
Stone floors can
last forever, however they can be hard on your feet if you spend a lot
of time prepping in the kitchen. Try to minimize the amount of grout
between the stones as it catches excess dirt quickly and can show signs
of discoloration.
Stainless steel is a
very practical and functional countertop material, but it scratches
easily and tends to evoke a colder, industrial feel.
