As you study Chicago kitchen design ideas, you'll notice certain terms repeated over and over, "modern," "traditional," "contemporary," "streamlined," "farmhouse," "contemporary," and so on. Unless you never sway from a single design style, choosing a favorite can be challenging.
The pictures accompanying those terms and design phrases will all be eye-catching in their own way, so you can find yourself as equally drawn to a photo of a "modern" kitchen as you are to a cozy "farmhouse" kitchen design. It can begin to feel like you're fickle.
Start With an Idea Book
Good news! You're not fickle, you simply appreciate great design. That appreciation will be put to use when you create your "Idea Book." In the old days, this meant clipping pages or photos from design magazines, and you're still welcome to do that. However, digital platforms take up less time and space and can be conveniently sent, shared or added to by others involved in the process.
Houzz's platform is about as good as it gets. Plus, when working on Houzz, you're automatically connected to a source of hundreds of thousands of kitchen design images, which will make it easy to curate your favorites. This post, Inside Houzz: How to Create and Use Ideabooks, will get your started.
To streamline your idea book process, only include images of designs/features you would love to live with. If you love the look of a design, but wouldn't want it in your kitchen - don't include it. If you love the look of a design, particularly the cabinets or kitchen island accents, - include it and make a note of what you love.
Search Key Kitchen Design Descriptors
Now that you have an idea book started, begin searching very specific kitchen design terms and see what comes up on various kitchen design websites. Examples include:
- Modern
- Contemporary
- Transitional
- Traditional
- Livable or accessible
- Low-Maintenance
- Timeless
- Eco-Friendly
Simply reviewing these different design styles and ideas may be enough to show you exactly the type of kitchen you want.
Work With a Design Team
As you review your book over time, you'll notice certain emerging themes - even if all of the general kitchen designs seem very different from one another. Perhaps you'll notice you prefer cabinets that are streamlined over those with furniture-style accents. Certain color combinations and palettes may show up more than others. These are all clues to lead you in the right direction.
This is also a good time to review current kitchen trends to see if any of them resonate with you. By this point, it's time to begin consulting with design and build teams. Send the teams your idea books so they can review the kitchen designs that attract you.
Once you sit down with your current kitchen plan in hand, along with your idea book, your own Chicago kitchen design ideas will spring to life as the design-build team guides you through the materials and features selections.
Visit Kitchens & Baths Unlimited to begin designing a kitchen that's right for you.
