Question: What's the most important consideration when planning your North Shore kitchen remodel?
Answer:
A) Choosing the cabinets, since they take up the most visible square footage.
B) Picking the appliances so your stone countertop can be selected, measured and designed in time.
C) Selecting the flooring so you can build your design from the ground on up.
D) None of the Above
If you answered, "D," you've been doing your homework. While much of the conversation about your kitchen remodel will revolve around form and aesthetics, there is one vital piece of information that should stand behind every option and upgrade you choose: FUNCTION.
Always Choose Function Over Form When Designing Your North Shore Kitchen Remodel
The first thing any kitchen designer worth their salt will ask you during your initial design consultation is, "How does your household use the kitchen?" This is because we understand all the bells and whistles don't mean diddly if you can't use your kitchen in a fluid, sensible and efficient way.
Consider the following:
The work triangle. Traditionally (or since the post-war era, anyway) kitchens have been designed around a "work triangle" that keeps the sink, fridge and stovetop/oven within a convenient distance from one another. However, if you're more of an eat-outer or microwaver than a gourmet cook, this standard is irrelevant and you can design a kitchen layout that makes more sense for your kitchen usage.
Your residency. How long do you plan on staying in your home? If you plan to sell it within the next five years, we'll want to take consumer trends into consideration as well as your own tastes so your kitchen will be more appealing to future house hunters. If you plan to use your kitchen for the next several decades, we'll want to talk about universal design principles that make your kitchen just as efficient when you're body is 20 years older than it is today.
The social aspects. Are you serial entertainers? Do your kids friends tend to congregate in your kitchen, even if it means throwing down a backpack as a backrest against the wall? A few simple tweaks in design can add ample work space and extra seating so guests and hanger-outers have comfortable places to sit while the meal's being prepared.
Design for your cooking style. Some families cook together, others have a one-person-band in the kitchen. You may prefer to use lots of fancy gadgets while your baking neighbor prefers to mix and knead all his dough by hand. How you cook will have an effect on your kitchen layout, which type of kitchen island to build, the type of storage spaces we design or the best countertop surfaces for cleaning and sanitizing.
Once you've considered the ins-and-outs of how your kitchen is used on a daily, weekly and even annual basis, you'll be ready to select the options and upgrades to design a stunning North Shore kitchen remodel.
Contact Kitchens & Baths Unlimited to enjoy a functional and beautiful design.
