Where to start with kitchen design

Many factors are involved with putting together a design that fits the client’s needs and has the aesthetic that will excite every time they use the room.  A full kitchen renovation requires product selections for flooring, cabinetry, countertops, backsplash, paint, moldings, furniture and lighting just too name a few. It can be difficult to choose a starting point when trying to bring together all these elements. Sometimes there is a single feature that the room is designed around. It could be a certain appliance, a piece of art, or perhaps a beautiful granite slab the client saw somewhere. Having a place to start can often ease the process and help the client and their designer get going in the right direction. If there is no starting point a good place to start is with cabinetry. In the kitchen, the cabinetry will occupy the most vertical square footage space. Choosing a color and style for the cabinetry first can help give the design direction and eliminate choices in further materials thus saving the time of creating many different design pallets when the client only needs a few to make their decision. The color of the floor can factor into this heavily though, as many homes are built with floors that carry on from one room to the next. This means the new kitchen may incorporate the existing floor, so a plan must be in place of how that floor will be patched, refinished or left alone. Many northwest homes have oak hardwood floors that span the kitchen and dining area and often into the hallways and living room. These floors can usually be patched around new changes and refinished with new colors, which should be considered when choosing the cabinet color and wood species. After the cabinet and floor choices comes to countertop. Many people use the countertop as an opportunity to add excitement to the room through color or sparkle or sometimes even texture. Countertop choices are nearly limitless and there are many great products available too homeowners today. Back splash tiles should follow the countertop and finally wall paint can be selected. With the more permanent elements of the room selected the furniture, Lighting and appliances can be finalized. Of course there is no rule, each family’s needs and wants will dictate their design, and there can be many paths that lead that same direction.