Tips and Tricks for Planning Your Dream Kitchen

When it comes to increasing the value of your home, along with the enjoyment and livability of where you live, no space will pay off for you and your family like a kitchen designed specifically for your needs and wants. So whether you crave well-lit countertops for baking cakes or a six-burner cooktop and double oven to make multi-course meals, your dream kitchen should reflect your lifestyle and make meal-prep as easy and convenient as possible.

Are You Keeping the Layout or Changing It?

What you decide to do with the layout of your kitchen will have a significant impact on your budget, but there’s no point in designing a dream kitchen if it doesn’t work for you. Consider traffic flow through the kitchen, how you use the kitchen, and where you want your small appliances to be. If you’re adding an island or remodeling one that is already there, decide if you’re going to install a sink or a cooktop or keep it a workspace where your family can sit and eat together. If you are changing the layout, consider hiring a kitchen designer to help you with the planning.

What does your dream kitchen need?

Cabinets

Cabinets and drawers are the workhorses of any kitchen, constantly in use and opened and closed dozens of times a day. Invest wisely in quality cabinetry so it will last for years to come. Consider what you need for storage when designing your cabinets— if you make a lot of cookies, cookie sheets need extra storage space, or if you love to make big batches of soups or stews, you’ll need extra room for large pots.

Countertops

There are many options for countertops, and deciding which will work best for you can be confusing. Consider if you are more concerned about durability or design, and go from there.

• Marble: The most luxurious choice but also the most easily stained. Stay away from this if you or your family are prone to splashes and spills.
• Quartz: If you love the look of marble but want the easy care of granite, quartz is the best choice for you.
• Granite: The most colorful and most interesting countertops are usually granite. Robust, solid, and easy to maintain.
• Tile: Tile offers patterns and more funky options that work well with eclectic design, but the grout can be tough to keep clean.
• Formica or Corian: Both of these are great for vintage kitchens. Corian is the more durable of the two, but Formica has a much wider range of colors to choose from.

Backsplash

This is where you can express your design aesthetic without the need to consider durability or ease of cleaning. Add a pop of color to your kitchen with shiny glass tiles or hand-painted ceramic tiles, or keep your kitchen calm and monochromatic by continuing the countertop up the walls as a backsplash.

Appliances

You can go crazy with wifi-connected smart appliances. Some refrigerators have TV screens, and some dishwashers text you when your dishes are dry. If you don’t need that kind of high-tech equipment, avoid the bells and whistles and stick with the basics. Your food will still stay cold, and your dishes will still get clean.

Choose a finish that will work with your design aesthetic: contemporary stainless steel, modern mat black, or retro-white.

Look for Inspiration Online

If you’re not sure what design direction you want to go in, there are many places to look online for ideas. You can start with Pinterest and save images to your Pinterest page. If you aren’t on Pinterest, check out design websites – all of the home and garden magazines have websites with tons of great content, including images of every kind of kitchen imaginable. After spending some time looking at various kitchens, your design style will become easier to determine.

Choose a Color Scheme

Color makes such a big impact on how you feel in your home, including your kitchen. While all-white kitchens are the most common and easiest choice, design-wise, they can feel a little sterile without a bit of color, which you can add with countertops, flooring, or the backsplash. Dark kitchens are on-trend, but be sure you are comfortable with black cabinets before going in that direction. For many people, a mix of light upper and dark lower cabinets is a good compromise. It adds some visual interest, especially in larger kitchens where there is a lot of cabinetry. Dark color options that are timeless include navy blue, moss green, and soft gray.

Plan for Kitchen Storage

Make the most of every inch of space by utilizing storage solutions that will help you to keep your kitchen organized, clean, and easy to manage. Storage solutions are available for every cabinet, drawer and kitchen supplies, including:

• Undersink
• Pantry
• Refrigerator
• Utensils
• Pots and pans
• Dishes
• Cleaning products

Hire Art of Drawers to Create Custom Solutions for Your Dream Kitchen

Art of Drawers can add the finishing touches and make your kitchen storage a dream if you’re designing your ideal kitchen.

With solution options like pull-out drawers, drawer inserts, pull-down shelving, lazy Susans, and more, we’ll transform your kitchen into an organized and easily accessible space. So let Art of Drawers make your dream kitchen a reality.

For more information or to schedule a free design consultation, please get in touch with us online or call us at 770-800-8410.