So, you’ve finally had enough of your avocado green cabinets, your fluorescent tube lights that make you look like a ghost, and that one drawer that only opens when the moon is full and Mercury is in retrograde. You’re ready for a kitchen remodeling adventure! But before you pick up that sledgehammer or get hypnotized by a tile sample, let’s talk strategy. Kitchen remodeling isn’t just about pretty Pinterest boards and binge-watching HGTV—there are some seriously important things to consider.
1. Budget: AKA “The Dream Crusher”
Let’s begin with the most important one. No, not your refrigerator but your budget.
You may fantasize of having marble countertops sourced from a remote Italian village and smart appliances that can do everything except walking your dog. But before you consider second-mortgaging your house to set up your very own version of Gordon Ramsay’s testing kitchen, it is advisable to find out the amount you can really afford.
The best practice to follow is to add 15 to 20% to your total budget to account for unanticipated “surprises” like the ones you find out when your 1970s wiring isn’t to code or your plumbing is bought together with duct tape and optimism.
2. Layout: Don’t Play Tetris with Your Stove
A kitchen renovation project is your opportunity to set right all the layout mistakes made earlier. Think workflow; what designers describe as the “kitchen triangle” (sink, stove, fridge). If your triangle is looking more like a confused trapeze that requires 8,000 steps even just for you to make a toast, then it is definitely time for a change.
Pro tip: Open concept is very trendy right now; however, if you have a toddler, three cats, and an active blender, it would be wise for you to build some walls to hide the chaos.
3. Style: Trendy or Timeless?
Sure, burnt orange and neon grout might be trendy this week, but will you still like it next year? Or will you eat your meal in a de facto disco ball?
Decide whether you want simple things like (white cabinets, subway tiles, stainless steel) or bold things like (blue cabinets, gold fixtures, unicorn wallpaper). The key is mixing your own style with some kind of future orientation. Of course, unless you simply like fixing things every five years. If that’s the case. Well, it’s your choice.
The art of kitchen remodeling is finding the right balance between being stylish and “I can peacefully live with this for another ten years.”
4. Functionality: Looks Aren’t Everything
It’s a known fact that your kitchen should be visually attractive-but, this is not enough if the cabinets don’t open all the way or the fridge door is blocking your only exit, then you’ve got a problem. Good design should be practical. Imagine a pull-out trash bin that is also a lazy Susan, deep drawers for pots, and lights that don’t require a headlamp.
Kitchen remodeling is not only about Instagram posts. It’s more about making your time in the kitchen easy. Or at least bearable.
5. Storage: Where Do You Hide the Snacks?
Don’t underestimate the power of stuff. It is not that you don’t have them; it is just that after you reposition your kitchen and things become aesthetically pleasing, you will be forced to bring many more creepy crawlers into the space.
Before you even think of demolishing walls, plan your storage. Make the best of the vertical space, add the pantry access in the blueprints, and oh for the love of the Tupperware-get yourself a junk drawer. Or three.
A fantastic kitchen remodeling plan switches the state of chaos to one of order, or at least helps you pretend you’re organized.
6. Contractors: Choose Wisely, Young Grasshopper
Except if you are that weird one who can handle tiling, plumbing, electrical and doesn’t throw a tantrum at the sight of drywall dust, you are going to need some assistance. The contractor you choose can be the difference between living your dream kitchen or being on a food show home renovation nightmare.
Get some recommendations, read some reviews, and do not hesitate to query whether your contract will be present or not or if they will even show up.
It is crucial to mind that kitchen remodeling is not an area for blind trust. It is a place for contracts, clarity, or maybe a background check.
7. Timing: Christmas Dinner May Be In the Garage
It has been said that you’ll be kicking off your kitchen renovation in September. No doubt, it will definitely be over by Thanksgiving, right?
Hilarious! Not even.
Kitchen remodeling has never been known to take the expected time. They absolutely always take longer. Make the necessary arrangements. For example, you could set up a temporary kitchen in another room. Get take-out menus and pile them up high. Also, you can prepare yourself mentally to do the dishes in the bathtub for a little while.
8. Patience: Your Most Valuable Tool
More than your budget, your backsplash, or your beloved slow cooker—patience is the key ingredient in any kitchen remodeling recipe. Things will go wrong. Decisions will be second-guessed.
But at the end of the day, you’ll have a space that (hopefully) makes you happy, feeds your soul, and holds your mismatched mugs in style.
For more, visit our website, Homthreads
