Neat Solutions for kitchen Remodel- #2

Having come to the conclusion that we were going to attempt to take on the task of being our own contractor, we set about finalizing with our subs contractors and shopping for the many things necessary for a kitchen remodel. This installment will focus a bit on design choices and layout. Where to start....

 My background is textile and graphic design so I am comfortable making design and color choices on my own. For those of you not so confident, it can be overwhelming so try this....visit showrooms, look in magazines, books, online. Take notes of what you like...cabinet color and styles, floor types (wood, tile, laminate), color palettes (earthy, neon, cool, warm). You will start to see a pattern emerge in your preferences.

Don't forget to consider the style in the rest of your home...please don't try an ultramodern kitchen if the rest of your home is traditional colonial. In our case...we have a transitional/contemporary home. The previous  kitchen was contemporary...white laminate cabinets, gray counters, gray floors, crazy lighting. Over the years we tried to"warm" it up a bit with paint, accessories and artwork but it never quite got there. we decided to go with a transitional style. This is defined as classic with a contemporary twist. Warm colors, clean lines, natural materials. We wanted a "Tuscan-ish" color palette that is used throughout the dining, living and family areas...terra cotta, green, brown, gold. Unless you are planning NEVER move, one should always consider resale.

Neutral is the key to resale of a home, right? That helps narrow down the colors chosen for the more permanent items like floor, cabinets and counter tops. Add color with paint, accessories, art, towels, rugs, and dishes. Along with style you must also consider layout. Believe me, I am no expert in this area, but, whoever designed the layout of my original kitchen knew what they were doing. It always worked for me...everything had a place, the areas between the sink, oven, fridge and counters were convenient. Friends and family could help me cook or keep me company and not be in the way. We decided that except for a few minor changes we would keep a very similar layout. This would save some $$$ as we would not need to move plumbing or electrical. Where ever you purchase your cabinets (whether factory built or custom built-ins ) they should be able to help you layout the cabinets to suit your needs. In our case, we ended up with Browns Woodworking. They are a family owned wood shop. The cabinets are custom made to order....so we could choose style, color, layout. Brian Brown showed up at the house with a laptop computer and a few samples. The computer has a design program so we could visualize 4 drawers vs 5 drawers,  glass doors vs wood door, or 6 small cabinets vs 3 large. You would expect custom to be more expensive than factory built, but for the the same quality we were able to save about 25% off the cost of factory built AND get exactly what we wanted! Why? Because...NO MIDDLE MAN. No contractor, no retail overhead, no design staff to pay. If you choose this route just be sure to get references and see actual examples of the work. Coming up.... what's the difference between porcelain and ceramic tile and other stimulating questions.