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5. What Color Should I Choose?
Whether you pick an elegant neutral, a rich dark tone or a zingy shade, the color you choose will have an effect on the look and feel of the whole room and could be the keystone of your entire kitchen design.
Color can be introduced to your kitchen in several ways, but the largest block of color will usually be the cabinets, so it’s worth giving this choice careful consideration.
In addition to personal preference, you’ll also need to take into account the direction your room faces, as this will affect the way colors are perceived. North-facing kitchens, for example, will have reflected rather than direct natural light, so using cooler colors can work better at keeping the space feeling brighter, while warmer tones will have a soft, gentle quality.
South-facing kitchens, in contrast, will receive direct light, so stronger, brighter colors will look vibrant here. If you love reds and oranges, these can work well in a south-facing space. A sunny room can also handle darker colors well, because the light is so intense.
If you’re feeling overwhelmed, start by saving your favorite kitchen color photos in a Houzz ideabook and ask a professional to help guide you through the best options for your space.
New to home remodeling? Learn the basics
This article was originally published by a www.houzz.com . Read the Original article here. .
1. Larger Kitchens Borrow Space From Dining Rooms
While most homeowners (64%) keep their kitchen about the same size as the original during a remodel, more than a third (35%) increase the footprint. To gain more square footage, some homeowners steal space from a dining room (29%) or a living room (12%). Nearly 1 in 5 homeowners (18%) builds a home addition, while a smaller portion incorporate space from hallways (10%) and closets (7%).
After renovations, a majority of homeowners (53%) have a kitchen that measures 200 square feet or more, up 1 percentage point year over year. Midsize kitchens (100 to 199 square feet) account for 34%, while 13% of renovated kitchens are less than 100 square feet.
“Nearly half of the homes in the U.S. are 42 years old or older and were built to serve homeowners of a different era,” says Marine Sargsyan, Houzz staff economist. “As kitchens take on a more centralized role in daily activities, homeowners are choosing to surrender neighboring rooms and exterior spaces for additional kitchen square footage to meet their needs.”
This article was originally published by a www.houzz.com . Read the Original article here. .
Successfully planning a kitchen that will work beautifully for you and other family members well into later life comes down to a number of factors. Considerations include safety, functionality, ease of use — and sustainability, because you’ll be building something that will last.
“We are frequently considering how things will work in 20 years’ time and all that’s in between,” says designer Steve Root of Roots Kitchens, Bedrooms and Bathrooms. “That means thinking about how the homeowners’ needs might change, how lifestyles may develop, how things will wear and break and, thus, how they can be maintained.”
But that doesn’t means a kitchen without character. Because when form and function work hand in hand, you’re winning at design.
This article was originally published by a www.houzz.com . Read the Original article here. .
Successfully planning a kitchen that will work beautifully for you and other family members well into later life comes down to a number of factors. Considerations include safety, functionality, ease of use — and sustainability, because you’ll be building something that will last.
“We are frequently considering how things will work in 20 years’ time and all that’s in between,” says designer Steve Root of Roots Kitchens, Bedrooms and Bathrooms. “That means thinking about how the homeowners’ needs might change, how lifestyles may develop, how things will wear and break and, thus, how they can be maintained.”
But that doesn’t means a kitchen without character. Because when form and function work hand in hand, you’re winning at design.
This article was originally published by a www.houzz.com . Read the Original article here. .
Successfully planning a kitchen that will work beautifully for you and other family members well into later life comes down to a number of factors. Considerations include safety, functionality, ease of use — and sustainability, because you’ll be building something that will last.
“We are frequently considering how things will work in 20 years’ time and all that’s in between,” says designer Steve Root of Roots Kitchens, Bedrooms and Bathrooms. “That means thinking about how the homeowners’ needs might change, how lifestyles may develop, how things will wear and break and, thus, how they can be maintained.”
But that doesn’t means a kitchen without character. Because when form and function work hand in hand, you’re winning at design.
This article was originally published by a www.houzz.com . Read the Original article here. .
The owner of this home had lived with an inherited kitchen for more than 10 years, during which time she’d updated the rest of her home with another interior designer, who’d then moved abroad. She found Natasha Burton of NB Interiors UK on Houzz — where she’d spotted another very small kitchen the designer had worked on — and got in touch. “She was quite nervous about working with someone new,” Burton says, “but we got on really well.”
There wasn’t much room for change in the layout of this small room, but Burton’s clever redesign has given it more than an aesthetic revamp. Along with a streamlined use of color, materials and pattern, small changes to shelf lengths, doors and the location of wall hooks, plus a “disappearing” boiler, have helped to create a sense of more space, as well as better-organized storage.
This article was originally published by a www.houzz.com . Read the Original article here. .
While living out of the country, this couple wanted to remodel their home in Cary, North Carolina, remotely. They looked to Houzz to find a local design professional and found design-build firm Clearcut Construction. They communicated with owner Richard Ryder through emails and inspiration photos, and he sent them full renderings of the kitchen that included details like stone options for the countertops and backsplash.
“They were able to come back a few times to shop for appliances and check out the quartz we’d chosen for them in person, but most of the design process was done remotely,” Ryder says. The result is a transitional kitchen that leans warm contemporary, with Japandi inspiration.
This article was originally published by a www.houzz.com . Read the Original article here. .
3. Better, Not Bigger
After years of designing kitchens for clients, architect Angie Lipski of MMW Architects redesigned her own 184-square-foot Missoula, Montana, kitchen — starting with saving inspirational images to ideabooks on Houzz. Among her priorities were maximizing storage space, adding an island, upgrading a small cafe corner, installing a custom metal hood focal point and carving out a display area for her husband’s collection of Bavarian beer steins, visible in the illuminated cabinet on the right of this photo. What you can’t see here — but will see if you click the link below to the original story — are all of the smart, hidden pullouts, which include a high-density pantry and corner cabinet solutions.
Read more about this kitchen
This article was originally published by a www.houzz.com . Read the Original article here. .
5. How Do I Get the Most Efficient Layout?
The layout of your kitchen is a big decision, and you may need professional advice. It’s helpful to know early on where gas and electrical outlets are going to go for each appliance, and of course drainage for plumbed items. Kitchen designers strive to create zones for cooking, washing and prepping. This is useful for the smooth running of your kitchen and for ensuring that your plumbed items can be easily drained (positioned on an outside wall or with a straight run to the outside).
Consider the space between cooktops and windows or tower cabinets, and between electrical outlets and sinks. Think about which appliances can sit in close proximity to others, and take account of whether doors can open safely, as well as the minimum distance between a run of cabinets and an island, for instance, for a comfortable walkway.
Most retailers will draw up a plan for you, and some will even visit your home to measure and check the positions of things like the water heater and utility meters. Ask around and get a variety of designs to help you make the best use of your space.
Key Measurements to Help You Design Your Kitchen
This article was originally published by a www.houzz.com . Read the Original article here. .
With advances in technology and efficiency, new appliances are an important upgrade for many renovating homeowners.
Among large kitchen appliances, renovating homeowners go for dishwashers (71%) and microwaves (70%) most frequently, followed by ranges (64%), refrigerator-freezer combinations (62%) and range hoods (61%). Homeowners also frequently upgrade cooktops (39%) and wall ovens (31%), while smaller shares opt for beverage refrigerators (18%) and wine refrigerators (14%).
For the most part, homeowners prioritize quality and aesthetics over cost. Quality is the top priority, influencing 64% of homeowners, while look and feel is most important for 50%. Though cost is a lower priority for most, 29% of renovating homeowners still cite it as the reason for their appliance purchase. Substantial shares also prioritize size (27%), specialty features (25%) and energy efficiency (22%).
Meanwhile, stainless steel is by far the leading choice for appliances, chosen by 74% of homeowners. White (7%), black stainless steel (5%) and black (3%) trail far behind.