Our Top Tips for Kitchen Remodels

Our Top Tips for Kitchen Remodels

There’s nothing quite like seeing a kitchen remodel come to life, but before you bust out that sledgehammer, you’ll want to have a plan in place and take some time to decide on your final design.

So, where do you start? These are our top five tips for remodeling a kitchen – follow these, and you’ll be whipping up your favorite meal and entertaining friends and family in no time.

Tip #1 – Remember the Kitchen Triangle

Your kitchen’s layout should always be intentional and your design should take into account the needs of your space. A rule of thumb to keep in mind is the “kitchen triangle.” Basically, you want to make sure that your stove, sink, and refrigerator are spaced apart like a triangle. This way, you avoid having too many cooks in the kitchen, as they say. There’ll be plenty of space between each to allow for ease of movement, and the appliances will balance one another out visually.

Kitchen Tip #2 – Finalize Cabinets & Backsplash

If your original cabinets are in bad shape and you need a full update, we recommend ripping them out and starting fresh. But if they’re in good condition and just need a facelift, go ahead and keep them – you can give them a new coat of paint and they’ll feel brand new. You might even consider doing a mix of both – rip some out, but keep some of the original ones like we did in this kitchen. The island was custom and brand new, but the perimeter cabinetry just needed to be touched up with paint.

Now, your backsplash can make or break a room, so you want to be intentional about the style and color scheme you choose. If you want to keep things simple, opt for neutral colors in simple shapes – like this white backsplash (the unique shapes help to bring out visual interest, but they still let the rest of the room take the spotlight as a whole). If you want your backsplash to be the star of the show, though, be sure to work the rest of the room’s design around it – you don’t want a stunning tile mosaic to be clashing and competing with a show-stopping chandelier. Balance is key.

Kitchen Tip #3 – Use Paint to Your Advantage

Walls, trim, cabinetry – you name it, and it can get an instant upgrade with a bit of paint. It’s the least expensive way to give your kitchen a completely new look, and the best part about it is that you can always change up the style as the years go on. Simply pick out a new shade, give the room a few coats, and voila! You’ve got a refreshed kitchen.

Kitchen Tip #4 – Choose Your Flooring

You can go a number of different directions with kitchen flooring – from tiles to hardwood floors – and it’s important to think about what your overall vision is for the space. If you want a trendy and contemporary vibe, you might want to go for a bold graphic tile. On the other hand, if you want to stick to a timeless floor that adds warmth to the room, hardwood is always a good choice. Especially if you’ve got the original hardwood floors already in place, with a bit of refinishing and re-staining, your floors will look absolutely gorgeous.

Kitchen Tip #5 – Add Final Touches (Lighting / Plumbing / Hardware)

Now that you’ve got your base in place – flooring, walls, backsplash, and cabinets – it’s time to choose the finishing touches that bring a kitchen to life. Your sink, faucet, cabinet hardware, and light fixtures are the cherries on top and they give your kitchen that extra dash of personality you crave. Be sure to coordinate them with the rest of the room, and keep in mind both function and style to get the most out of the space. (And don’t forget to add a statement piece – like these gold pendants – to make your kitchen pop.)

Ready to get remodeling? These tips should get you started – just remember, balance is key, coordination is essential, and your style should ultimately fit you. Dream kitchen, here we come.

By Megan Johansson, Contributor to Molly Howe Design