When a family gathers around the table and the decision about a must-do kitchen renovation is unanimous, the first smiles give way under the pressure of the situation’s gravity. And then, different opinions and options are put on the table. What the children think would be a fun change, the parents leave aside – and vice versa.
And while it’s not a domestic war, with winners and losers, the final decision and the dominant idea should be in everyone’s favorite. After all, what all members of the family want is room to cook, gather, sit, enjoy, store – they just look at things from a different perspective.
Now, one important parameter to consider is this: while the focal points of all kitchen makeovers are better traffic, ergonomics, storage, and space, not all renovations should follow the same patterns. The key point, here, is the kitchen itself – its condition, age, layout. These are the factors, which will influence your decision on what to keep and what to change.
Let’s assume that the current kitchen design is alright – in terms of layout, but the materials are rather worn or you just want to modernize the space by renovating. The best things you can do?
Kitchen Remodel – What to Keep
• Kitchen cabinets – keep them if they are not damaged and, particularly, if they are made of solid wood. Once upon a time, the materials used for the construction of kitchen cabinetry were a lot stronger than today. One way to upgrade their style is to paint them and change hardware.
• Kitchen flooring – keep it, unless it is ruined. It’s a big expense and a lot of hassle to change the kitchen flooring. If we are talking about a wooden floor, you can always stain or even paint it – to change its looks.
• Kitchen layout – keep it. If you have survived so far in this kitchen without having difficulties, regarding ergonomics, why go through the expense?
• Kitchen appliances – keep them even if they are old and as long as they still work just fine. The only thing you need to check is the size of the appliances you may want to get in the future – in case you need to leave the required space for them.
Kitchen Remodel – What to Change
• Kitchen countertop – change it, especially if yours is damaged or filthy – hence, a threat to your health. Prefer solid materials, natural stone kitchen countertops – preferably, seamless.
• Backsplash – change it to better protect that part of the kitchen. You can use the same material all through the wall under the wall cabinetry and over the counter to create uniformity.
• Faucet & hardware – change them all. They don’t cost a lot and make a huge change, in terms of aesthetics.
• Kitchen lighting – change them if they are old, outdated, not aligned with your current stylistic preferences, or don’t give the brightness expected in the kitchen. Today, there are many choices – not all of them expensive. Don’t forget that you need lots and lots of lights around the kitchen – over the island, under the wall cabinets, inside the cabinets – task lights, accent lights.
• Ventilation – change it or address its problems. One thing you want to be sure of is that the steam has an exhaust route and won’t take a toll on the kitchen cabinets – all surfaces.
Now, if the kitchen’s layout is hardly convenient, the window is tiny, and the floor is a mess, the above list is not for you. In such cases, you need a complete kitchen remodel – thus, remake, altering the looks and structure of the room as opposed to just restoring and making a few changes – things often included in a simple kitchen renovation.
