Kitchen Design

Articles about inexpensive kitchen remodels are prolific!


We all know that if we can live with our existing cabinets (with their current layout
or a new one) we will save the largest percentage of our budget.  Replacing doors
and hardware is always a good idea if budget is a concern, and you can live with a 
reconfiguration of them or as they are.  


I do love the idea of adding a walk in pantry to an existing layout by bumping into an 
adjacent room (if this works in the layout) and the small cost that represents to the over
all design.  That is a good application of space vs. cost.


It is also always a goal to add upgraded appliances and stone counter tops.  There is no inexpensive way around these two upgrades other than doing an accent area (such as an island) with stone, and leaving the rest, or using poured concrete.  I caution you that concrete 
sounds like a great idea, but there are many horror stories of cracking concrete months
after all the contractors are gone and the sinks are mounted.  


One way to attempt to address the upgraded appliances option is to watch for discontinued
models being sold off from distributors at lower prices, or watching sale sites like eBay or Craigslist for removed appliances.  Of course there is danger with these options as you might
get a non working appliance with no warranty, or even a piece that is not what it is advertised to be.  I know many people that have sold appliances that they have removed from their kitchens during upgrades, and they were honest about their shortfalls.  But not everyone is honest and 
you take that risk when you go that direction.


To most people, nothing speaks status more than a Viking or Wolf range.  The higher BTU's alone will send most cooks drooling.  If this is your passion, you may have to budget for it, and only do the project when you can afford to do this.  I personally feel this way, so for me, the appliance budget in a kitchen leads the total budget.  I believe that real cooks live and die by their appliances.   


Plumbing fixtures such as sinks, faucets, and water filters may be able to be changed or added a later time.  These may be less of a priority because of this fact.


I love kitchen design.  And I especially love doing a blue tape footprint on the floor and encouraging the client to walk the space, and make sure that there is enough room to open drawers, doors, dishwashers, and microwaves without getting in each others way.  Practical examples like this help us move through the trauma of all new everything without warning of what compromises we are making for the overall design.