Kitchen Tips
Designing a kitchen can be a little bit like doing a puzzle. There are a lot of elements that need to be considered and a lot of restrictions as to where things can go. We are thinking about sight-lines, symmetry, function, balance, natural light and so much more. Over the years we have picked up some tips and tricks for figuring out those really specific challenges and today we are excited to share them with you!
Space Planning & Circulation:
The kitchen is the heart of the home. When you have guests over, where does everyone congregate? …Let me guess, around your Kitchen island? Because of this unavoidable fact we always attempt to give guests some space in the kitchen, whether that's around a big island or at a nook table that is close by. Within the space we try to create a subtle division of public and private with good circulation so you can finish preparing and still enjoy your company as they start to arrive. Open concepts help with this because the adjacent rooms feel close enough that people tend to spread out a bit. Our favorite solution, if the space permits, is a butler's pantry! Big or small they are incredible at giving you that space to tuck away the messy prep or finish up the last bit as people arrive.
Finishes:
When it comes to selecting finishes for your kitchen we understand how overwhelming it can be considering the amount of options we have available to us. A benefit to working with a designer is that we take everyday information you give us about your life and preferences or personality and we distil that into your design. We are pulling information from different places that aren’t always obvious. Selecting the finish for your millwork is one of those elements that feels daunting. More often than not, our clients can’t decide between two finishes, so why not do both?
We love a two toned kitchen and achieving it in different ways such as, selecting a complimentary finish for your pantry millwork and then tying in to the kitchen through accents or open shelves. You can’t go wrong with a classic color on the island tied into the rest of the space through accents or décor. Lately we love changing things up on the bar if you have one nearby.
What if your kitchen millwork is all wood? How do you go about selecting your hardwood flooring? Let me break it down with some do’s and don’ts
Do: Pick out a tone (light or dark) from a sample of your kitchen millwork and make that overall tone of your floor.
Depiction of Wood Millwork and Wood Floor. The Floor reads Neutral while the millwork has warm undertones.
Don’t: try to match them exactly. In theory this sounds like a good option but in reality it's very hard to achieve. Even if they were exactly the same they will end up looking awkwardly different because light hits your cabinets when they are sitting vertical, while it hits your floor as it's laying horizontal resulting in the same finish looking different. It's always better to intentionally select something different than to try to match and end up with one offending the other.
Do: Pick something more neutral for the flooring with minimal undertones so that it acts as a beautiful backdrop
Don’t: Pick something with cool undertones for your floor and warm undertones for your millwork or vice versa. We want to make sure one is reading as neutral as possible so it doesn't make the other look different than expected once installed.
Thanks for breaking down some of our kitchen tips with us today. We hope providing some insight into how we approach it helps it feel less daunting. If you are ready to renovate your kitchen click the button below!
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