Kitchen Design

Kitchens are the heart of the home.  It's the gathering place for family and friends.  A Kitchen should be efficient and beautiful.  I've mentioned before that the size of the kitchen isn't  nearly as important as the design.  I have designed kitchens as small as 7' by 10' and some as big as 20' by 15'!  Both were functional and served the needs of the family and that's what counts. 

Before designing your new kitchen or remodeling the one you have, you need to assess what your needs are.  Do you do a lot of cooking and baking?  When entertaining, do you enjoy having people mull around the kitchen while you prepare a meal or do you prefer to work alone?  Do you have young children?  A disability or handicap?  There are many things to consider.  Hiring an Interior Designer will assure that these questions are asked and answered in a good design. 

Below are pictures from one of my favorite projects.  This kitchen offers so many great features.  A great kitchen should have 4 major areas-

•  Prep area which includes, the fridge, a sink, knives and other items commonly used in the preparation of meals.
•  Cooking area- stove, spices, pots and pans, spoons and other utensils
•  Mixing and Baking area- flour, sugar and other baking ingredients, cookie sheets and cake pans, mixers, beaters etc.
•  Cleaning area- this area includes the sink, dishwasher and storage for towels and cloths. 

Notice the island in this kitchen contains a sink.  This is the prep area and in close proximity to the fridge.  Food is taken from the fridge and prepared on the island.  Not shown in the picture is a microwave drawer that sits to the left of the prep sink.  So functional especially for kids.  It's much easier to get food in and out of.

The cooking area is self explanatory.  I love deep drawers.  They are perfect for storing pots and pans as well as their lids.  These should be stored right beside the stove for easy access. 

The mixing and baking area is to the right of the stove.  An appliance garage houses blenders and small appliances.  The drawers below are lined in metal and hold 25 lbs of flour, sugar and smaller compartments are filled with other baking ingredients like baking powder, chocolate chips etc.  Everything is within an arms reach.

The cleaning area is almost the most important area.  Glasses, plates and silverware are stored in deep drawers at the end of the island, closest to the dishwasher.  It makes unloading the clean dishes a pretty easy chore because of it's proximity. 

There are so many new design ideas out on the market.  Come back Friday for a line up of great new kitchen products.

One of my favorite kitchen design projects

I love the brick wall in the eating area.  The brick is repeated in the arch going into the family office and mud room/laundry room.

Sitting area in the kitchen. I love this idea! 

Mom can curl up with the kids and read a book by the fireplace.  Friends and family can relax and visit while dinner is being prepped and yet they won't be in the way of the cook.  So many layers of inviting interest.

Home Buying

Summer is a busy time in the Real Estate Industry.  If you are in the market for a new home, here are a few things to consider before signing up for 30 years of home ownership.

Overall, look at the function of the home.  Will it realistically fit your family now and is there room to grow?  Don't settle on the space.  Try to leave your emotions at the door.  I have seen so many people buy a house because they were impatient.  They thought they were in such a big hurry.  I heard them say things like, "Well, the living room isn't ideal but we will make it work."  "The bathroom is a little small but that's not a big deal, we don't spend that much time in the bathroom." "The kitchen isn't what I was hoping for but the view is great.  We can always remodel."

Famous last words, We can remodel. The truth is, remodeling is expensive, time consuming and stressful!  If you think things through before signing the paperwork you can avoid alot of frustration and disappointment down the road.

Check out the kitchen.  Does the cabinet layout make sense?  Is it easy to get around in and have plenty of storage and counter space?  Are the doors and drawers in good working condition?  Can more than one person work in the space?  Where is the kitchen located in relation to the front door or family room.  No one wants to come to the door and peer right in to whatever is going on in your kitchen.  Kitchens are the heartbeat of a home, it's where we spend all our time.  Keeping the worksurfaces out of direct view from visitors at the front door is an appealing feature and will make your life less stressful. 

Another thing to consider are the materials used in the kitchen ie. backsplash, counter tops and the cabinets themselves. Will they be easily maintained?  Where are you going to put that big stew pot?  Often people will excuse a few flaws in a home just because they are already emotionally invested but that's not a good enough reason.  As soon as the house is yours and the honeymoon with it is over, you will be cussing the fact there isn't a place for all your things. 

Bathrooms are another huge selling point, especially the Master Bedroom Suite.  Most people look for extravagant bathrooms.  Bigger is better, or so they say.  Size has nothing to do with the function of a space.  I've seen some pretty big bathrooms with lousy space planning.  That translates into a pretty useless piece of real estate you just wasted.  Look for features like compartmentalized toilet rooms and showers.  This way, more than one task can be taking place at a time.  I had some clients who bought a home and the bathroom vanity was in the master bedroom, about 5' from the bed!  The toilet and bathtub were in a room behind the vanity.  They are now trying to figure out how to change that without spending a penny because when the husband gets up early for work, the lights and noise wake the wife up.  That's just poor planning.

Speaking of design...good design doesn't have to cost a lot of money.  You can still live in an affordable home that has good space planning, you might just have to look a little longer.  It's not a bad idea to take a designer along with you to look at homes.  They can be your unbiased eyes, without emotional ties and point out design flaws you may have overlooked.

We will look a little closer at some ideas and design features you should look for in specific rooms of the house. 

Form follows function

One of the biggest conundrums I see in homes is that people wrestle with style and function.  Style seems to be the big thing we all get caught up on.  We worry more about the latest and greatest trends than we do about the function of a room. 

It doesn't matter if you create the identical look you find in your favorite home decor catalogue, if it doesn't fit the function of your room or your family, then what's the point? 

That's why an interior designer is vital when you are undertaking a remodel or new construction.  A good designer will focus on space planning.  What is the purpose of the room?  Do you have children or are you empty nesters?  What activites need to take place in the room?  Answering these questions and more will save you a lot of headache later on down the road. 

Next week, we'll talk about what makes for a great space!

Design Inspiration

Inspiration can come from anywhere, from the clear blue and totally unexpected.  As a designer, it's great working with pieces of inspiration to design an entire room.  The difficulty for the client, or myself is when so many things inspire me. 

I love this website, Design Seeds to spark a little design inspiration.  They take common objects and create color palettes.  Check them out here.

Storage ideas

In keeping with the idea of keeping the clutter of plastic bags under control, I found some other great ideas.

This does seem like a functional idea.  Stuff it in the top, pull it out the bottom

I would not take the time to origami the bags but if you are up to the challenge, go for it. 

This is nifty design from the container store

I love this idea too!

If you are like me and on a tight budget, this is ingenious too!

Do Just One Thing

Here we are in the long, hard days of winter.  For being the shortest month on the calendar, February can sure drag on! What is one small change you could make today in your home that would add to its peace, beauty, organization or comfort?  What is stopping you from doing it?

Lots of times, it's money.  For me that is the one factor always hampering my wish list.  Those questions are kind of hard. If I had to say just one thing that would make all the difference in my house, it would be new drapes.  Definitely new drapes. 

I love the little details like the covered buttons but have grown to despise the fabric.  I actually don't know what I was thinking.

The kitchen needs drapes...

Including the sliding glass door

And the window over the sink.  At the time I moved in, I liked the idea of something different besides fabric on this window.  I love the light but now I think some fabric would be a refreshing change.

So, my latest goal is going to be to find some cheap but lovely fabric and spice things up.

Clutter

 You never know what you're going to find behind closed doors! Now you know...a big mess!!

This is my craft cupboard/junk cupboard because the drawer for junk was full!

Under my kitchen sink.  Is there a more dysfunctional space in one's home?

 Totally embarrassed that I let the clutter get out of control like this.  Seriously, I think grocery sacks multiply like fungus when the doors are closed.  There's no way I need that many plastic bags. Usually, by the time I finish the shopping, I am pressed for time and either need to have someone dropped off or picked up or start dinner.  The easiest thing to do is shove them out of sight. 

In just 10 min.  It went from that....to this....

Such an improvement.  All my favorite kitchen cleaning products are right at my finger tips. 

I used that empty potato flakes can to keep the plastic bags in.  I made an 'X' shape slit in the lid and now I can stuff the bags in there and pull them out easily as I need them.  A perfect solution for now.  I should probably paint the can or dress it up somehow but that will be a task for another day!

I love the glass jar I have now for my dishwashing detergent.  Keeps it looking well kept. 

As for the craft cupboard...Here is the after....

It's better and each tote houses such things as paint and brushes, paper, misc. craft supplies, and school supplies.  My garbage bags are easy to get to since the garbage can is right beside this cupboard.  Best of all, I have some room for storing additional crap supplies.

Any great ideas for taming the clutter in your home?  Leave me a comment and let me know.