How To Make Important Kitchen Remodeling
Design Decisions

Countertops

Your countertops are the centerpiece of your kitchen, bringing everything together. What material will you choose?

Natural stone countertops offer superior beauty and quality. They may cost more upfront but provide you with durability. For example, properly sealed and uncracked granite will grace your home for a century or more, allowing future generations to benefit from your effort.

Laminate countertops offer greater affordability for kitchen remodeling, letting you beautify your home on a budget. Suppose your countertops are structurally sound and you want an even more affordable option. In that case, you can find peel-and-stick covers or even use paint to replicate a granite or marble effect without the massive cash outlay.

Cabinetry

When making important design decisions, your cabinets come in second place in terms of kitchen visual appeal. There’s no law preventing you from going with dark hues like black or mahogany, but today’s trends steer toward light and bright.

There are money-saving options here, too. It isn’t hard to paint cabinets — you need to remove the doors and hardware, clean and sand away any imperfections, and apply your fresh color. Two coats are sufficient, but a third helps when wiping the inevitable splatter.

The more expensive choice is replacing your cabinets. You have multiple wood options, with light tones like hickory and maple ideal for open, farmhouse-style kitchens. Darker woods like cherry and red oak enhance more traditional kitchen remodeling designs.

Appliances

Keep sustainability in mind when upgrading your kitchen. Market research suggests that today’s buyers will pay more for eco-friendly upgrades, so look for the highest-rated Energy Star appliances.

Should you go with matte color or stainless steel? The latter offers unparalleled beauty and makes your home look more like a professional kitchen — it’s often the material of choice for higher-end brands like Viking. However, matte finishes resist fingerprints and streaking, making them far easier to keep clean. Consider the simpler option if your floors echo with the pitter-patter of tiny feet each morning or risk spending your days with a chamois rag in hand.

Lighting

You need light to see your culinary creations. A skylight can add considerable natural daylight to this space if you live in a one-story home, although you’ll probably want to call in a contractor rather than trying to DIY. You don’t want to risk potential roof leaks.

Under-cabinet lighting is practically a must, but you have multiple options for doing so inexpensively. A simple set of plug-in LED strip lights can transform the entire look of your kitchen for well under $100. Many models allow you to adjust the color temperature from a bright daytime glow when cooking to a low amber setting for nighttime illumination.

Those bright overhead fluorescents inhabiting many older kitchens can cripple folks with migraine disease, thanks to the invisible pulsing. Plus, they lack aesthetic appeal. Consider replacing them with track lighting that lets you direct illumination where you need it most — like your stove and food-prep counter.

Flooring

You probably don’t want to carpet your kitchen — there’s too much risk of spills and splatter. Tile, laminate, hardwood and bamboo are your materials of choice, each offering unique advantages and drawbacks:

• Laminate: This is your least expensive choice. This material is relatively easy to install, but it can become scratched and damaged from puppy dog paws and dropped knives.
• Hardwood: Hardwood can last for generations, making it one of your hardiest choices. The right seal keeps it looking beautiful for well over a century.
• Tile: Tile floors also offer superior longevity. Another advantage is that you can replace a small damaged section without redoing the entire surface.
• Bamboo: Bamboo flooring offers multiple advantages. This sustainable material grows quickly, keeping trees standing. It’s also highly durable.

Color Scheme

Your kitchen’s color scheme shouldn’t clash with the rest of your house too much. That said, there’s nothing wrong with opting for a sunny yellow backsplash or even creating an accent wall.

Here’s where a trip to the design center comes in handy. You can line up samples of various flooring, countertop and cabinetry patterns against your selected hues to ensure they create the finished effect you desire. It may take a bit more time now, but you’ll appreciate your finished results all the more.

Dining Space

You may or may not have room to create dining space — although you can get inventive. For example, you can knock out a wall and install a counter to create a breakfast bar. Home additions are the most labor-intensive improvements you can make, but they may be worth it if you’ve dreamed of an alcove complete with a bay window for hosting Sunday brunch.

The right kitchen island also offers seating possibilities. You can line up stools on one side, allowing you to pass plates of scrambled eggs to your waiting family members with ease.