Look at your current kitchen. Is it what you expected it to be? Is there a place for everything and everything in its place? Or are you looking at a kitchen that needs a complete makeover to bring it up to scratch?
Planning your dream kitchen doesn’t have to mean weeks of poring over interior design magazines, figuring out how much you can (or can’t) afford on the back of an envelope, or putting off that renovation for another year until the finances look a little healthier. . You can plan a remodel for a lot less than you think, and it doesn’t hurt to get a little professional advice and help along the way.
Restore or renew?
There are some pros and cons to consider when deciding whether to go for a complete renovation or just restore what you already have. This important decision will influence the rest of your kitchen plans, so think carefully before making a final decision. Let’s briefly look at some pros and cons of both:
Replacement Advantages:
• You get a brand new kitchen, designed to your exact specifications
• Can be as personalized as you want it to be
• Adds value to your property
• Will last for years
Replacement Cons:
• It is by far the most expensive option
• Could be throwing away perfectly good units or appliances, so not a very ‘green’ option
• Means weeks of interruption
• You may not get the result you want, and design errors are more difficult to correct.
Advantages of the reform:
• It is a much cheaper option
• There are far fewer interruptions as the process takes days, not weeks.
• You are working with what you already have
• It is an environmentally friendly option: less waste goes to landfill
• You can still include many custom design features
Disadvantages of the reform:
• We actually put a lot of thought into this and the best we could find for a ‘rip-off’ remodel is that it doesn’t add as much additional value to your property as a new kitchen would.
All you need to add to the mix now is a little imagination to turn your existing kitchen into something truly special.
the cinderella effect
That half of the equation, the imagination, is up to you. What do you want in the kitchen of your dreams? Do you crave the old-world charm of a traditional country style, complete with tile flooring and oak-front cabinetry, or are you looking for something a little more urban? Retro or radical? This is where a professional designer can help. They can look at their existing space and see what is possible. A 3D rendering of the space can allow them to put all the pieces together to give you an overview of what your renovated space will look like.
While your input is crucial to the success of any renovation, it’s often best to have a fresh set of eyes to look at the situation and give you a realistic assessment of what’s possible and what’s not. After all, you won’t be able to fit a center island into your design if all you have is a six foot wide galley kitchen, no matter how much you’d like it!
Maintaining a sense of perspective is crucial to the success of any design, and that goes for kitchen renovation designs as well. But with a clever application of finishes, new drawer fronts and drawers and smart bespoke design flourishes, you can produce a ‘Cinderella effect’ that transforms an ordinary, boring kitchen into a beautiful and uniquely individual space that is the heart of your home.
