The First Steps Towards Luxurious yet Affordable Kitchen Designs


Lately, I guess I've been watching a lot of HGTV and design shows because I've been tingling to attempt a kitchen makeover on my own. I was not looking for a drastic makeover, but we all know that the Kitchen is one of the most important spaces in a house, especially for a woman. So it makes a lot of sense to design it so that it reflects your style and budget, at the same time looks appealing, inviting and worthy of entertaining. But contrary to popular belief, a luxurious kitchen does not necessarily mean a lot of money or major remodelling; just changing your countertops or replacing age-old appliances with some new and sleek ones will speak volumes for your space without a huge dent in your pocket. So as I was hunting for some ideas about luxury kitchen designers, here are some tips and pointers I thought would be great to share with all of you.

Defining Your Budget
Whenever you think of remodelling, it best to decide on a budget beforehand because makeovers can get really expensive; decide on a range rather than a fixed amount, and be prepared to go at least a little over your range. Be realistic when deciding -changing your counterop from tiles to granite is not the same as upgrading all appliances or changing the flooring. Consult with friends who've done this before or talk to contractors to get an idea of what and how much is involved.

Hiring Designers
A luxury kitchen is made up of several components. From appliances to cabinetry, countertops to faucets, every little detail counts. "Luxury" means selecting the products that are beautiful, durable and will stand the test of time. Here's where investing in competent kitchen designers goes a long way. When you are ready to make a substantial investment on remodelling your space, you need to make sure the designers you hire work with you in the most efficient way to realize your dream, guiding you at each step with practical suggestions and helping you design a true luxury kitchen that reflects your tastes and fits your lifestyle. Also, there are plenty of designs and themes to choose from, like country-style or the modern-eclectic kitchen, the more traditional-looking brick style or the sleek stainless-steel ones - your designers can show you several patterns and help you find what you seek; ewkitchens is a great place to look at for your designer needs. They have some helpful information on their site, alongwith planning resources and photo gallery, and they've been in this business since quite a long time. Remember, no matter how much high you think of yourself, its better to leave somethings to the experts, especially when your time and money is at stake, not to mention the emotional hooplah!

Set a Time Limit
Like any other remodelling projects, a kitchen makeover can get complex as you try to balance utility with style and keeping everyone happy; so depending on what you need to do, have a time-frame in mind. If you would work on it only on the weekends, the project could take months vs hiring a team that promises to finish it up within a week. Set your priorities and plan accordingly. make sure the makeover does not interfere with an impending vacation or a festive occasion when you'd rather be enjoying than cooking in your garage or eating out in restaurants.

Blending With The Rest of The House
One mistake that a lot of people commit is that they focus so much energy in remodelling just one space, they forget it is still a part of the entire house! If you spend $5000 on your kitchen and the rest of the house looks shabby and old, you'll feel more gloomy or frustrated at the end. Its better to plan ahead and make sure the makeover blends with the rest of the house, unless you plan to upgrade other rooms within the near future. This is where timing. planning and budget all come together.

Do It Yourself
Last, but not the least, it's possible to give a tired kitchen new life without massive renovation Small changes like painting the walls, changing cabinets, upgrading appliances can be done yourself, with some basic knowledge. Even investing in one great feature — a granite countertop, a pro-grade range, or a vintage appliance — can have a big impact. But again, DO NOT try to get carried away by emotions and start doing things yourself just because a friend of yours did it! It'll be a huge blow if you mess up something, or start with great gusto and end up losing steam in 2 days! You'll have to pay way more in clearing up your mess and starting all over again than you would've previously imagined.

There's no end to information, and if I continued more I could probably fill pages and pages, but I'll leave some of it as homework for you:) Designing a luxurious kitchen is not as hard as you'd think, but like any other major aspect of life, its best to give it some detailed thought and research before joining the bandwagon. Hope these tips help you make a successful kitchen makeover. I'm off to look for more ideas to make my kitchen more "entertainment-friendly".


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10 comments :

Anonymous said...

thanks for the tips! they are all great suggestions...thinking it through saves a lot of time and emotional stress..I can say this from personal experience:) i will forward this email to my sister who's looking for kitchen remodelling ideas:)

-Sandy

Richa said...

kitchen sure is the most imp place! nice article, Mansi.

Aspiring Annapoorna said...

Hey Mansi
You probably know a lot of this - but since you're soliciting suggestions...

The 'do-it-yourself' bit can be made easier - google has a software called 'sketch-up' available free to download, which lets you make 3-d mock-ups of your ideas. It is really quite easy to use for anyone - you don't have to be a designer.

And to make your kitchen environmentally friendly, consider segregating your garbage into 'compostible/trash/recyclable'
There are some really pretty composters available in India now (http://www.dailydump.org/products_patta_kambha.htm)
Guess we'll have to wait in the US :)

Also recycling your greywater (the water that leaves your tubs/showers and sinks) for watering your plants and using harvested rainwater for non-drinking uses such as flushing and laundry make a lot of sense (installing a rainwater cistern is quite inexpensive)

Lastly, consider daylighting your kitchen well with strategically placed windows, a skylight or a 'solar tube' (http://www.solatube.com/homeowner/)

Lavanya Raj said...

Friendly also professional article..Nice one Mansi.

EC said...

Kitchen is a place in the house that definetely needs to look good...thanks for these nice tips

Medhaa said...

nice post Mansi. Very Helpful and i always used to look at the kitchen plan when we were house hunting, it sure is the most important room in the house and we have to feel good about it.

Mansi said...

hey guys, I'm so glad some of you found this helpful!

Annapoorna - thanks S MUCH for your fabulous tips girl! they are very very helpful...i totally agree with your suggestions and it'll help me and other readers a lot! really nice and detailed tips!

Rosie said...

Hi Mansi, thanks for the great tips and have to agree about a kitchen needing to look good :)

Rosie x

Uma said...

Very good tips and suggestions, Mansi! The kitchen in the picture looks wonderful.

Simply...Gluten-free said...

Nice article. I long to remodel my kitchen! Now I will take another look at it. Maybe it doesn't have to be as horrifying and expensive as I thought!