She Says, He Says Kitchen Design
As an interior designer and first time homeowner, I was extremely excited about re-designing my new home. My husband and I took advantage of the buyer’s market and purchased a bank foreclosure. It needed quite a bit of work, but luckily it was mostly cosmetic. The biggest challenge would be the kitchen… and after 9 years of designing kitchens, it was finally time for a custom kitchen of my own!
HER PERSPECTIVE:
I wanted everything; double oven, an island with cooktop and hood, bar seating, huge pantries. But the more I thought of my design, the more I realized, how much money should we be putting into our town home’s kitchen? Of course we want to have a great space to cook and entertain. But this would not be the home we would be retiring in or raising children in for that matter! We needed a kitchen that fit the home – a “starter” home for newlyweds just like us. It needed to be functional, comfortable, and practical as it will likely be sold in the next 5 years. Also, the remodel would have to be budget conscience – and in this economy, a budget friendly remodel makes sense.
A well designed kitchen does not need to come with a high price tag. The project started with semi-custom cabinets. Although there are fewer options in semi-custom lines, good color choices and a beautiful countertop can give you that custom look. Visual interest was added by doing a two-tone color scheme – cherry perimeter and a black painted island. I chose a stock countertop from my granite fabricator; it came with a lower price tag as fabricator’s stock colors are bought in bulk. A stock tile was used as the main color in the tile backsplash. And I only needed one square foot of a mesh mounted artisan tile, which was cut up and scattered throughout the backsplash. The appliances have basic features – although I did splurge on the stainless steel finish (a good selling point for resale). For the flooring I chose a wood-look laminate – less expensive than real wood and easier to install, therefore saving on labor costs. The last touch – a bold yellow paint color for the room, done by myself to help with my tight budget!
After the project’s completion, we threw a party! Friends and co-workers were invited to “christen” the new kitchen and we found out what a nice space for entertaining it had become. Many were also impressed that it was a “budget friendly” project. Based on the compliments we received I believe the remodel was a big success!
HIS PERSPECTIVE:
Well… I got told that we were going to re-do our kitchen. I was actually pretty happy with that because I kept hitting my head on the stupid hanging down cabinets and even I could tell that the faux wood was atrocious. I initially raised an eyebrow when my wife told me how long it would take, but fortunately I was going overseas and my sole responsibility was to get out of the way. This I could handle.
After a couple of months of happy ignorance I came back home. Upon arrival I couldn’t believe what our new kitchen looked like. I had no idea that we had that much space. This is when I really started to contribute to the project by coming up with the idea of having a party. I have to say that the party really was the pinnacle of the whole project (though my wife may disagree). But, we do continue to enjoy entertaining in our new found space and I must say that the kitchen looks amazing.
You have started a very interesting discussion on kitchen design. I’m a cabinetmaker who really does not want to make kitchens for a living, because the most of what is done in the US is just boxes with a “choice of doors and drawer fronts,” the most of which are made in a factory somewhere. Boring. I want to do something else if I can, but what?
European design just absolutely blows my mind, and I find myself reading quite a bit on it, even though these are often modular kitchens that one would simply send away for and have installed by a local craftsman. But what fascinates me is the utter innovation of those designs, so I find myself returning to them quite a bit.
I am also looking to design a kitchen for my wife in a too small space in a tract home, which necessarily lets out those wonderful European designs that excite me so. And whenever I find myself going out on a limb with some idea or another for our kitchen, my wife always grounds me by saying, “If you stick with the classics, you won’t grow tired of them.”
So, what do you do that is different and yet timeless and practical and stimulating to make if you’re a cabinetmaker? Damned if I know, but if I ever figure it out, I mean to make it for us and splash that baby all over the Internet!
What you’ve written, though, has given me quite a bit to think about, and I thank you for sharing your concepts.