3 Kitchen Remodeling Ideas for 2013

The New Year brings new opportunities and the possibility to achieve things important to your life and family. One of those may be to remodel your home's kitchen for the enjoyment of everyone in your family and friends who you entertain during the year. 2013 is a great time to plan your kitchen remodeling project to complete and enjoy for next year end holiday season.



One needs to assess different ideas for the remodeling project. Start with 3 of the big design determinants.

First, your home's kitchen, clearly a major focal point, is important to have balanced space regarding its elemental placements, color, lighting, appliances and fixtures. The focal point in any room represents a centering of its space, and is the key item any room works around. In other a room's space revolves around a device or an appliance. For example, in a living room the fireplace fits the bill of the obvious focal point. In a small to medium kitchen, typically the entire space can be deemed the focal point. So it follows a kitchen should be viewed as one element or unit. Given its uniformity the kitchen as a focal point is best with neutral palette colors. This works best because it keeps the eye moving within the space keeping the kitchen feeling like a connected and complete unit. An easy solution in creating this look involves making sure the backsplash pattern remains uninterrupted; including insuring that even the outlets fit the aesthetic design. Make sure they are part of the pattern or color palette and that they fit in rather than stand out and fore the eye to stop on them. Take a look around and make sure the room fits together.

Second, keep the kitchen's cabinet palette consistent by using one neutral hue for the space; including its appliances, cabinets, flooring and hardware. The result is a fluid appearance of balanced space, allowing the eye to continue moving throughout the space. Simple flat cabinets without too much detail such as solid cabinet doors keep the balance intact. Make sure the cabinet's interior is painted the same color as its trim and the cabinet's exterior. Whether you are building or renovating, makes no difference. It is best to consider including a soffit or some sort of trim to hang the cabinets as flush as possible. That way they will appear to recede into the wall and not out of the wall. Keep in mind the vertical space, which means that the base cabinets are normally 36 inches tall, and any countertops should be 1-1/2 to 2 inches thick. This means that standard heights are 18 inches between the countertop and the upper cabinets. However, if you be taking the cabinets up to the ceiling, definitely double check the contour of the ceiling as to whether it is level, or not.

Third, when using an accent wall, it is important to use neutral colors for your cabinets. This includes staying consistent with the color for hardware and appliances and by continuing the look in painting the walls with the same color and keeping the look cohesive. If the plan is for going with open shelving, then making the wall behind the shelves the accent wall will usually be effective. The result will be balance with consistent color usage and maintaining the kitchen as a composite focal point. Color can frame and punch out the nuances of the entire kitchen as a singular element.