The Kitchen Planning Process

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Step 1: Inspiration

How to find Your Kitchen Inspiration

The kitchen and bath remodeling process can feel a little overwhelming at times — from the initial planning stages, to your first visit to a showroom to look at cabinets, to the moment your new cabinets are delivered and installed. Here are some tips to help you get started.

Through this early stage, you will have to depend upon inspiration to direct you and help you to envision life in your new kitchen. So, to get started, let’s explore a few important questions that will provide a clearer direction.

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Question 1: Would you consider your space to be ‘open concept’?

This is a term that’s very common today, and if you have the right space, it can provide a very cohesive look, not only for your new kitchen, but also for any adjacent living spaces that also share the layout.

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Question 2: Do you envision having an island in your new kitchen?

Kitchen islands have almost become a must for many designs in the past few years, and for very good reason. Having an extra work surface in the kitchen is always a benefit, but when you consider that a well planned island can also serve as an extra seating area, cook-top, an extra sink, kids’ homework station, plus some cleverly hidden additional storage, it really makes a lot of sense to include it as you work through your inspiration stage.

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Question 3: What about the workflow in your new kitchen?

While you may well have some very grand ideas about the wonderful parties, family gatherings and much more that will happen in your new kitchen, remember that, at the end of the day (and the beginning of the day, and the middle of the day), you have to be able to cook, work and function in there too.

It’s vitally important to think about the layout and flow of your kitchen, especially during this early stage of inspiration. Try to picture yourself living, working and cooking in the space and ask yourself “will this work for me?” Think about how many people will typically be in the kitchen at the same time. Will it have the space to accommodate them? Also think about the number of actual “cooks” you have in your family (children included) and ask yourself if the layout, design and workflow you have in mind will allow each of those cooks to really shine.

Sources of Inspiration

Let’s now leave you with some ideas about where to find good sources of inspiration for planning and implementing your new Kitchen Craft kitchen:

Look through kitchen design magazines that feature lifestyle trends mirroring your own
Surf the web for ideas, using search engines to explore keywords that you identify with
Download a copy of the latest Kitchen Craft Inspiration Guide and get inspired by the kitchens within
Start a scrap book or mood board, collecting anything and everything that inspires you visually
Check out some social media outlets such as Pinterest or Houzz and look for trending looks and layouts
Ask someone you know who may have recently updated their kitchen for ideas about how they got inspired

Remember that you can rely on the experience and expertise of your Kitchen Craft designer to create a kitchen design you will love.

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