Do you know what you really want out of your kitchen before you remodel? The truth is, most people don’t.
In most cases, we are generally starting from scratch. Though some of our clients come to us with pages from Pinterest or an architectural design magazine, we are always ready to provide inspiration. We don’t want to presume too much at the outset because we may come up with something off the top that is completely different from their tastes, so we try to address the direction in our initial meetings, so the time we spend is more productive.
Often, a client will tell us about a friend’s kitchen that they like – which is great, as long as they have photographs that they can show us so we can get some kind of an idea how that feels and what elements of it they like the best.
Things You Should Ask Or Be Thinking About Before Your Remodel
Even if they can’t articulate what they want out of their kitchen remodel, most people know what they don’t like.
For example, let’s say they’ve got a trash compactor, a dysfunctional sink, or something specific that they don’t use or care for. But, when you get in there and start talking about where the cabinets are going to go, they will completely blank on how they actually use their kitchen and what would make things easier for them.
When we’re trying to choose a sink, we’ll talk about whether the client wants a single basin or double basin; they’ll stop and think about it, and maybe they’ll say – I want a single basin, even though they’ve got a double now. We’ll always try to find out why they want to change it up because, in many cases, a change like that (going from a double to a single sink) will affect the way they work in the kitchen.
In essence, you shouldn’t sacrifice function simply because you’re not crazy about the way it looks, but certainly, if there is an element that you don’t use at all, there’s no harm letting it go.
How Do You Use The Space?
Knowing how you use your kitchen, for instance, how many people are usually in the kitchen at any given time? Where do people want to hang out? What’s going on in the kitchen when people are in it? It’s important to the design process to know how you operate with your family in your kitchen. That way, we can deliver something that you’re going to love for a long time to come.
If they’re being honest about it, some people might say, “We do this now, but that will change,” when in actuality, at least in our experience, it probably won’t. If your grandkids come over now and everybody gathers in the kitchen, they’re probably going to keep going there until the end of time – unless we make very specific changes that will divert the action away from that area.
Before We Shop: Our Initial Meeting
In our initial consultation, we like to talk about your ideas, and we’ll throw you some ideas of our own. What we’re really trying to do is to get an idea of how you live.
Your kitchen is a living space. In some homes, it’s the busiest room in the house. It doesn’t matter if it’s just you and your spouse or a whole brood of kids, grandkids, and so on, it’s important to get an idea of how your kitchen fits into your lifestyle so that we can make it even better.
Once we have gotten to know you a little better, have an idea of your personality, and what way your style leans towards, we’ll start to talk a bit more about details. This helps us narrow down the choices so that when we go shopping, you’ll have a lot of items that either fit the bill or are very close to it.
Stuck For IDeas? We Can Help!
If you’re stuck for specific ideas, but you’ve seen some kitchens that you really like, by all means, take some pictures, bring us the magazines, bookmark the Pinterest links, and bring it on – no matter how crazy you think it is, don’t ever feel that you can’t impose your own style ideas on us. Of course, not everything will be within budget or available precisely the way you’ve seen it, but often, we can get pretty close. At the very least, it’s a great place to start.
Are you looking for inspiration for your St. Louis kitchen remodel? We’d love to hear your ideas. Reach out today to schedule a consultation.
