25 Things to Know About Kitchen Planning

Bring smarts and style into the heart of your home with 25 tips for success in kitchen planning.

From Remodeling Ideas

Smarts and Style

1. Remember the work triangle: The sink, refrigerator, and cooktop should be spaced closely to minimize steps between workstations when preparing a meal. As a general guideline, the sum of all three legs of the triangle should be no more than 26 feet.

2. Planning or computer centers and catchall spaces have increased in importance as open floor plans encourage family members to spend more time in the kitchen. They're easily added by extending a run of cabinetry or leaving room at the end of a built-in. Be sure to incorporate knee space and extra file cabinets and cubbies nearby.

3. Cast lighting, undercabinet lighting, and down lighting are stylish alternatives to fluorescent lighting. Incorporate dimmer controls for mood-setting flexibility.

4. Appliance drawers -- warming drawers, dishwasher drawers, and refrigerator drawers -- allow your kitchen plan to stretch its boundaries. These units are offered by many manufacturers at several price points.

5. If there are children in the household, consider letting them help themselves or even help you. Bring the cabinets down to the countertop, lower the microwave oven, vary countertop heights, and include a pantry cabinet to make the kitchen more accessible.

6. Walls are coming clean! Kitchen decorating is all about color blocking and being bolder with hue. Choose a warm palette to stimulate appetites.

Mix It Up

7. Consider segregating your space into distinct areas by using different finishes on cabinetry or incorporating furniture-style pieces.

8. Update over a weekend by switching to decorative hardware or upgrading items that receive daily use, such as an extra-deep sink or handheld spray faucet.

9. For the best resale value, avoid painted cabinetry and choose basic stains in darker finishes that won't typecast your kitchen. Popular decorative finishes emulate an antiqued look.

10. When you consider flooring options, keep in mind the amount of traffic you have in the area and determine how long you expect your flooring to last. Vinyl is reasonably priced, and newer styles add depth and texture. Laminate is growing in popularity, and some types offer do-it-yourself installation. Ceramic tile and hardwood offer long-lasting appeal but can cost more than other options.

11. Create workstations by developing specific areas where you can perform tasks like mixing, cutting, or serving. Organize cabinetry and appliances in these stations so you can work effectively.

What You'll Pay

12. For a very basic kitchen remodeling, expect to pay a minimum of $100 per linear foot, measured along the backsplash areas in your kitchen. Be sure to double the measurement where you want both upper and lower cabinetry. High-end projects can cost $1,200 per linear foot or more.

13. If your budget is $5,000 or less, consider surface changes. New countertops and finishes on the walls can create a whole new look for the space.

14. With $10,000, you can add one or two new appliances and address lighting updates in addition to surface changes.

15. A full kitchen remodeling including low-end cabinets, basic lighting, and basic appliances generally costs at least $15,000.

16. Don't underestimate the cost of labor, as many homeowners do in the early planning stages. Anticipate labor to account for 25 to 50 percent of the total cost.

17. Include specialty cabinets in corner areas to take advantage of lost space. Incorporate specialty appliances such as wine coolers and undercounter refrigerators outside the work core so they can be used without disturbing the cook.

Getting Ready to Remodel

18. Investing in kitchen renovations reaps greater rewards than refurbishing any other room in your home. Remodeling magazine reports in its 2003 Cost vs. Value Report that, in a resale, homeowners can recoup 75-80 percent of the costs of a kitchen remodeling project.

19. Because styles and technology change so fast, you might wonder how often you should consider remodeling. According to Leticia Tapia, a Dallas-area certified kitchen designer, "after seven to 10 years, there is usually a need.... After 15 years, most homes could benefit from a full kitchen remodeling."

20. Resource and idea guides are bountiful. A search of one online retailer's offerings, for instance, turns up 957,000 books, planners, catalogs, and articles related to kitchen planning. Check out one of our favorites: The Kitchen Idea Book by Joanne Kellar Bouknight; The Taunton Press; 1999; $29.95.

21. Find a free kitchen-and-bath workbook, a list of working guidelines about kitchen design and safety, or a certified kitchen designer in your area at the National Kitchen & Bath Association's Web site: www.nkba.org.

22. Dirt, dust, and clutter go hand in hand with remodeling. To make the best of things while living with the mess, develop a plan to manage your everyday activities -- and consider a temporary kitchen in another part of the house

23. Consider creating a storage area specifically for today's electronic devices. Phone chargers, personal digital assistants, and cell phones can hide behind tambour cabinetry or nestle in cubbies.

24. Many semicustom and even some stock cabinetmakers offer the flexibility of customized pieces without the hefty price tag. Include bread-box drawers, pullout shelves, and extra-deep drawers for pots and pans.

25. Remember to plan for more electrical outlets than you think you'll need. You will need them.

15 Affordable Kitchen Luxuries

Low-cost kitchen projects don't have to be low-end. Check out these cost-savvy ideas.

From Remodel

Tips 1-5: Flooring & Faucets

1. Fancy (Looking) Floors: Create the look of a parquet wood floor with the help of a decorative painter. They aren't cheap (they average $45-$50 per hour and can run up to $100 an hour in urban locations), but they can be much cheaper than real parquet.

2. Splashy Backsplashes: Art tile used sparingly can upgrade a mundane backsplash or add personality to a tile countertop. Although tile patterns designed by artists cost up to $125 per square foot, you can create a mural scene from about 12 tiles found at home centers for around $70.

3. Sitting Pretty: Invest in classy counter stools that can really make a design statement. Designer stools often cost $400 or more, but you only need a few to make a big impact.

4. Faucet Fashion: Spending $400 or so for an upgraded faucet not only provides a richer look, but also makes many chores more convenient. Pullout sprayer hoses up to 59 inches long are great for rinsing large dishes, as well as for tasks such as dog bathing and plant watering.

5. Show-Offs: If you're keeping your current cabinets, consider replacing doors on the upper cabinets with glass panels to play up great-looking pottery, china, or collections. Use etched glass or smoked glass for contemporary looks.

Tips 6-10: Pulls & Pots

6. Pulls with Pizzazz: For an industrial-chic look, update brass hardware with chrome plating. Bodywork experts in motorcycle shops often accommodate small plating jobs.

7. Off-the-Rack: Custom pot racks, usually made of wrought iron, can become works of art -- for only $400-$800. Ideally, you should allow about 42 inches between the countertop and the bottom of a rack. Most racks will require at least 8-foot ceilings.

8. High Lights: Add dramatic lighting under cabinets and inside glass-front cabinets with "puck" lights (they look like small hockey pucks). They recess neatly into cabinetry and operate on cool, xenon lamps.

9. Character Molding: Plain kitchens get a dose of instant architecture with the addition of dressy detailing, such as built-up crown molding, beaded-board wainscoting, and corbels and corner brackets.

10. A Filler for Every Pot: If you equate convenience with luxury, join the pasta lovers and soup makers who swear by wall-mounted faucets ($150-$800) plumbed in over a range and used for filling stockpots. Look for faucets that extend 20-26 inches from the wall.

Tips 11-15: Wine & Sinks

11. Warm Dishes: Meals for today's families are often scattershot affairs; warming drawers, which start at about $800, can keep meals hot for after-practice diners or parents coming home late from the office.

12. Cork Poppers: Freestanding and undercounter refrigerated wine cabinets engineered to fit neatly into space-starved kitchens are now easily affordable. A minimum-capacity wine refrigerator holding 24 bottles costs about $400.

13. Double Duty: One of today's hottest kitchen trends is twofers. Even modest redos are including two dishwashers. An island plumbed for a prep sink is perfect for an additional no-frills dishwasher (about $300).

14. Coffee Fix: Rather than spend lots of money at expensive coffee shop chains, more people are putting coffee bars into their own kitchens. Look for small commercial machines (starting at about $1,500) that allow you to brew coffee and steam milk simultaneously.

15. Sink Sensations: Once only a custom kitchen item, some apron fronts (starting at about $1,000) now fit stock cabinets. The apron is much shorter so it drops into the area where fake drawers are typically found, while the sink itself drops behind the false front and is still deep enough for cookie sheets and stockpots.

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