Almost every homeowner considers remodeling the kitchen at some point. The most common reasons people upgrade the kitchen include the kitchen being too small – many New England homes, including those in the Wellesley area, were originally built with what we consider today to be an undersized kitchen – or the kitchen’s design and layout is incompatible with the family’s lifestyle.
As Wellesley kitchen contractors, we’re currently scheduling jobs in early 2023. Our reputable colleagues are in much the same situation. That means if you’re just now embarking on your kitchen renovation project, you have a good amount of time to figuring out what’s really important to you in your new kitchen.
Kitchen Design Planning Exercises: Functionality
A good exercise to help you start planning your new kitchen is a thought experiment where you picture yourself preparing your favorite meal, in your kitchen as it exists right now.
Imagine what you need to do to get ready, asking yourself the following questions.
Are all the ingredients easy to find? Do you know exactly where you’d look for them?
What if some ingredients need advance preparation, such as thawing, washing, peeling, etc. Where will you do these tasks?
What equipment do you need to prepare this meal? Where are those items currently kept in your kitchen? If you use any small appliances – food processors, blenders, toasters, etc, during the preparation of the meal, where are these appliances kept?
Consider your pots and pans. Where are they kept? Are they easy to get to? Can everyone who cooks in your family reach them without stretching, bending, or experiencing other physical difficulties?
What appliances are you using while you prepare your favorite meal? Are they in good condition? Do they meet your needs? Do you enjoy using them? Do they do everything you’d like them to do?
Is it easy preparing your favorite meal in your kitchen? Do you enjoy cooking and cleaning up in your kitchen? Is there enough light, fresh air, art, music, and plants in your kitchen?
Do you feel your kitchen accurately reflects who you are and what’s important to you?
The answers to these questions can help guide your planning for your new kitchen. You’re identifying opportunities for improvement, as well as figuring out those aspects of your current kitchen that you may like enough to integrate into the new one. This is part of the process a professional kitchen designer in Wellesley will go through with you, but it never hurts to get an early start!
