Help! My kitchen isn't cutting it

Grand Rapids, Mich. (WOTV) - The kitchen is called the heart of the home for a reason; this room is the epicenter of family life. Not only will you cook and eat your daily meals in your kitchen, but you will also celebrate holidays, entertain guests, and spend quality time with family and friends. For all these reasons, the design and style of your kitchen is of the utmost importance.

So if you discover after this Christmas season that your kitchen just isn’t cutting it for your family, here are some questions you'll need to ask.  Once you answer these questions about your space you'll need to set a budget then prioritize which projects you can afford.  A kitchen designer is a huge help during this process.  By working with an expert you'll get a better idea of the full scale of your project.   Standale Interiors has some amazingly talented designers who would love to help you along the way!  

Typical interview questions for a kitchen design could include:

1. Is the current footprint enough space?

a. If not, take a look at the permanent things like plumbing and electrical in an effort to use the same lines before you start tearing down walls.

2. How many people in your family that use the kitchen daily?

a. Is the kitchen a gathering place for TV, homework or paying bills

b. How many people are typically in the kitchen at the same time c. Is TV or internet required

3. If you entertain a lot, do you need the following:

a. Snack bar

b. Wine rack or chiller

c. Commercial appliances or 2 of some appliance

d. Instant hot water

e. Built in coffee maker

f. Recycling center

4. What kind of flooring?

a. Indoor pets as well as older adults or special needs children could be a determining factor

5. What is the traffic flow?

a. To other rooms in the home

b. From outside to inside

6. Do you need a walk-in pantry or special appliance storage?

7. Counter top choices?

a. Don’t ignore laminates!

b. Use the most expensive or expressive material to make the statement

c. Consider shapes as well.

8. Lighting

a. Task

b. Ambiance

The answers to the above questions, along with basic kitchen design principles such as the work triangle will give you much of the information needed for a personalized kitchen design.