What are some tips for small kitchen remodeling? Lighting and spacing are big factors when remodeling a kitchen. When faced with the project of small kitchen remodeling, Jason Flippo, who is the owner and...
When faced with the project of small kitchen remodeling, Jason Flippo, who is the owner and president of Signature Home Improvement Inc, which is a business that concentrates on remodeling kitchens and living areas, offers these tips: "If you don't have a lot of space, brightening up a dark kitchen can immediately help. This will make it look bigger. In other words, if you have real crazy wallpaper, take that down and paint the walls with different colors. If you have dark cabinets, go with off-white. You can also do antiquing, something distressing, or use light colors on the cabinets. Do the same thing if you have dark floors. If you can, go with lighter floors to brighten the room up ... For the kitchen cabinets, re-facing is one way to also achieve that. That is what we do. It is a lot less than doing a full tear-down of all the new custom cabinets and this will make the room look more open , without going into major remodeling."
Jason goes on to say, "Changing the lighting can do a lot too. A lot of the older houses have pretty dull florescent lights. People are now putting in recess lights to give the kitchen better lighting. So these are some things that you could do without going into major renovations." If you are planning on a major re-model "...to open things up, you could remove walls and go that route. Or you can expand the kitchen to make it bigger by taking out an outside wall and moving it out."
A lot of people come to a stand-still when it comes to choosing how to dress up their walls. Cabinets are chosen, appliances picked out and flooring ready to be laid. Out of all the different elements, where do you look when it comes time to choose a wall color? Should it blend in with the cabinets, or pick up the color from the matching dish towels and curtains? Should it be a solid hue or a patterned covering? This all needs to be addressed, preferably before the walls are prepared for treatment.
The book "Home Project Manager: Kitchen Planner", published in 1997 by Cowles Creative Publishing, says, "Kitchens have many competing design elements, so most designers opt for simplicity when it comes to walls and ceilings. Because the amount of wall space is quite limited in most kitchens, a simple paint or wall covering finish can effectively complement the other kitchen elements without overwhelming them." In other words, after putting all the hard work to choose the right cabinets, appliances and other esthetics, you want the walls to showcase them, not compete with them. The book offers tips on how to achieve this when it suggests, "When choosing colors and patterns for the walls, try to complement the colors of your cabinets, countertops and flooring. When you're shopping for paint color or wall covering, bring along samples of the other materials you've chosen for your kitchen."
If you are worried about how to decide on an exact plan for your walls, do not despair because as the book goes on to say, "If you don't trust your artistic eye, seek the help of an interior designer, or look for ideas in home magazines or kitchen showrooms. Many decorating centers have professional design consultants who help customers at no charge."
