Home-cooked meals. Clinking glasses of favorite beverages. Tidbits of conversation that extend visits further into the night. Snacks and recipe exchanges and a catch-all drawer filled with odds and ends from around the rest of the home. The kitchen is a place in your home where nourishment, both physical and emotional, often takes place. The kitchen is like the hearth of your home and should reflect your needs and your style all in one. Gerard Construction can help you design the kitchen of your dreams.
Functionality
A poorly designed kitchen, in terms of functionality, can be a challenge for a homeowner to overcome. Whether cabinet doors can’t open completely, there isn’t enough countertop space for preparing your favorite foods, or you don’t have the storage you need, much less the storage you want, there can be a myriad of functionality issues in your kitchen. According to the United States Department of Agriculture, the average American spends 37 minutes making food in their kitchen each day. This amount of time adds up over the months and years. To better meet the functional needs of your kitchen, you may want to start with an inventory of your dishes, appliances, and typical food purchases to see how much space you actually need. If you are building your dream kitchen, you will want to allocate space for a purchase or two you haven’t had space for up until this point as well. Consider height, depth, and placement when you are going through the items you need in your kitchen. Appliances are a crucial need in your kitchen and many have different features you will want to consider, from gas vs electric ranges, extra ice makers or freezers, and dual ovens, now is the time to build in what you want. Even if you are a family who eats out or has food delivered on a regular basis, you will still want an area to prepare drinks, snacks, and store dishes or leftovers as needed. As we put together the basic footprint of your kitchen, we can discuss the flow of walking through your space and whether you want this space open to other rooms or not.
Style
Styling varies greatly in the kitchen and there are a few tips to consider. If you have an open floor plan, you will want your kitchen to have a similar design and style to the areas that are connected. While neutral kitchens will always have their place in many homes, you can also add color throughout with rich paint, a contrasting island, seasonal decor, or linens in your favorite hues. Countertops are made of numerous materials from quartz to tile and each has its own advantages and disadvantages. Once you have a few basic style choices down, your task won’t be complete. We can help you choose whether or not drawer and door pulls will be used, what fixtures you want, lighting design, and more. There are dozens of places in a kitchen where your taste can shine through.
Making Both Happen
Gerard Construction knows you don’t have to sacrifice one or the other when it comes to functionality and style. In fact, there are many build elements that are purposely designed to meet both of these needs. Even better, there are almost endless styles for you to choose from so your entire vision can be put into place in this space when you are redesigning or building your dream home with us. If you aren’t sure where to start, we recommend imagining the perfect day in your kitchen. Take note of your routine and habits and consider how the layout of your kitchen and the placement of certain elements would make those parts of your routine easier. Also consider special entertaining and holidays where you may need extra space for food prep, cooking, working alongside friends and family, and storing special dishes or appliances. If you are completely lost, you can look at our design ideas or work directly with our design team. We will also ask you questions to get a better idea of your dream, which we want to build with you.
Read More: 5 Tips to Make Your Kitchen Remodel a Success
Even before you get in contact with Gerard Construction on your kitchen project, you can go ahead and jump into your planning stages. Begin dreaming about the kitchen you have always wanted and take notes so we can help bring that dream to reality. When you're ready, Gerard Construction is standing by to work with you to make your dream kitchen a reality.