Project House #1: The Prons and Cons Of Designing Your Kitchen + 5 Kitchen Design Tips

If you follow me on Instagram, you might have seen a kitchen drawing (here) I shared about two years ago (though I hardly remember it myself). That was actually one of my first designs for this kitchen. I already shared my kitchen with you, it was in the background of some of my photographs (in this post ), but I haven't written about it yet.  I get a lot of questions about my kitchen, so today I decided to answer them and talk about the different aspects of kitchen design. I've been preparing posts about the inner design work and decorating we did in our new home for a while now.  I've decided to break down these posts in several components so they would be more reader- friendly. Not that I think that I have a great insight into designer and decorating secrets, as we only worked on things that we needed to and we are no professionals. I would like to share what I learned, though. I know it might be useful to someone. To be clear, this was the first and probably the last time we did something like this, although I did joke that we should start an interior designer company now that we have (hopefully ) learned a bit more about the decorating process.

 Kitchen design tip No. 1: Make sure all the measurement are correct!

 We did design this kitchen from scratch and to do something like that, and by that I mean to make a complete design you'll print out and hand down to someone, you'll need to make sure you've got good math and measuring skills. If you want to know what your kitchen will look like in the end, you'll need learn to work with special programs that allow you to not only accurately calculate dimensions but also to make a 2D model. It's possible to design your kitchen if you are an amateur, but it will probably take some work and time. You can also do a rough sketch with general dimensions, and take it to the professional who is making your kitchen. I don't know how it works elsewhere, but most companies that specialize in  kitchens have employers who are furniture and industrial designers. You can schedule an appointment with one of them and customize the kitchen together so it would fit your needs. There are bound to be some limitations, though. We did have a few meetings with designers, but in the end we decided to go solo. There are many options out there, and even if you're buying a kitchen as it is, you can still choose between different colours and styles. You can always make some alternations and so on. In is a time-consuming process no matter what's your take it on. Even if you are working with a professional decorator or other professional, be prepared to set some time aside for it.

 Kitchen design tip no.2: Do your research, compare the prices, inquire about discounts and get offers from everyone. 

Probably the thing to consider when it comes to designing one's kitchen is the price. You'll need to get offers from different contractors, maybe even schedule meetings with them. This might vary significantly depending on where you live. Whether or not to hire an inner designer is also a decision you need to make considering the area where you live in and the possibilities that are at your disposal to you. If there are many inner designer companies and professional where you live, hiring one would be an obvious choice. Designing one's home is incredibly time consuming, and if you have a professional you can trust at your disposal, you can save a lot of time. However, since my husband was quite literally the architect of this house, he was not willing to let anyone else step in. This means I had to take a big part of  responsibility onto myself, and it was a lot of work.  In addition, hiring a designer isn't that common maybe because most local people are, generally speaking, really into architecture and inner design.  We did the designing ourselves, and we were happy with the result but it was a difficult, expensive and stressful process. I'm not discouraging you against it. I obviously believe there are benefits to designing one's own kitchen and decorating one's own home, or else why would I opt for it? I'm just saying that is anything but easy. You need to sit down and think about whether it is worth the effort.








 Kitchen design tip no.3 : Always think twice! The functionality is as important as the aesthetic.

 There are many benefits to designing one's own house, but one disadvantage is that you'll have no one but yourself to blame if it all goes wrong. When our kitchen was all assembled, we realized we don't have the space to put a gas container in. We had designed drawers to go under the cooking apparatus there were drawers. The guy we hired to put the kitchen together it said: ' That's your problem, I followed your design down to every detail. ' The guy was obviously right as he only did what he was told to do. We ended up solving the problem quite easily by drilling a hole in the neighboring cabinet and placing the gas tank there.  While we are speaking about cons and prons, it is hard to do a financial assessment, because the prices do vary significantly in different countries and what might be a more affordable option in one country can be a more expressive in another. In other words, you'll need to do your research.





Kitchen design tip no.4: Think outside the box. Not everything has to be brand new. 

There is something recycled in our new kitchen and that would be: the washing machine. I argued with my husband on this one. He wanted to get a new washing machine, the kind that can be covered with acrylic (the same material as the kitchen) but I wanted to keep the old one.  That machine works beautifully and I personally believe in the proverb- if it's not broken, don't fix it. This washing machine is quite old, my own age actually, but I had an expert come in and take a look and he told me that the motor in this machine is the best, like BMW of the washing machines. In other words, they don't make them like that anyone. I wanted to share this piece of information because when moving or decorating people often just dump everything  in the garbage. If something is working, you shouldn't do that. If you don't want to keep it, at least donate it. We are facing major environmental problems because of the fact that people refuse to recycle and reduce their waste. For example, we left all the furniture in the old house, despite the fact we were paid nothing for it, and everything is still being used, so nothing went to waste. Moreover, I actually like how my kitchen looks with this washing machine because I think it gives it a more unique touch. I choose the black kitchen counter top and the machine just blended in nicely. I really like the black and white contrast in my kitchen.

 Kitchen design tip no.5: Select the kitchen style that best suits your needs, personality and the general feel of your home. 

We designed our kitchen having in mind the design of the entire house. Besides one antique piece, two closets and the recycled washing machine everything is our home is brand new. The advantage of buying brand new items is that you can easily match the design. In other words, our entire house is done in minimalist style. The colour palette is neutral, mostly white with a bit of gray and black.  I'm happy that we were able to our entire home in one style, however that doesn't have to be your choice. Perhaps you would like your kitchen to be one style and your living room the other. Our living room and the kitchen are joined, so it was important for us to match them in style. However, you will know what is best for you. Think about how you would like to feel in your home. That's more important than what is right now. 

KITCHEN BREAKDOWN: MATERIALS USED

Kitchen cabinets: acrylic ( high gloss)
Kitchen countertop: acrylic (matt with imitation marble print).

Floor tiles: porcelain tiles 

Dinning table: polished and painted wood
Chairs: faux leather and painted wood
Lighting: LED lighting tape in between the kitchen elements, one chandelier, 3 inbuilt LED lights (placed on the decorative lowered part of the ceiling)
Windows: PVC
Curtains: the same as in the rest of our home, we had them sewed.

Before we finish off this post, I have one question for you. There is one item I left out of my description and that is the backsplash. My kitchen backsplash is the pride and joy of my kitchen.  It was the best design decision I've ever made.  I'd like to see if you can guess what my kitchen backlash is made of? What is the material we opted for?

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