Designing a Beautiful Kitchen — Here’s Your Map

HAVE YOU EVER been plopped down in the middle of a strange city with no idea of how to get where you needed to go? For many people, designing a kitchen is just as disorienting. Where do you even start? 

If you are navigating a remodel or new build without the help of a professional designer, here are three steps that will help you plot a course to your new kitchen:

1. Choose a Design Destination

2. Create a Color Roadmap

3. Take the Best Route

Choose a Design Destination

Why do designer kitchens look so clean and coordinated? Because professionals design with a plan. They know where they’re going and they have a map and a route to get there. You can do the same.

First, choose your destination — the kitchen style. Do you want traditional or modern, lots of decor or minimalist, warm or cool? Write down the words that best describe your dream kitchen and use them to search the internet for inspiration. Soon you will have found your style destination.

Create a Color Roadmap

Once you have your destination in mind, it’s time to create the roadmap — the color palette. With a bazillion colors to choose from this may seem overwhelming, so follow this simple formula: choose one primary color and two complementary colors. Here’s an example.

This beautiful Missouri kitchen is designed with a simple but harmonious color palette.

In this palette, a soft white is accented by various shades of gray from the tile to the island. Black countertops frame the room like a piece of art, while the dark chocolate brown floors inject a complementary dash of color.

A neutral color palette serves as the perfect canvas for exciting pops of color, like a brilliant bouquet of flowers, colorful cookware or other decor. These are much easier to switch out than cabinets, countertops, or flooring.

Take the Best Route

So now you know where you’re going and you have a map to get there. The next step is to take the best route by designing the kitchen in the proper order.

First, decide on colors for the permanent elements — countertops and cabinets, floors and walls — before you choose appliances, backsplash or tile, hardware, fixtures and decor.

If you are doing a partial remodel and won’t be changing the color of the floor, wall, or cabinets, then choose your countertops first. Why?

Quality countertops often contain subtle shades and hues or complex patterns. Natural stone slabs will also have color variations. That being the case, it’s much easier to match flooring and cabinets to countertops than vice versa. If an adjustment needs to be made to the tint or shade of the color palette in order to match the perfect granite slab, it’s cheaper to do so before the cabinets are painted rather than after.

Finding your way around a kitchen design is easier when you have a destination, map and route in mind, and WilgusIQ is happy to help you on your journey. Our website and sales staff can support you in choosing cabinets and countertops that match your lifestyle and color palette. Please contact us for more information or showroom hours.