If we are lucky, we might get to design and remodel a kitchen one or two times in our lives. And, with the kitchen being the heart of the home, we need to ensure a durable and timeless kitchen design is achieved before embarking on a build out. Below I share with you the 5 Must Dos For a Successful Kitchen Remodel.

1. Maximize Storage
“More storage” is almost always the first request that I hear from a client when embarking on a kitchen remodel. We must have space to put everything in order to keep a kitchen looking clean and attractive. I suggest selecting cabinetry with new storage technology such as a floor to ceiling pull out style pantry and skinny built-in pullouts for oils and spices. Also be sure to create a smart custom design to maximize all possible storage areas that are unique to your kitchen and floor plan.

2. Bring in Light
The kitchen is a room that must be well lit in all functional areas as well as have elements of drama for an atmospheric feel and beauty. A kitchen requires a layering of natural and simulated lighting elements. Best kitchen lighting plans will contain recessed and spot lights at the perimeters of the plan, pendant lighting over islands and peninsulas, task and under cabinet lighting as well as natural light from windows. I recommend that all lighting be dimmable so that you can create the mood.

3. Opt for High Contrast Selections
Contrast is an integral element of design, however it’s key in the kitchen. Contrasts of shadow, light, and color as well as smooth and patterned textures will create excitement and help direct the eye to the important elements of the room. For example, a black and white kitchen theme with elements of wood and a splash of color is an excellent timeless choice.

4. Choose Durable and Water Resilient Materials
This seems an obvious one, but still, material choice needs to be a concentrated item of focus when planning a kitchen. For example, wood counters are rich, warm and cost-effective, but they are not recommended for use near a sink. White marble is glamorous but if flaws in the stone overtime will bother your eyes, then it’s not for you. Travertine is a material often used in kitchen design; however it’s porous, absorbs dirt and food and is best kept away from the cook top and prep areas. All materials can be a consideration if you love them, but be sure to consider where they are going and how they will be used. Consult with a designer to ensure the best choices are made.

5. Integrate Your Kitchen Design to Coordinate with the Style of Your Home

It can be tempting to create a modern commercial style kitchen with sleek metal and glass elements, but wait—what does the rest of your house look like? Is your home prairie style, craftsman, cape cod, or Spanish? With so many style choices available to us, it is becoming more and more important to make sure that we coordinate our new selections with the existing style of the home and its interior spaces. Designing a kitchen that is too much of a departure from the existing exterior and interior style of the home can actually devalue your property. There are many ways to bring a kitchen up-to-date both functionally and visually and still keep its design cohesive.

 

 

Do you love your home and the rooms within? As you look around do you feel proud and satisfied with the spaces that surround you? Do you entertain friends and family in your home and do its objects and colors sing to your style and character? Do you rise, move about freely, and rest well in your surrounding spaces?

Or, do you look around and feel a little indifferent to your home, maybe even stuck in the past because your spaces and items within do not fully reflect who you are? Have you made efforts to accessorize for a new look, but with each trip to the store, you accumulate more items that don’t pull off the style you are hoping for? Are the rooms packed so tight that they feel dysfunctional or is there so much space that the home is unwelcoming?  Have you even thought that your home could be affecting your mood negatively or causing you stress?

If you related to any of the questions or ideas addressed in the paragraph above, now is the perfect time to make a change. As 2013 nears its end and 2014 rushes in, make this the year you resolve to do something for your well-being and happiness. It’s very achievable to create a beautiful surrounding which will make you feel great, even on a limited budget. In this New Year, check in with yourself about how you feel in your home and if that feeling is not “amazing” then resolve to change The Psychology of Your Interior Design for 2014.

Here’s my belief about a home. “Home” is a place where you feel content and peaceful and where you function with ease. It is your sanctuary where you can be who you are and it must provide a fertile ground from which you can live abundantly and sustain happiness. A home is a place to look forward to waking up in, preparing for your day in and then returning to. It is a place to live in and create memories in. Home is a place of your own, to be customized to your specific needs and style.

Over the years, experts have conducted numerous studies on living environments, interior design, colors, objects and space ratios. These studies are the back bone of the science behind interior design and they have served to enlighten my industry. For example, there are colors to soothe and awaken, there are formulas that speak to the distance that a coffee table should be for easy reach and flow of foot traffic, there are many things to consider when mounting a TV, from the height of the sofa seat to its distance to the wall.

The importance of the science and psychology behind interior design and how our spaces affect us is quite often not given as much importance as required. A great interior designer has studied and can talk about the “Elements of Design”, how they create function and beauty and they’ll know how to apply these ideas to your space. They will have studied and be familiar with (1) Proxemics, the (2) Perception of Space and the  (3) System of Objects and The Object Value System and how these ideas pertain to creating a comfortable and uplifting environment for our psyche. Without getting too caught up in the theories, what we need to understand is that there are numerous pieces that need to align and fit properly in order to achieve aesthetic domestic bliss. And, the professional interior design industry is here to help.

I do not want to forget to mention, what is most important of all!  When the research is conducted as a part of the process of designing your home, it is you and those who live with you who are the essential subject matter. Because, experts say and it is quite true, that green paint can cast an unappetizing light on food in the kitchen. However, if the color green is one which you and your family associate with the most pleasant of times, then maybe green is to be considered for your kitchen.

The psychology of design is complex and has many facets. Its roots are  based on the psychological make-up and welfare of the people dwelling in a space and exceptional interior design must be personally created for you. After all, it’s your life and your space that you live in every day. You deserve a home that is good for you, body and soul.

1. Proxemics–the study of varying patterns of physical proximity in human or animal populations, esp. their role in social interaction and their effect on behavior.
2. From Encyclopedia Britannica Online–Space perception, process through which humans and other organisms become aware of the relative positions of their own bodies and objects around them. Space perception provides cues, such as depth and distance, that are important for movement and orientation to the environment. Human beings have been interested in the perception of objects in space at least since antiquity. It was popularly thought in ancient Greece that objects could be seen because they emitted what was imagined to be a continuous series of extremely thin “membranes” in their own image; these fell upon the eye and merged into the picture that was perceived.
3. Object Value System is an idea which comes from Jean Baudrillard. The idea is discussed here: http://web.mit.edu/allanmc/www/baudrillard.collecting.pdf

 

 

“Want to know the secrets to decorating like an interior designer? I have a group of favorite rules that I use on every project know matter what the style. Whether you’re wondering how to pick your colors, to use your old accents or not, where to find amazing collectible items, here’s the insider scoop.”

1. Paint Comes Near Last– It is natural for one to want to run to the paint store right off the bat as soon as a project begins, but wait! You should always start with your largest items in the room first. Find those items, design your sofas and chairs and then match your paint. The right tones and perfect hues will be easiest for you to spot.

2. Less is Always More– Yes this is pretty much true for most things in life and it also applies to decorating. So don’t fill your bookshelves and other horizontal surfaces with knickknacks and pictures. Try analyzing your collectibles for just the favorites. Which items can be used together to create a theme? Display the objects together with ample space between so that the eye has a resting place before exploring the next item on the shelf. This goes for pillows, throws, books, magazines etc. Try grouping these items together and keep them neat so that they are seen, but do not block the eye from moving onto the next pretty item.

 

3. Use Your Wall Space to Display High Impact Art & Accessories — Don’t be afraid to use your wall space to hang beautiful art, sculpture or found items in groups on walls. Contrary to belief, hanging art and pictures on walls will make the room feel larger by drawing the eye into the art. Without art, the walls will appear to move toward you, making the room feel smaller. In most homes, I also suggest curating the wall accents to the height of, or centered in doorway and window areas so that the eye is drawn upward to maximize the height of ceilings.

4. Contrasting Choices Are Best for a Happy and Homey Space —And, I’m not just speaking of color. In the most visually stimulating rooms, you will notice that there is most always a use of contrasting elements. For example, in the living room, if you have chosen a soft canvas, cotton or linen sofa, it would be best shown off by a beautiful textured rug beneath. If you have decided on a rough and earthy stone to work with on the fireplace or kitchen backsplash, try setting that stone against a softer and more refined backdrop or surround. And, feel free to play with materials in the kitchen and in bathrooms. Counters are not always best when matching. Often contrast counters will add space to the room and direct the eye to objects in the distance–creating the illusion of extra space. Rather than use the same cabinet color as you have in the rest of your kitchen, choose a complementary color for the cabinets on the island.

5. Use Pattens and Flowers Sparingly– I am in no way saying not to use pattern and flowers–they are often used in the very best designs! However, in order to create the correct impact with these visual tools, they should be used sparingly and in combination with other textures and soft solids.

What do you think of my five interior design secrets shared? Do you have examples in your own home where you have successfully followed these ideas? Please share–I would love to hear from you.

This July we are designing and remodeling a kitchen in Manhattan Beach. The kitchen currently looks as many kitchens do which were designed and built in the 80s. It may or may not be apparent in this BEFORE photo, but the existing cupboard door and drawer openings were not cut to max-out the use of space in the cabinets, drawer glides are loud and rusty and the entire kitchen is operating with no pullouts and old appliances which take up physical space in this not so big kitchen.

“Goal: Make it feel larger, update the look to new, and make it function like a dream–all within the existing footprint of the kitchen’s base cabinets!”

In the initial consultations we discussed the options. 1. Gut the entire kitchen for all new, or 2. Reface existing configuration with option of beautiful new sitting island, and all new materials and appliances. The family went for option 2 and that is fantastic for two reasons. It allowed us to repurpose the strong solid oak base cabinets in the main portion of the kitchen and opened up the budget a bit for some gorgeous high-end materials and fixtures.

A couple weeks into the design phase, we made all main material choices and created our beautiful concept.  I couldn’t have been more happy with the direction we decided to go. Classic and clean white cupboards with sleek black Via Lactea granite contrasted by sandy stone backsplash and rustic hickory floors. Plus, our color pop! A soft blue glazed sitting island and stainless appliances for a little metallic glimmer. The design is both contemporary and beachy feeling to suite both his and her tastes.

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