Planning a "NEW" Designed Kitchen
By Eddie Visser

As lifestyles are changing, so is the way we use our kitchens. The older or dated kitchen, especially in a smaller home, was designed to be a "one person show." All the workstations were set up to function within a step or two. Now, as we listen to and observe our clients, we see more than one family member sharing in the food preparation. The "one person" kitchen with its cramped space has developed into a newer "multi-user" kitchen, which requires a fresh design. Items that we begin to explore with our new designs are: creating two or more work stations, instead of just increasing countertop size, maybe a second sink, having the dishwasher in a central location, reallocating storage space and is equally as important, the consideration of who will use the work stations and how they will use it. Now, how are we going to fit these concepts into our smaller kitchen? We need to evaluate what space is available. We stand back and look at the adjoining spaces, possible looking farther away where we might consider moving walls or possibly adding on. Using budget as a factor we establish our space then "find" our workstations. Appliances play a key role in developing our workstations. One may consider using a built-in cook top and wall/cabinet oven that creates separate workstations. Placing the refrigerator farther away form other appliances insures easier access for multi-use. Having the dishwasher in a central location, as previously suggested, makes it easy to be loaded or unloaded by more than one person and allows us to store dishes easier since we prevent blocking by the dishwasher. Looking at our storage options, we place our cabinetry in-between our workstations for convenience of storage use. New cabinetry has storage options such as dividers, rollouts, full extension drawer glides, deeper cabinets, and many other accessories providing us with the optimum use for the space that we have. Other storage options such as hanging pots and pans for the wall or ceiling, cup holders and plat racks, help to maximize cabinet storage areas.

As we design our new workstations, one of the most important concerns is lighting. Explore various types of lighting that you can layer to illuminate a kitchen. Ambient lighting gives us path and general lighting, task lighting for our workstations, an accent lighting to focus on lighting in the kitchen. A correct lighting plan will give space and warmth to the kitchen and allow ease of movement. Now that we have a plan how are we going to implement it? Hire a specialist who can offer the most current information about design trends, products and construction needs. Creating a new design for your kitchen can be a very complex job. A specialist will have the experience to design and complete your project for that high value result.

Eddie Visser is the president of the Visser Group, Inc. with showrooms located in Sparks, Nevada, and servicing Reno, Tahoe, and Truckee. Come with your questions to the Truckee Home and Building Show or call 530-582-9431.