Where to start when remodelling your kitchen?

Many homeowners fall into categories when start planning their kitchen renovations:

a. Start by looking at appliances.

b. Collects inspiring kitchen photos. 

 Before doing of all of the above, set the budget and get an consultant to help you to decide if you just need more room, to upgrade your current kitchen or complete remodelling. 

Have you decided to remodel your kitchen? STEP1. Ask yourself: how you use your kitchen? What are your priorities: do you like to cook? how many people will be cooking/gathering? how you will need to move around? storage space? 

STEP 2. Next step finding the photos of the kitchen and features that will fit your lifestyle. You can get ideas from internet, Houzz and photos, showrooms, books and magazines.  Try to reason and be realistic, that not all huge kitchens models will fit your space or look the same. 

When all of the above is set. STEP3. Try to find the professional help to help you with a scope of work, designer will help you with everything from contracts and permits to space planning, budgets, choosing finishes and fixtures, shopping, ordering products, helping you set up a kitchen, and manage your project from start to finish. is not enough just visit a showroom or see a pretty picture.. Remember, there is not just cabinets involved, there are many hidden things that you may not think about when reorganising/remodelling your kitchen: plumbing, drains, electrical points, lighting. Let PRO help you to look at your kitchen from a different angle. 

STEP4.When layout and design is done, now you can use your photo ideas to make your final selection for finishes and fixtures. Many of my clients are so impatient! and start from this point by skipping the layout, design part, so impatient! 

• cabinetry type, style and colour;
• backsplash and countertop materials;
• light fixtures;
• kitchen sink and faucet;
• appliances.

STEP5. After all permits are granted. It's time to get that schedule firmed up and start cleaning the cabinets. Many of you will continue living in the house during construction (crazy idea), so set a temporary kitchen so you don't lose your mind!

Discuss the logistics ahead of time with your contractor.  Getting all this on the table beforehand can set expectations and make for a smoother ride. 

STEP6. Once construction is over, well thats what we would like to thin... Its impossible task to finish all at once, there's always these annoying little things of items that are missing, wrong, or simply forgotten about: paint touch ups, switch isn't working, water pipe is leaking — small things like this, and sometimes bigger things like the hood doesn't work, or there's a big scratch in the new counter, floor or backsplash. 

Make a list, try to be informative, document with photos to help contractor to fix these issues. 

It's inevitable that the contractor may have to make multiple visits back to the house to finish these items; prepare yourself for more than one visit and you'll be fine. The best way to approach this is with a cool attitude, stressing yourself and others will not help here. Things happen, little things get missed. It's sort of like making a list for the grocery store and still forgetting some key ingredient. We all do it!

kitchen before.....

 after

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Media in 2014 about our work

http://magazine.propertyonline.ae/02-2014/index.html

Furniture MATTERS when redesigning rooms

...furniture matters most be the most when it comes time to redesign your interiors. In fact, it should be the first component for your consideration. A lot of our clients ask about colours and they get surprised when we advice firstly to get the furniture sorted not colours (yes, we guide for the colour palette too).
Remember, furniture makes a great focal point, so don’t hesitate to put it to good use. Pick the one element that, in your mind, clearly defines the room’s intended function and center your design around it. Arrange your other furnishings and décor items in such a way that the eye is always drawn to that same spot.

Furniture Dictates Flow of Movement

Speaking of arranging furniture, in addition to helping define function, these groupings also dictate how your friends and family will move through the space. Anyone who has tried to shimmy their way out of a too-tight seating area can tell you the importance of leaving the proper amount of – physical and visual – breathing room.

When it comes to making sure you leave enough space, these are a few ground rules to keep in mind:

•         Keep the number of pathways in a room to a minimum – two is fine.
•         Send movement around seating groups, not through them.
•         Leave enough room to stand between seating and tables.
•         Push furniture away from the walls. Stick to a 3 in. rule
•        Arrange seating in clustered groupings to facilitate conversation.
•        Break large rooms into multiple groups.
•       When in doubt, take a test run through the space.

Those who are visual learners may enjoy having the ability to test out multiple arrangements without having to push furniture around all day.

Furniture Balances Visual Weight

When you first hear it, the term “visual weight” seems like a complex concept. However, in reality, you instinctually know what it is. We’ll show you: Think about how you would feel if all of your furniture was suddenly pushed to the same side of the room. It feels like you’re on the Titanic and one side is sinking, right?

Visual weight is all about helping balance a room. If you’re dealing with multiple, big, heavy components make sure to stagger them throughout the space so that one side does not feel more weighted down than another. Do your best to group larger items together with smaller ones to help vary your points of visual interest.

The best tool that we can give you for this job is totally free. Just use your eyes or mobile camera. When you think you’ve found an arrangement that works, take a moment to step back and look at the room as a whole. That small shift in perspective should be enough to clue you in on whether one side feels more weighted than the other and allow you to make adjustments accordingly.

Furniture Shows Personal Style

Last but not least, the furniture you choose to allow to fill your rooms is undoubtedly an expression of your unique sense of style. After all, some of us may flip over the simplicity of Scandinavian interiors, while others may prefer the collectivist comfort of a more eclectic design. Either way, the pieces that we allow into our homes speak volumes about our personalities.

You may recall reading about the psychological effect of the design and how the choices that we make effect other’s perception of us. Factors like the how much seating you provide for your guests, whether or not you prioritize comfort over style, and the brands that you buy all play a role, so weigh the decision of what furniture to buy with the utmost care.

How do you go about finding a style that works for you? That’s easy. All you have to do is find pieces that you love and emulate their look. Design sites like Freshome are always a good place to start. But, don’t get too caught up in copying the pros. The best designs embrace individuality. Always remember to trust your instincts.

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