The kitchen is the heart of the home in the South and especially in a food city such as New Orleans. Today, we have tips from New Orleans based interior designer, April Vogt, on what to consider when remodeling a kitchen. A kitchen is one of the biggest investment you can make in your home and this expert gives us insight into how to have the best experience while crafting your dream kitchen especially if you are trying to get your kitchen ready for the holiday season.
Three Tips To Consider When Remodeling a Kitchen from New Orleans Designer, April Vogt
1) How are you going to use the space?
We all know that it will be used for cooking, but how exactly? Here are some things to ask yourself. What are your cooking requirements? Do you plan on cooking major meals in your kitchen, or are you more of a dine out and re-heat kind of girl? For example: Will you need to plan for a double wall mounted stove and large 6 burner range or are you fine with a standard 30″ oven to get your job done? Will you be baking heavily and will need to pick your countertops accordingly (the best surfaces for bakers are wood, marble, and stainless steele)? Or do you plan doing minimal cooking in your kitchen? You have to consider all of these things when designing your kitchen. Another thing to consider is your seating requirements. Do you only need a kitchen that seats two, or do you have a family of 5 that you want to be able to comfortably sit at your kitchen island or a breakfast nook?
2) What are your storage needs?
There are 3 types of kitchen storage: dry storage, cold storage, and utility storage. You have to ask yourself how much of each do you want and or need? Dry storage places in your kitchen where you would store food items that don’t need to be refrigerated; for example, your pantry. If you like to bake you will want to plan for extra space for cookbooks, spices, etc. Cold storage areas in your kitchen where you store items that have to be refrigerated or frozen like your fridge and freezer.
Some things to consider: are you single and only need a small refrigerator and freezer, or do you have a large family and need a lot of space and opt for a separate column refrigerator and column freezer? Do you want or need a beverage center in your kitchen? Utility storage is basically where you would store your cookware and tableware. Do you have a lot of pots and pans or would minimal utility storage work for you? Do you plan on adding some type of curio cabinetry (cabinets with glass doors) to display your china or beautiful tableware, or would you prefer floating shelves to display everything? These are all things to take into consideration when designing and remodeling your new kitchen.
3) Have you considered lighting placement?
Poorly lit kitchens can be a nightmare for all involved. You will need to determine where in the kitchen you will be doing what. There are 3 main types of lighting: general (ambient), task, and accent lighting. Some areas will require task lighting like food prep areas (above your sink and above your island), and others will only require ambient lighting (for example a kitchen nook). You would use accent lighting underneath upper cabinets or inside of glass cabinets. Having only ambient lighting in a space that needs task lighting would make cooking more difficult.
Gallery Images:
Photos by Photos by Justin Andre Cordova
Comments
Michiel is a Black Southern Belle living a lowcountry life. I love all things fashion, home decor and southern! When I am not running around doing fun stuff for Black Southern Belle, I live in antique stores and have a minor obsession with historic homes :)
I love this Kitchen!!!!!