A full kitchen remodel requires a crystal ball approach and the assistance of a top-tier Orlando-area kitchen design and remodeling team. The first step for us is learning more about your household, daily routines, and lifestyle and discussing the kitchen trends that are inspiring your current design preferences.
Then, we’ll look ahead five to ten years or more to see how our work now can serve you well – and look fantastic – long after the remodel is complete. This includes implementing timeless design elements that remain classic and relevant despite fickle kitchen remodeling trends.
Balancing Kitchen Remodels: 3 Essential Timeless & Trendy Features
Three critical kitchen remodel features determine the success of your project as time marches on. Kitchen layout and workflow, open shelving, and kitchen islands deeply affect how a new kitchen design serves your household over the coming years – and can be done timelessly despite their ebb and flow via trends.
In addition to discussing which versions of these make the most sense for your kitchen (or not), we’ll consider their pros and cons to help you prioritize current needs with long-term goals. The result will be a more functional and better-looking kitchen space.
1. Your Optimal Kitchen Layout
We’re going to start with the overarching theme of your kitchen’s layout because everything else branches out from there. The foundational layout drives kitchen workflow daily, seasonally, for special occasions, and holidays.
For a while, open concepts were the star of the remodeling show. However, we’re seeing a return to more traditional galley or (partially) walled-off kitchen spaces for clients who prefer them. This is frequently the case for homeowners who found the “fishbowl” kitchen made it hard to hide messes they hadn’t cleaned up yet. Some home chefs prefer to work with fewer interruptions or without others in their space, and others find that kitchen noise disrupts their living room space.
Many homeowners don’t realize a complete revamp of the kitchen layout is an option. While some factors might inhibit a complete rearrangement, we can usually build a whole new kitchen layout if that’s best for the client’s needs. If it’s time to change your kitchen layout, we’ll walk you through the pros and cons of the various options and how they relate to the available square footage, family size, and usage.
2. Kitchen Island (Or Two?) or Peninsula?
It’s a rare kitchen that doesn’t benefit from a kitchen island or peninsula when there’s room for them.
- Pros: People who can’t imagine living without their island appreciate the extra room for food prep, seating, or buffet-style food service for larger gatherings and holidays. By personalizing the island, you also have the option of creating a specific workstation or adding extra appliances(like a wine cooler), which you would have had to sacrifice cabinet space for otherwise.
- Cons: Sometimes, there isn’t room for an island in a small kitchen, and a peninsula may be impossible, too. If you aren’t much of a cook and don’t need extra prep space or seating, an island may not be worth the space and investment.
- Alternatives or Compromises: If you have a large kitchen and love to cook and bake, we may recommend adding a second kitchen island to customize separate work zones. In smaller kitchens or for clients who only wish they had an island every now and then, we can discuss customized portable island options that can roll in when you want them and out when you don’t – but always offer optimized storage solutions.
Open Shelving
Like the open-concept kitchen trend, we also saw an uptick of open-shelving options. There is no doubt that open shelving can make a significant difference and offers several benefits. It’s also something clients should discuss in detail as there are reasons why cabinet doors were invented – cleanliness, clutter shielding, and continuity.
- Pros: Open shelving can lighten up a space and break up monotonous sections of cabinet walls. Its inherent, everything-on-display nature means you can easily change the look of your kitchen with different colors, seasonal ware, and patterns without affecting the timeless foundational design structure. Clients who love open shelving appreciate its accessibility, minimalist approach, clean look, and versatility.
- Cons. Parents with small children don’t always view open shelving as kid-friendly, nor do clients who are prone to dropping or spilling things. If you don’t like to dust or routinely wipe shelves down at least once a month, this may not be the best choice. Everything on open shelves is on display – which can be a con depending on the day.
- Alternative/Compromise. There is no reason to make open shelving an either/or scenario. Depending on your goals, you may find that integrating open shelving in the right locations and at the right heights allows more control over what’s on display and how easy (or not) it is to access. Cabinets that conceal the mismatched and well-used daily dishes at the heart of the kitchen, but simple open shelving in a bar space to display beloved drinkware sets that fit the aesthetic – for example. If you like the concept, but feel open shelving is not the best fit, we recommend integrating some glass cabinet doors potentially with frosted panels for the best of both worlds.
We Design Personalized Kitchen Remodels For Today, Tomorrow, & the Future
Getting to know our clients and learning all we can about their lifestyles and goals sets Details Construction Group apart from other Orlando-area remodelers.
Schedule a design consultation with us to learn more about how personalized kitchen layouts, islands, open shelving, and other key features make all the difference. We’re committed to building a kitchen remodel that will look amazing and provide an evolving workflow long into the future.
