DREAM Weavers - Experts Help You Make Sense of a Kitchen Makeover

Anyone who’s renovated or remodeled knows that the process is often lengthy and complex. Contractors. Blueprints. Decisions.

And if you’re remodeling a kitchen, the experience can be even more frustrating; if you remodel a bathroom, you likely have another one you can use in the meantime. Remodeling a kitchen however, can take yours out of commission, creating havoc and stress.

HIRING A KITCHEN DESIGNER

Experts in kitchen design offer their advice and share their experience on how to make the process as painless as possible, putting you into a new space with minimal construction headaches. Ric Trahan of Shelf Genie and Cabinet Cures, suggests thinking about your space and what you want it to do. It’s not just about having a kitchen with all the usual appliances and amenities. It’s about having a space that functions as optimally as possible. “When you tell us how you use your kitchen, we can help you minimize the frustration of a remodel,” Trahan says. “We want to understand where you keep things, how you reach for things, so we can be sure we’re designing your space to be as accessible as possible.”

In addition to working with customers who may want their kitchens made over to accommodate physical handicaps, Trahan says he and his team also help people think about things like how they might be bending over to get this or that cooking accessory or reaching overhead to grab something else. He says it’s important to consider where you keep the most-used items in your kitchen, so he and his team can design pullout shelves or enhance your cabinets to create an optimal experience. “We help people think through the way they use their kitchen,” he says.

A GUIDE FOR THE JOURNEY

Experienced kitchen designers put a lot of effort into the process of accessing and planning out a kitchen project. It’s often said that using a designer in the first place is one of the best things you can do—precisely because designers can work with you to determine how you want your kitchen to work, and can brainstorm with you over what’s possible within your space.

“You really want a professional to help you through the process,” says Mary Calvin, of Restyle Kitchen and Bath. Her company assists homeowners with refacing and resurfacing cabinets to give their kitchens a new look, and she also owns Cabinet Innovations, which creates custom cabinets. “We understand where the pitfalls to a project can be, and we work with you to avoid them,” she says. “When you’re dealing with home remodeling, every mistake you make costs money.”