Kitchens

A lot of ‘Designers’ specialize in one type or style of design. I on the other hand love so many types I want to challenge my self for my clients and my self. I do sway to styles like anyone else but I find beauty in all styles which I just so happen to be doing in my home.

I love timeless as a designer trends come and go and if you are spending thousands of dollars renovating to right now & want to change it in 3-5 years it is not a good investment. I have 3 guidelines I like to follow.

#1 :

Start with Timeless foundation. Meaning what will stand the test of time? What is the most expensive part of the design? & make it something you know you could love forever. Things like cabinets, countertops & large furniture. These things should be good quality & Sturdy. No one wants to skimp on something like cabinets and be upset they get all scratched up or busted in a year or two. My rule is if your butt is to go on it splurge, couches & large furniture. Quality trumps all when you don’t have to replace it every 2-4 years. This isn’t what is always important to my clients and so we can deisgn to a middle or cheaper scale to get as much done wit the budget. I see everything from over the top to DIY work for my clients.

#2:

Once you have the hardy basics down with timeless you then get Trendy fillers! If you love a color, pillow or a piece of art that is trendy. This is the place you put trendy. Pillows, art & decor are a lot easier to trade in or up in as your aesthetics change.

#3:

Always incorporate something vintage. I know my clients don’t always love this and don’t choose to do so but it can make a space feel warm & lived in once you renovate with all things new! Eclectic is my jam!

One Thing I am doing that I DON’T do for my clients is have no budget…..this might surprise you!

When we purchased our home nearly 3 years ago, we did have a budget.. We purchased the house and had limited funds that we didn’t want to over extend but still get what we liked. This changed we we postponed the renovation due to the unforeseen circumstances of our foundation issue. When that took 1/3 of our kitchen budget…….. We reevaluated pretty quickly.

Patience is a vertue

We weren’t going to rush to get it done ( this killed me)

What Do You Really Want, & What Are You Willing To Do To Get There:

We realized that budget we wanted to use would inevitably be spent only to get it done now but not what I truly wanted. Budgets are my Friends for clients! But when you get to a certain price point in in a home most design and spend for resale value. I on the other hand love the idea of not overspending but getting what I WANT! The two things have a hard time co existing. I decided to throw out the budget and do what I wanted with in reason of the price point our house is in. I chose budget options for some items & splurged on others!

SPLURGE VS BUDGET

You don’t have to throw out beauty for budget and you don’t have to go broke having beauty either. I actually found I like the more budget friendly options not only for my budget but for use & aesthetics. There are the some exampes of the Budget & Splurge finishes we were choosing from….. HINT : we chose 3 of these budget options

While my design Side love all the options there were things more important to me then looks. Let me be honest kids & animals make it hard to keep nice things “nice”. When your kids are hard on things you want something that will with stand the beating it will get over time. I choose to accept that Marble is not for my family.. Tried and failed immediately in our prior renovation. I have accepted our fate of never having marble countertops in my kitchen. Therefore the alternatives are my friend which I love as well. We have Porcelain countertops that look like marble that do not scratch, etch or stain. ( Family friendly!) I did how ever splurge on my Range. This was my timeless focal piece that literally take my breath away when I walk in my kitchen! ( I can’t wait to show you) I chose budget knobs on my cabinets & went with middle of the road semi custom cabinets.

For the Sake of transparency I know this could get a lot of heat because of cost but I have been there and done a budget kitchen that still looked beautiful for my self! I am in a different place then where some might be, realistic expectations are always a must.