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kitchen is one of the most important rooms in the whole house. Whether its for preparing home made delicious meals to serve the family or for entertaining friends, Kitchen need to be functional and beautiful for whoever sees it.

When renovating your kitchen to make it more functional for your life style or even just to give it a face lift to cope with the changing world of colors around you, it is very important to consider these points before investing thousand of dollars on a new kitchen.

Number #1: Following Trendy Colors

Unless this is your absolute favorite color of all times, Don’t fall for the mistake of painting your kitchen a trendy color like navy blue or sage green and then regretting it the year after when the trend is over. A pro tip is to paint your kitchen any color you want if only that is your forever home and you love it. If not and you are planning to sell it in the future, it is always better to stick with neutral colors like whites that will not push potential buyers away . Another win win situation is to consider adding your favorite color in the island only while leaving a neutral color on the rest of the cupboards.

Number #2: Incorporating storage organization tools

Very simple addition to your kitchen like a pull out cupboard for your garbage bin or storage organization kit for your pots, pans, and plates can make your kitchen organized and save you lots of time cleaning up and getting your meals ready.

Number #3: Adding an Island or peninsula

Lots of people ask whether it is worth it opening up the wall separating the dinning room and the kitchen to add a peninsula or an island. The answer is absolutely yes. not only they open up the space and make it feel more spacious and pulled together, but also makes the kitchen look updated. The addition of bar stools for those breakfasts on the go without having to carry the mess to the dinning room can be very tempting too. Just make sure you have enough clearance from any adjacent walls or cupboards (36″ min and 48″ is ideal) so it serves its purpose and not to be an added obstacle.

Number #4: Changing the Countertop

There was a myth saying that you need to spend a fortune to change those laminate countertop and get something that gives this wow effect on your visitors. In a world of new technologies and new materials going popular every day, people now have the option to choose a countertop material that not only give you the value of your money, but also still be as resistant to those hot pots or messy stains as top dollar high end materials. Examples of those new materials are Solid Surface and Soap Stone that come in thousands of colors and textures including the Granite feel and look without the Granite price tag.

Number #5: Adding layers of light

Let’s face it, we spend in our kitchen lots of our time cooking, cleaning, and entertaining. It would have been so nice to have different layers of lights for multiple functions so we don’t put too much stress on our eyes from those glare causing recessed lighting. The designer’s absolute favorite lighting feature is the undercabinet LED lights. They are very popular in new kitchens now as they conserve energy, very handy to quickly prepare meals, and for turning it on during the night to find your way to the fridge for those mid-night snacks. Also consider having multiple switches for different lights in your kitchen to have more control over the amount of light you need for the task performed.

To sum up, before renovating your kitchen, see what you really need for your kitchen to function for you not for other people. Do your research and ask lots of people about new ideas and tools you can add in terms of spacing, lighting and new materials coming up. Best of all, hire a designer that can take the stress of your back and make your dream kitchen come true and do it right from the first time without wasting your time or energy.

If you are one of the many people who see lots of DIY channels and try to implement them in your home and wonder why this is not working or why my home still doesn’t look like the show home that I always wanted, it might be the perfect time to hire an interior designer. I know lots of people will say ” Interior Designers are expensive”, or ” How hard can it be to pick colors”. Trust me, It is not that easy nor it is as fast as you see happening in DIY channels. So here is why you should hire a designer for your home.

Designers Know your style

With millions of styles out there to choose from, people often get overwhelmed and start to buy whatever pieces they set their eyes on without thinking if they will go with their space or not. Lots of people like way too many styles they don’t even know what is their preferred style any more. An experienced designer can help with that. In the initial consultation, the designer can tell which style that best suits their client personality by asking simple questions and seeing some inspirational photos they like. Some styles can be a combination of two or more styles and the designer knows exactly how to put these different styles together and make them work.

Designers know what materials are best for you

Ever heard people telling you that if you have kids then leather is your only solution for furniture because it is easy to clean? But what if your budget won’t allow it or you simply don’t like leather?. A designer can always find a solution for you. Interior Designers have a lot of knowledge when it comes to materials and can advise on pieces that will best meet your life style, preference and budget. So don’t hesitate to ask your designer for a fabric sofa when you have kids, they know exactly what fabric suits you best.

Designers Can save you money

It is inevitable that you will go overbudget if you designed your house alone. Interior Designers ask for your budget at the initial consultation and they work around it to meet your needs. They will find finishes and materials that will look good, meet your style needs, and won’t break the bank. Also Designers, like contractors, might have access to manufactures’ discounts and can forward some of these discounts to you which can save you tons of money especially on pricy items like cabinets and countertops

Designers do the hard work so you don’t have to

Let’s admit it. people are busy. they don’t have the time or experience to look for hours for the perfect sofa and we end up with the wrong one. I have seen lots of people buy custom made furniture they hated and can’t return it to the store. They end up selling it for less than half price just to get rid of the guilt every time they look at it. Designers can save your time and efforts as they have access to a variety of vendors and know exactly what your space needs so you can spend this valuable time where you need it most.

Designers collaborate with efficient contractors

No more guessing if this handyman will do a good job. Designers have lots of contractors and handymen contacts to get the job done efficiently and on budget. They will look for the perfect quote and the perfect person to do the job on time. Everything will be managed by the designer which will even save more time for you.

Of course these are not the only reasons why home owners should hire an interior designer, but they are the most overwhelming and confusing. Designers not only save your time and budget, they transfer your ” house” to the home of your dreams. A place you can call your own