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Functional Ways You Can Remodel Your Small Kitchen

Homeowners start the kitchen remodeling process for a wide variety of reasons. One of the most common reasons, however, has to do with size.

If your kitchen seems too small and cramped, you can consider removing a wall to expand into other areas of your home. You can also increase your kitchen’s square footage by adding on a breakfast nook or even an entire new room.   

If these options are impossible or undesirable, there are still plenty of things that a skilled architect or interior designer can give you to provide extra breathing room in your kitchen. Here are just a few ways to make the absolute most of your limited kitchen square footage with a beautiful remodel.

Pare Down Cabinets and Shelving with Fixtures

When you bought that bread maker you thought you’d use it all the time, but it has sat unused at the back of your cabinet for the past decade. You can probably say the same for any number of kitchen appliances. And do you really need all that extra cookware and flatware? By reconfiguring your cabinets and shelving to reflect your actual storage needs, you can open up a tremendous amount of space in your kitchen. A kitchen that limits storage areas to absolute essentials also creates an incredibly pleasing minimalist aesthetic.

Get Creative with Storage Areas

An effective kitchen remodel will make the most of every nook and cranny that your kitchen has to offer. With the help of a good architect or interior designer,  you can discover space that you didn’t even know that you had. Consider designs that add extra cabinets above a window and fill the space above your cooking range with shelves or cubbies.

Organize an Effective Galley Kitchen

A kitchen with a long and narrow layout that has storage space and counters on one or both sides of an open central area, known as a galley kitchen, is a great way to make efficient use of limited space. Although galley-style kitchens have developed a negative reputation for having a lack of ergonomic cooking prep space you can still create a kitchen that is not only exceptionally beautiful but highly functional.

Build Up Rather Than Out

When you have limited square footage to work with, installing cabinets to the ceiling is a great option for adding extra storage space while reducing overall clutter. Reaching the items that you store in those cabinets, however, can be a real problem. Rather than relying on a bulky stepladder that must be regularly accessed and requires storage space of its own, consider designing your kitchen remodel with a sleek rolling ladder feature. These rolling ladders not only make reaching items on high shelves a breeze, but they can make an interesting and stylish addition to your décor.

Get the Help of a Skilled Professional

If you own a home in the San Francisco Bay area and you want advice on how to make your kitchen more spacious, contact the experienced and knowledgeable professionals at Drafting Cafe Architects. No matter what your remodeling needs happen to be, you can receive a free estimate and advice from our team. We can help get your project off to a great start.

Best Interior Design Tips For Choosing Your Paint Colors

When your remodeling project includes new paint for your walls, it’s important to know how to choose the right tones. Whether you’re installing new cabinets and countertops in your kitchen or a new vanity or cabinets in your bathroom, you should aim for paint colors that enhance the room. The following tips can help you narrow down your options for new paint colors, but keep in mind that professional interior design services can help you select the best tones.

Complement or Contrast with Fixtures and Floors

When you’re choosing a paint color for the walls in your kitchen, you should consider the colors of your fixtures and floors. Otherwise, you could end up with wall colors that don’t pair well with the tones of your countertops, cabinets, floor, and other fixtures. You can choose paint colors that blend with the fixtures and floor for a more uniform design. Another option is to choose paint colors that contrast with the cabinets and other fixtures. However, make sure you don’t select paint colors that clash.

Consider the Room Size

An important element of interior design is choosing paint colors that improve the appearance of a room. Depending on the size of the room, this could mean choosing lighter paint tones to create a more spacious look and feel. For example, you can go with lighter wall and ceiling paint colors to make a bathroom seem larger. Darker paint tones typically make rooms look smaller, so it’s best to avoid choosing these for bathrooms or other smaller rooms in your home. You can choose darker paint colors if you want to make a larger room feel more cozy and inviting, such as a spacious living room.

Think About Lighting

As you compare paint color options for your home, consider the lighting in each room. Certain paint colors work better in different types of lighting. For example, you should avoid choosing a bold paint color for walls that receive a lot of natural light. Sunlight can make vivid tones appear overpowering, creating an unpleasant effect. Instead, choose neutral or lighter tones for these walls, and save brighter colors for areas that get indirect light.

Plan a Monochromatic Scheme

Monochromatic design schemes can work well when they’re done right. This schemes involve using variations of a single color to create visual appeal in a room. For example, you can choose various shades of blue for your bathroom walls, vanity, tiles, and cabinets. If you’re remodeling your kitchen, you can choose varying shades of grays or neutral tones for your walls, countertops, and cabinets. Keep in mind that you can also choose a paint color for your walls and trim that adds a visually striking look in an otherwise monochromatic room, such as white paint in a bathroom that’s mainly blue.

If you’re thinking of making some changes to your home in the San Francisco Bay area, visit Drafting Cafe Architects get information on interior design services. Our interior designers in Oakland CA can help you choose paint colors that enhance your home. You don’t need to be working on a remodeling project through our firm. Our interior designers can help even with your DIY project.