Renovating a small kitchen yourself becomes manageable because it involves much smaller spaces compared to extra-large kitchens. Today, kitchens are increasingly becoming an important facet of the overall residential home design. According to the Homeowner’s Workbook: How to Remodel Your Kitchen, most homeowners are typically in a nearly year-long exploration period as they ponder whether to hire a professional or take a do-it-yourself approach to the kitchen issue. renewal.
For those who have decided to jump right into the DIY approach, here are several simple steps worth following.
Make use of suitable designs for a small kitchen
Generally, the most widespread small kitchen designs are One Wall, U-Shape, L-Shape, Gallery or Corridor. These are great designs that offer many opportunities for most DIY enthusiasts. Most small kitchens are essentially longer than they are wide. Adopt those designs that are suitable for smaller spaces.
Identify simple areas to scale down
For example, those large double sinks so common in many kitchens take up so much unnecessary space. Also, think about whether you really want to keep having bigger appliances. Those wide side-by-side fridges sure are cool, but do you really need them? Do you live as a couple or are you single? For example, there are also smaller dishwashers on the market today that are more reasonably priced and may be more suitable for a small kitchen.
Determine what your values are
If it happens that, for example, storage is a priority for you, then you will have to maximize kitchen cabinets, perhaps at the cost of some appliances during your kitchen renovations. Do you really need a breakfast bar in your kitchen? If that’s the case, you may have to sacrifice some of your kitchen counter space in order to acquire your breakfast bar.
Cabinet worker.
One of the best things about renovating small kitchens is that it becomes easier to use some DIY cabinets. These types of kitchen cabinets can be found on many shelves in many home improvement stores.
In the back of the cabinets there is so much space that it is rarely used. Maximize this, for example, by installing pull-out shelves.
Use larger tiles on the floor as they make the small kitchen look bigger.
You can enhance the light intensity in your small kitchen by using brighter-colored wood species for your cabinets and neutral tones for your countertops.
Researchers at the Open University recommend that as we build and renovate kitchens, we should take into account the appearance of older people who live with us or even who may live independently. This requires a radical rethink in the way we are designing one of the central features of the home, the kitchen. Researchers led by Sheila Peace, Professor of Social Gerontology, found that existing kitchen designs are generally causing problems for older users in terms of bending and reaching.
Whether you’re doing a large or small kitchen renovation, the Open University research team have put together a design guide for kitchen designers, installers and manufacturers based on their findings, entitled The Easiest Kitchen: Making It Happen.
