Kitchen Psychology
101
 (ARA)
- It’s time to
remodel your kitchen
. . . time to start
tearing pictures out
of magazines,
calculating your
budget, interviewing
designers and
picking a color
scheme, right?
Wrong, according to
many designers, who
say customers often
dive right into the
details of their
remodels, before
they stop to really
know themselves,
their needs or how
they really use
their kitchens.
“The kitchen is the
heart of the home .
. . and that’s what
it’s really about .
. . your heart, your
family,” said Ellen
Cheever, Ellen
Cheever, ASID, a
well known kitchen
designer, industry
educator and writer
for Kitchen and Bath
Design News. “People
tend to get too
focused on that
certain cherry
cabinet, or that
particular granite
countertop when
they’re planning for
a remodel. Before
they do all that,
they should be
asking themselves
how they want the
kitchen to feel when
they are done. It
may seem like a
silly question, but
it’s the key to
getting it right,”
she added.
If you ask yourself
the really hard
questions first,
smaller questions
like what kind of
cabinet storage or
appliance to buy
will just fall into
place, say
designers. Before
you sign those home
equity loan papers,
ask yourself these
questions:
What mood do you
want to set?—Do you
prefer the serenity
of a modern, sleek
kitchen, or the
happy, cozy clutter
of a more
traditional kitchen?
How you answer will
determine which path
you take at this
important design
crossroads.
“You can get a good
sense for how
different kitchens
might feel by
visiting our Web
site,
www.decoracabinets.com,
where you can build
your dream kitchen
right online,” said
Jan Aufderhar,
marketing executive
for Decora Cabinets,
a line of high-end,
semi-custom
cabinetry sold
through a network of
1,000 dealers
nationwide. “You can
experiment with a
lot of different
looks, doorstyles
and finishes. For
instance, we’ve
developed new lines
of very modern, euro-style
cabinets that have
very clean lines.
When you decide on
that, other
decisions become
easier. Customers
who like the modern
look are also very
likely to invest in
our interior cabinet
storage products
that get the clutter
out of sight, then
choose glass tile
backsplashes, steel
or glass front
appliances and
stained concrete
floors, to continue
the streamlined
look” Aufderhar
said.
Customers who like
the warm and cozy
look are buying
traditional
cabinets, and using
accent cabinets with
painted red or black
finishes for extra
pop, Aufderhar said.
Or, they are
eliminating their
soffits around the
upper cabinets, and
using the tops of
the cabinets to
display their
favorite plants and
collectibles.
How much activity do
you really want in
your
kitchen?—“Nearly
everyone says they
want an ‘open
kitchen’ today,
where the great
room, dining room
and kitchen flow
into each other. But
you can design it to
be so open that it
can drive you
crazy,” Cheever
said. Do you want
your kids or guests
to chop vegetables
right beside you?
Then you need a
“work around” island
or counter space
that’s designed for
more than one cook
at a time. Would you
rather have your
guests just watch
you cook while you
entertain? Then you
need a “barrier”
island or counter—a
taller counter
space, perhaps with
bar stools, which
will allow your
kitchen companions
to stay close to the
action, but out of
your way, Cheever
said.
Do you like to cook
and entertain, or
entertain without
cooking?—When you
invite guests over,
do you make every
little thing from
scratch, or are you
more likely to just
make the main dish
and fill in the rest
with potlucks or
items from the
gourmet deli? “A lot
of our customers
that are Generation
X age and younger
are telling us that
they love to eat
gourmet food and
entertain, but they
are finding new,
more productive ways
to do it,” said
Aufderhar. “I think
that’s also feeding
a trend towards not
having so many upper
cabinets for storing
food and extra
dishes. The cabinets
they do buy are more
likely to have
special shelves and
pullouts that make
them work harder
with less space.”
If you are a gourmet
cook with bulging
cabinets, then
investing in that
butler’s pantry,
extra spice drawer
or wrought iron pot
rack makes sense,
Aufderhar said.
Be honest—are you a
good housekeeper?—Do
you leave crumbs on
the counter and
dishes in the sink,
or are you a neatnik?
How you answer
should affect the
materials you
choose, Cheever
said. “If you are
naturally neat, then
the sky’s the limit.
But if you’re not,
there are materials
you should
definitely avoid
like tile floors
with hard to clean
grout, stainless
steel appliances
that show every
fingerprint, and
painted cabinets
that highlight every
drip. Instead,
choose vinyl or
urethaned hardwood
floors, wood tone
cabinets, and
stainless steel
alternative finishes
that don’t show
fingerprints,”
Cheever said.
What are your
favorite things to
do in the
kitchen?—Do you
love to linger over
the morning paper
with a pot of
gourmet coffee? Then
an investment in a
built-in coffee
maker and special
cabinets for storing
your mugs and
coffees makes sense.
Do you love to bake?
Then putting in a
lowered marble
counter space just
for kneading,
outfitted underneath
with special drawers
for your special
baking pans, would
be well worth the
effort. Do your kids
like to do homework
while you are making
dinner? Then a
special homework
perch with a raised
kitchen counter
might be the answer,
with special cubbies
for storing their
backpacks. “Cabinets
today are so
specialized, you can
create your own
personal activity
zones,” Cheever
said.
But perhaps the most
important thing to
remember, experts
agree, is there is
only one right way
to design a kitchen:
your way. “Just
because other houses
in your neighborhood
have granite
counters doesn’t
mean you need them.
Maybe you’d be
happier spending
that money on a wine
chiller or a walk-in
pantry. Put your
money where your
heart is, and you’ll
ultimately make all
the right remodeling
decisions,” Cheever
said.
Courtesy of ARA
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