Kitchen Views' Blog

As a Professional Kitchen Designer, I like to discuss with my clients how they use their kitchen. In my own kitchen I do most of the cooking, so I set up my kitchen to fit my needs. For instance, I have a favorite old spice rack that I keep to the right of the stove — at my fingertips. That works great for me, but might not necessarily work for you.

The design stage is the time to think about how you use your kitchen. It costs you nothing to make changes at this stage of the game, so ask as many questions as possible and change as many things as needed during this phase. Once construction has begun, or worse yet after the cabinets are installed, it can be very costly to make changes at that point.

So when you meet with a kitchen designer, talk to them about how you like your kitchen set-up. Think about things like the locations of spices, pots, pans, dishes, silverware, recycling, trash, etc. Don’t be afraid to say that you need advice on making your new kitchen work better than your old kitchen — that’s what a designer specializes in doing. But the designer needs to know your priorities and preferences. Other things to think about: a place for mail, and a place to plug in cell phones to charge out of the way. Write it all down before you meet with your designer so they can better serve your needs in your kitchen.

Another helpful thing to do is visualization. I tell my clients to picture themselves at their new stove and to think about what they would like to have at their fingertips. How do you want pots, pans and covers organized? Or, when at the sink, do you have a drawer for dish towels? Do you want the dishwasher on the right or the left? Where are dishes, silverware and glasses stored once they are washed?

At Kitchen Views, our designers will provide you with detailed, computer-generated renderings of the plans. Take home the initial design and walk around the space with the plans. Visualize how the new layout will work for daily tasks. Was there something you forgot to mention to the designer? If you realize that you have questions, or are certain that a change is needed, mark up your plans and go over it again with your designer.

With the right guidance, your kitchen will be designed to meet your needs. Depending on the space available, you might not fit everything you want into your space. But, you won’t have to second guess yourself after your kitchen is completed, because you’ll know that you went through it all with a designer that understood your needs and you made the best choices.

Jim Marrazzo
Kitchen Views at National Lumber
15 Needham St, Newton, MA 02461
617-244-8020 x 118 phone
617-969-7426  fax
jmarrazzo@kitchenviews.com