KITCHEN & EMPLOYEE BREAK ROOM REMODEL - Planning before you Plunge takes your results to the next level

Raise your hand if you ever built a house or renovated a room where there were no mistakes and everything went perfectly . . . . Often the highest hurdle in remaking and designing a new kitchen or any space, is overcoming design assumptions that cost you money and disappointment at the reveal.

Remodeling can render all sorts of 'unhappy' surprises but it doesn't have to if you think through all the options, try to anticipate problems and re-frames the problem into a unique & innovative solution. Most of the complaints I hear are from super smart people who didn't know what they didn't know before they started their project. It's pretty unsettling to realize once you've started that that you've got a problem that you should have thought through ahead of time.

Because planning before you plunge takes your interior design remodel or refresh project to the next level and ensures you'll love it for years to come.

That's why I wrote this post - to give you six steps you can take yourself to empower and prepare you to champion your project well and avoid typical rookie Interior Design mistakes.

Kitchen Renovation design by Karen Savage Design

Step 1: Evaluate, Audit & Problem Solve Your Current Space - Before you begin any interior design project it's important to evaluate your current space to determine what's wrong & how the future room will improve it. Because a successful interior design solution starts with spatial problem solving and if you can't define the problem, you can't solve it.

One of big reasons you could be stuck in a 'getting going gap' is because you already know how important your design decisions are and that each decision builds on all others. Which is why putting the cart in front of the horse makes things harder and many super smart people get trapped in the messy middle because they are letting themselves be led by someone following a sales process instead of tailoring a solution that fits you!!

NOT all design professionals are created equal (read this post). So if the design professional you are considering can't see the big picture, visualize the end result, doesn't understand color, line & proportion and how to use them to problem solve space, have a portfolio of proof, lacks the time to guide you into discovering what's important to you and why or have the ability to communicate your expected outcome in a way you feel confident about (above using technical build-out drawings), move on to another design professional. This is how you wake up one morning and feel like something's off, you've lost control, it's too big or expensive to fix and you're disappointed at your reveal. In fact, without a design solution and rationale, you will not be able to overcome the gap between design myths and reality or sleep well at night.

I know all this is true because 90% of my clients have made this expensive mistake before and because I've had both Architects and other design professionals pay me for my problem solving success system to streamline design decisions and improve their client experience and relationships. That's why I created the "Establish Your Power Position Workshop" to elevate other talented design doers results and give back to the industry.

Step 2: Design Oversight & Investigation: - Interior design is a visual language so before you buy or sign a contract with 'you'll figure it out as you go" as your design strategy, determine your expectations and establish protective foundational & functional boundaries to reduce pitfalls & assumptions & protect your vision so you can safely & efficiently move towards the design phase.  1 Peter 3:15 challenges us to be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks for the reason for the hope that is within us. I love this verse as it highlights the importance of asking the correct questions using a forward thoughtful approach in preparation to make wise choices. This takes some intentional investigation & research so design decisions will support the vision and the project moves efficiently forward towards a successful reveal while protecting you from budget busting do overs and from good people with good intentions but without interior design expertise.  So, after your initial design consultation is booked, I’ll be sending you a design survey to help you gain clarity on your vision and communicate it clearly. 

Because this step can be time consuming & frustrating when not done properly, it is often ignored or overlooked which results in the project suffering, ending up looking cookie cutter or feeling like something is off. This is because everyone interprets words & ideas differently. So to avoid miscommunication & assumptions with others who will help you implement your best design idea, I use my "Interior Design LookBooks", that my clients love because it quickly and efficiently acts a visual guide and magical tool that brings all parties together for a united vision of home because they narrow down the thousands of colors, styles & design elements available and organizes them into helpful categories so that my clients can experience freedom and clarity around knowing their unique design direction before the project begins and money is exchanged.

Kitchen Finishes for black and white kitchen plan before you plunge

Step 3: Create A Budget - Not being clear on your numbers, not knowing what things cost and not having a beginning budget for your new kitchen or remodel is a typical rookie mistake you don't want to make. Determining a beginning budget for your new kitchen is an important decision to make early in the process because it protects you, drives decisions and helps those who are helping you achieve your goals. Consider it a working document up until the final contract is signed by doing your homework first and researching what things cost and creating a spreadsheet. When clients work with me, I use templates to short cut repeatable steps which saves them time and money. One of these templates includes my Beginning Budget Template which is an Excel spreadsheet so you can easily begin a realistic beginning budge and tweak numbers to see how small changes in design details (flooring, tile, etc) affect the bottom line. Depending on the specification, real marble over ceramic and engineered stone might be easily worth it.

Traditional with a Twist Black and white Kitchen Design Concept

Step 4: Get Organized & Focused - Undertaking a design job, whether its remodeling an existing space, expanding to incorporate more room, or starting from the ground up can feel overwhelming and can hold us back. You want your new space to function well for your needs, accommodate your lifestyle aims, and reflect your unique authenticity but there are so many options and opinions available today. So how do you make the beautiful space you've been dreaming of become a reality? The creative process can be chaotic without the framework of an experienced interior design professional. As your interior designer, I'm your partner in this process and will help you establish clear boundaries to lay a firm foundation using a proven framework to get you organized and ready to roll. During our zoom design conversations, I will show you in real time what your ideas look like. This quickly helps you narrow things down and gain clarity on your thread of continuity and united vision of home.

Before and After Kitchen Floor plan and layout

Step 5: Work with a qualified Interior Designer to plan & develop your best idea - When a design feels inspired and amazing - people love being there and happy people help others! So designing your new room will take careful thought, planning and attention to detail before the hammer falls. It is so much more than choosing a builder basic kitchen layout and selecting finishes within a vacuum or in the wrong conditions. Expect to spend anywhere between one to six months planning and developing the best idea because there is a lot to think about and because one design decision can affect all the others. So, making definitive design decisions early based on what matters most to you and then breathing life into the best idea is important so you'll be delighted at the reveal. In addition, with your interior design design concepts in hand, you'll be able to receive apple to apple quotes from those you are considering hiring to be on your team. A successful Interior Design plan acts as your insurance policy to a successful project, demystifies the "I'll know it when I see it" approach to design and is where the real design genius happens.

How to plan the perfect kitchen

Step 6 - Implement your unique Interior Design Plan - When you are remodeling, you're investing a lot of time, energy and resources into creating a beautiful and functional environment that will shape you and others - and you want to be a good steward of these resources. But make no mistake about it, change and transformation can be very stressful. After all, you might be living in a construction zone. I often joke that interior design is like a moving train - you're either on it or getting run over by it. That's why it is important to plan before you plunge. Doing so will help you survive the dust and demolition, have your project will run smoothly and have your project reveal be exactly what you expected. Is that important to you?

Black kitchen cabinets

The bigger the kitchen design project, the greater the potential for problems, such as lost deliveries, wrong parts, adverse weather and more - so expect the unexpected from things you can't control. But the thing you can control to reduce surprises and stress is to carefully plan your project before you plunge - this ensures that you'll get what you expect. So when the unexpected happens, you'll be able to keep your cool, stay calm and flexible, maintain good trade relationships and be the authority behind your project.

How would that feel?

How to Take Your Kitchen Remodel Project to the next level

Are you overwhelmed with the chaotic creative process behind the design?

Contact me today to see if we're a good fit working together. During your 20 minute design coffee chat, I'll walk you through my unique process and provide a quote on design services depending on how much you want to be involved.

As my gift to help you take your kitchen remodel project to the next level, I'll send you a PDF of my 40 page " Ultimate Kitchen Design Visual Planning Tool Kit" as a FREE gift. Inside this complimentary design guide, you'll find inspiration photos of beautiful kitchens as well as my favorite cabinet colors, wood species, statement tile, plumbing fixtures, kitchen appliances, lighting fixtures, four of my favorite kitchen interior palettes and so much more.

I hope it helps you move forward with more creative confidence because the sooner you can get heading in the right direction, the sooner you'll be waking up each day feeling inspired and living your best life ever!

Here's what the client had to say in his 5 star review when we were finished....

Until then,

Hugs and blessings (Numbers 6: 24-26),

Karen

p.s.. I work one on one with my clients in Elkhart, Goshen and Middlebury Indiana as well as customized virtual design services for clients across the country, to elevate them to the status of interior design hero by offering flexible, affordable service options by the day, room or hour.

Maybe that's why I'm called a pirate ship among the yachts.