The Checklist You Must Have When Visiting Kitchen Showrooms
The Housing Industry Association (HIA) had forecast a 2.6% increase in kitchen installations in Australia during 2012/13. However, there was a significant increase in kitchen installations during 2012/2013 resulting in a much larger increase of 11.7%. In addition, the HIA forecast for kitchen installations in 2013/2014 is for an increase of 2.8% (a total of 166,500 kitchen installations). Following previous trends, this new forecast will likely be surpassed. One thing that probably won’t change, however, is the role kitchen showrooms play in helping homeowners make informed decisions during kitchen installation.
Kitchen showrooms offer a realistic sample of what your kitchen remodel will look like. You can literally see every accessory and appliance the way it will look in the final product. You have the opportunity to see numerous designs and also talk to kitchen design experts.
However, for your kitchen showroom tour to be truly successful, you must have a checklist of critical aspects to evaluate, which will help you make a decision about your kitchen installation. This checklist will help you find the perfect balance between your personal preferences, design functionality and new design innovations.
1. Must-Have Features: There will be absolutely no point in having a glamorous and sophisticated kitchen design; however, maneuvering around them during food preparation is a huge challenge. To avoid this, you must have a clear understanding of all the critical features.
How far do you want the counter to be from the stove? How high do you want the cabinets to be? How many sinks do you need?… Whenever you evaluate kitchen showrooms, these are the first aspects to take into account. If they are not present, no matter how beautiful the design is, it just won’t look good on you. However, some designs can be modified to include minor changes.
2. Spacing: The issue of spaciousness and proper organization within the kitchen has a great impact on safety. This would prevent potential disasters such as home fires, especially as a 2012 report from the South Australian Metropolitan Fire Service indicates that many home fires related to the use of stoves and heaters occur during the winter months. In fact, during 2012, fires related to kitchen mishaps accounted for approximately 80% of all winter fires.
When considering the aspect of the space, you should also think about the dining experience. Will the space be enough for the number of people expected to dine there? Will the facilities accommodate a comfortable dining experience? Remember that even in seemingly small spaces, there are some space-saving options that can be adopted. These include: stool designs that fit comfortably under the kitchen island or folding stool designs.
Storage is another aspect that will have an impact on the available space. The amount of storage you need will depend on the number of items you want to store. Would I need ceiling-high cabinets or just lower shelves? Also remember that too many unnecessary cabinets will reduce the available space that is necessary for ample lighting and good ventilation.
3. What Can You Do Without: Initially, you made a checklist of accessories that you just can’t do without. On the other hand, you also need a checklist of accessories that you’re willing to replace with something better or just go without. This will allow you to embrace new innovations in kitchen appliances and accessories. For example, you can get rid of an old refrigerator and install a new, more efficient model.