Cover Photo: Elise Trissel | Contractor: Trost Custom Homes
By Jarod Sankar
What really makes a home custom? Whether it’s building from the ground up, or renovating something existing, a custom home is a space crafted for you and your family’s needs. Just like a well-tailored suit, or a shoe that fits just right, having a space that not only meets your aesthetic preferences, but also meets your functional needs, is a wonderful feeling.
One of the most important places in any home is the kitchen. When crafting a custom kitchen, things like storage, seating, appliances, lighting, and flow are what can make or break a functional space. Here are some important questions and considerations you should talk through with your designer, and some helpful ideas on how to make your existing space more functional.
1) What kind of cabinetry do I want?
Cabinetry is one of the biggest components that make up a kitchen. Cabinets come in all shapes and sizes, and it’s important to know the difference. Cabinets are usually broken into three categories, which is off-the-shelf, semi-custom, and fully custom. Budget is usually what dictates which direction to go. Off-the-shelf cabinetry always comes in standard widths, depths, and layouts. You can still make an extremely functional space with these cabinets, but it’s important to talk with your designer about how you use your kitchen and how to maximize your storage. Semi-custom cabinetry has much more wiggle room, as you can adjust the depths, layouts, and features much more easily. With semi-custom cabinetry, it is easier to do things like larger than standard sink widths, appliance garages, built-in trash cans and cutting boards, etc. Full custom cabinetry is just as it sounds and is built by hand to meet exactly what you are looking for. This is the best choice for creating a fully custom kitchen, but it is also the most expensive. Semi-custom and fully custom also offer much more flexibility in terms of design, such as colors, wood species, stains, door styles, hardware, and all other cabinetry accessories. We specify kitchen cabinetry based on what is best suited for the client, and meets functionality, aesthetics, and budget restrictions.
2) What appliances do I need?
There are many more appliances on the market than just the typical refrigerator, stove, and microwave. Are you a minimalist who hates having appliances on the countertop? Are you someone who loves morning coffee but gets tired of refilling the water reservoir on your coffee maker? There are a ton of options for modern-day appliances that can end up making your day so much easier, and having an intuitive and custom kitchen involves thinking through exactly what you need, and what you don’t need. Along with thinking through what specialty appliances you could benefit from, there are also design implications that can be influenced by your lifestyle. For example, drawer microwaves and raised dishwashers could have much more ease of use, and promote aging in place.
3) What kind of lighting does my kitchen need?
Lighting is broken down into 4 segments:
- Task
- General
- Ambient
- Decorative
While there can be crossover between segments, kitchens need all four types of lighting to be the most functional. When designing a custom kitchen, think about how lighting plays a role in what you use your kitchen for. Task lighting includes under cabinet lighting, pendant lighting over your island or sink, and any other type of light that illuminates a specific area for work. General lighting is your room illumination, including recessed cans or flush mounts throughout the space that light up surfaces and walking paths. Ambient lighting can be similar to task lighting, as it highlights a specific area, or adds a general ambient feel to the space. This may be just adding a lamp to the kitchen counter for some warmth or leaving your light above the range on at night as a night light. Decorative lighting can be a specialty or be an aspect of the other three types. While pendants over the island may serve as task lighting, they can also be decorative to play into the aesthetic of the space.
This is just a start to figuring out how to make your custom kitchen truly custom, by best fitting your needs and working with your kitchen activities, not against. By thinking through these questions and answering them honestly, you’ll be able to give your designer great information on how to best design a space tailored to you.
Click here to learn more about countertop options
Click here to learn more about planning a kitchen renovation
Click here to learn more about why you should hire an interior designer
