Chronicles: My First and Last Kitchen Renovation

Home is where our heart is. It is our sanctuary in this agitated world, a place where we haste to return to when we have been away. A home is more than just four walls. Everybody has a corner in the house that is unusual, a space that has a special meaning to us.

When we turn onto our street and pull into our driveway, we are home. We open the gate, walk in the front porch, unlock the door, we are home. When we read a book in the living room, watch our favourite TV show, grill some steaks or vegetables on the barbecue, prepare a healthy meal in the kitchen, we are home. In many ways, our home is our ultimate place of retreat.

For me, the kitchen has been a place I’ve associated with enjoyment since an early age. Our family home was a small house on a Sao Paulo suburb. At the end of a quiet neighbourhood, our house sat in-between two neighbours and a small yard in the back. My father kept grass on the yard so his three kids could play on summer evenings. He also had a little hennery he proudly told me that he built. The hennery always provided us with enough chickens that we never needed to buy any. We ate chickens almost every day. Fried, roasted, stuffed, with tomato sauce and pasta, etc. It was all pretty simple, but worked well for our family. I developed a passion for cooking from watching my mom prepare meals every day.

As I grew up and I left the nest, I graduated as an engineer but I was always drawn back to my passion; the “Kitchen”. Using what I learned from Steve Jobs’ famous speech at Stanford University, I connected the dots in my life and eventually turned in to a career as a “Kitchen Designer”. For the past 10 years, I’ve helped homeowners transform their kitchen dreams into the reality they’ve always desired for.

Yet, most of us feel less confident creating a kitchen space than we do about other rooms in the house. We can cheerfully paint walls, choose finishes, buy rugs and blinds, furniture and fixtures, however when we are thinking about the kitchen, we are unsure of where to begin. That is where a Kitchen Designer is valuable. A Kitchen Designer doesn’t just deliver an appealing kitchen; a designer will guide you through a step-by-step process that will include your desires and needs for the most important room in the house.

Walking through your kitchen is one of the best ways for you to get the information you need to start your renovation. You need to ask yourself some questions. Do you have a good layout? Do you enjoy working in the current space considering placement of your appliances and storage? Are there enough drawers to meet your needs? Do you have enough storage space to keep you organized? How about the counter space; do you have an effective counter space that has both a prep area and a cleaning area? Is it a safe place for your children? Are the appliances obsolete?

Start by making a list of you what you really need and then make a second list with all your desires. It is not always possible to accomplish both lists; however it is the Kitchen Designers’ expertise that will provide you with most items on your lists. The designer will ensure you achieve the look and functionality of your dream kitchen, in consideration of your budget which will be an important piece in this renovation game. It will be your safe haven away from the busy world.

Create a base plan – a sketch showing the wall height and width, windows and doors sizes and their location in the room. Include any gas/electric range outlet and sink plumbing location and appliance specs. Embrace your project and have most of this information prepared. It is a great start when working with the designer. Keep in mind that in the initial meeting, you will be the designers’ eyes. Accurate information will enable the designer to help you achieve a dream kitchen.

In no time, your renovation will be completed and you will have your own place of sanctuary. You will be able to say it was your first and last kitchen renovation.
Finally, you materialized the dream!

Photos:
1 & 2: by Octavio Schiavinatto
3,4 & 5: photo by Gabriela Schiavinatto Lima
6: Freepick – stock photo free download (for learning and reference)