WHAT’S THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN KITCHEN LAYOUT AND DESIGN?
By Brooke Nero
What comes first, layout or design?
The designers at Dean Cabinetry divide our kitchen drawings into two steps:
- Layout
- Design
When does layout and design take place?
- Layout takes place during the 2nd step of our process, Budget
- Design takes place during the 3rd step of our process, Design
What is layout?
Layout is a “birds eye view” of what the kitchen will look like.
This involves “how much” cabinetry your kitchen will have, and which walls in the kitchen will get cabinetry. Is there going to be an island or a peninsula, is there cabinetry for a coffee/beverage area, any pantry cabinetry?
This discussion will also involve whether any walls, door openings, or windows are changing.
Why is layout important?
Layout is essential during the 2nd step of our process (Budget) when we are determining your cabinet budgets.
Layout is also an excellent starting point for the client. It provides the client an opportunity to visualize what the layout of their kitchen might look like.
Why does the layout come first?
During this step, a client may be unsure of the layout. The client may be debating between adding an island or a peninsula.
The client might be “up in the air” on what appliances they would like: a range vs a cooktop and a double oven, a 30” range vs a 36” range, a wood hood, or a stainless steel hood?
Some clients may consider taking down a wall to expand their kitchen into another room, or remove a soffit. These decisions will affect the overall layout.
At first, these items may seem like small details. These details, though, may potentially hold up a project, especially if the client has not yet decided upon a contractor to help with their remodel.
Until we determine a client’s overall layout, it is premature to delve into fine details; the details that are discussed in design. These design discussions would include “where should I put my spices?”, “do I want an accessory in that base cabinet”, “do I want a set of 3 deep drawers or a base cabinet with rollouts in that space”? These are all items that get discussed in the design step.
What is design?
Once we are clear on layout, we move on to design.
Design happens in the 3rd step of our process, once a client has decided to move forward with Dean Cabinetry as their cabinet partner. This is when we determine what type of cabinet is best suited in each space, and any cabinet accessories and inserts that the client might want, in order to improve functionality.
For example, do you want your island to include deep drawers, a trash-pull out, or any inserts? Should the trash pullout go on the right or the left side of the island?
We will review each area of cabinets and each cabinet carefully. We will determine which way the wall cabinet doors should hinge. Do you want knobs or pulls or a combination of each? We will discuss the best way to hinge the lazy susan cabinet, depending on where you will be standing when you access that cabinet.
In this step, we will finalize the door style and finish, along with your preference for crown moulding, light rail moulding, base moulding, etc.
These are all questions and discussions that take place during design after layout has been determined.
Just remember, your “Kitchen Cabinet Partner” will help guide you through our 6 step process to make it as simple, straightforward, and enjoyable as possible.
We are available to answer any questions you may have, and are always happy to help!