We do Kitchens
We’ve all heard that renovating your kitchen gets you a high return on your investment. However, many people are surprised when they find out that a kitchen renovation can give you as much as a 96% return on your investment when it is done properly! This is why we offer kitchen design as one of our specialties.
Whether you are building a new home or renovating your existing home, a professionally designed kitchen can make all the difference in the world. At interior Dimensions we have developed and perfected our approach to really ‘getting inside our client’s head’ so that we can give them EXACTLY what they want – a space that reflects their personal needs and desires.
Case study # 28 Jane and Rob F.
Jane and Rob F. called us to help them transform their old, dark kitchen into an up-dated light, airy family gathering/cooking environment.
Client challenge
Jane and Rob wanted more work surface and storage in the kitchen. They also were looking for a new location for the washer/dryer – which where behind bi-fold doors in the old kitchen. They knew that they had more space that they could be utilizing. They just didn’t know how to make the best us of the space.
Whether you are building a new home or renovating your existing home, a professionally designed kitchen can make all the difference in the world. At interior Dimensions we have developed and perfected our approach to really ‘getting inside our client’s head’ so that we can give them EXACTLY what they want – a space that reflects their personal needs and desires.
Case study # 28 Jane and Rob F.
Jane and Rob F. called us to help them transform their old, dark kitchen into an up-dated light, airy family gathering/cooking environment.
Client challenge
Jane and Rob wanted more work surface and storage in the kitchen. They also were looking for a new location for the washer/dryer – which where behind bi-fold doors in the old kitchen. They knew that they had more space that they could be utilizing. They just didn’t know how to make the best us of the space.
| Using every square inch of your space efficiently is our forte, so please take advantage of this. We’ll work with new construction as well as existing homes and buildings. |
Step 1: Preliminary Design Meeting
- As always, we visited the client in their home, and had an in-depth conversation with them on what they wanted from their kitchen.
- Specifically, we discussed what their complaints - what didn’t work and what did work in the existing space.
- As is usually the case, they had some thoughts about possible solutions. We listened carefully to their initial thoughts and then asked them if they would allow us to do a space study of the kitchen and the adjacent garage as we thought that there was extra space in the garage that they could be utilizing to get their goals met more effectively.
- They liked the sound of that very much and were open to having us explore all the possibilities.
- Jane had given us a magazine photo of a kitchen that she had in her “style file”. This photo reflected the look she was going for.
| Note: We encourage our clients to start a STYLE FILE if they haven’t already. Not to sound cliché, but a picture really does paint a thousand words. |
Step 2: Field Survey
- First, we measured the entire kitchen including the pantry and laundry closets that were part of it.
- Again, we looked at not just the room (“the box”), but at the entire space. We looked at how the family usually enters the kitchen when coming home - through the garage. Assessed how much previously undiscovered space was available to create a smoother transition into the home.
| NOTE: The average kitchen planner is not going to do this. He or she is just going to go out there and look at just your kitchen space and nothing more. |
- We took informal pictures of the interior and exterior the home. In this case we took exterior shots because we knew that our proposal may involve changing one of the windows to a door for the new deck that Jane and Rob wanted.
- As always, we documented details of a client’s home (location of electrical panels, location of ductwork, etc.), so that when we proposed a new design we knew that it will be accurate and it will be buildable.
| Gavi’s Free Advice…
One of the reasons contractors enjoy working with us is our attention to detail. We know exactly where the load-bearing walls are, where the ducts are, etc...so that when we propose a new design we know that it realistically can be built. Be wary of other "designers” and decorators who draw their visions that are not “doable.” We hear this complaint from contractors all the time. Interior Dimensions’ Designs are doable, because we have the expertise and we do the proper research on your home to give you something that will work. |
Step 3: Created Jane and Rob F.’s design
- We came back to our design studio and drew the dimensions (which we had gathered during our field survey) to scale. Then we developed two designs.
- There are usually two or three solutions, but here is always one really good solution.
- We often have to research the proper materials and products that would be best suited for our client’s needs and wants. In some cases, we actually have to back up and reexamine the space.
- In this case, we spent about 3 hours with our clients at a kitchen appliance showroom. The clients and I looked at many different appliances, reviewed each one’s features, and figured out which was the best selection based upon what they wanted, how they would use the appliances, and their budget.
- Most people mistakenly think that this is the longest phase. They often confuse the preliminary design drawing with the final full set of design drawings.
- Although it does require expertise and time, it’s actually pretty straightforward.
- In this case Study #28, we just took our design in rough form from tracing paper to vellum, then to blueprints.
- The next step was to present our drawings to the client for discussion.
Back at our clients’ home, we sat down and unveiled our presentation.
- We started with an overview of how their new kitchen related to the garage and the way they usually enter home.
- We then went through each element of the design, explaining why we designed what we did.
Interior Dimensions solution:
- First, we recommended flip-flopping the kitchen so that we could maximize counter space. We redesigned the kitchen so that the main work area is now on the opposite side of the room – the side that abuts to the garage.
- We then relocated the entry from the garage to the opposite side of the wall that it was on. This too allowed us to maximize the counter work area.
- By adding a large island with a butcher block top new kitchen had more than enough functional work space and we even added a second sink. This allowed for multiple work stations in the kitchen – always a plus!
- However, what REALLY made a huge impact on their existing space was that we added a few walls right at the entrance from the garage. We didn’t take much space, only enough to create a small yet very functional laundry room/butler/s pantry.
Client reaction:
They were thrilled! Both Jane and Ron LOVED this idea. Not only did it get the washer/dryer out of the kitchen, but it redefined the entire space and how they entered it. “We no longer a draft feel a draft of cold air when one of us opens the garage door1 – and I can’t believe how well you captured the essence of the photo that we showed you in the beginning. We LOVE coming home to our new kitchen!” - Jane F., Harrisburg, PA.
“To us it is all about improving the quality of peoples’ lives. Let’s face it, when pretty wares off, you live with function” – Gavi Fiedler, founder and President of Interior Dimensions, Inc.
