Top 8 Tips to Avoid Kitchen Remodeling Mistakes

Here are some great kitchen remodeling tips from House Beautiful to help you avoid a kitchen remodeling disaster.  

1. Incorporate at one element that is fun or creative.  "The best kitchens have a soul or a spirit that's warm, inviting, and personal," designer Mick De Giulio says.  This homeowner choose a neutral yet dramatic backsplash in their kitchen, which adds a fun detail to this room.
   
2. Bring cabinets up to the ceiling.  Cabinets that fall short of the ceiling collect dust and un-needed accessories, while cabinets build up to the ceiling maximize storage and space.  Projects worked with this homeowner to create a modern kitchen with gorgeous and functional cabinetry.  
   
3. Know when to stop.  Repeat after me:  less is more.  While it can be fun to decorate a kitchen, remember that the primary purpose of this room is function.
4. Use cabinetry to conceal some appliances.  "Stainless steel can be a wonderful accent. However, as with all good design, there should be a rhythm with the placement. Splashes of stainless all over the place make any kitchen look and feel choppy and small," kitchen designer Matthew Quinn says.  Projects worked on this kitchen, and together with the homeowner, they selected a refrigerator that blends in beautifully with this kitchen's cabinets.  
   
5. Make a small kitchen work for you.  You can make even the smallest space functional by creating thoughtful details and high quality materials.
6. Leave some space to breathe.  There should be a happy medium between storage, functionality, and aesthetics.  
7. Invest in strong and good-looking cabinets.  This is one area where you don't want to skimp on poor-quality just to save a few pennies.  You will be opening and closing drawers and doors all day long, make sure you have something that can stand up to that kind of wear and tear.  
8. Include Countertops around wall ovens.  A wall oven all on its own makes for an impractical kitchen layout.  Imagine pulling a steaming hot and very heavy turkey out of the oven.  What would be more practical:  a countertop right next to the oven or having to walk across the kitchen and possibly navigating an island to find some place to set it down?
   
   
   
   Will you be incorporating any of these tips in your kitchen remodel?