KITCHEN – u p g r a d e s i g n

How not to plan a kitchen

June 9, 2018June 9, 2018by upgradesign2 Comments

We started to plan this kitchen over a year ago. You might even remember our post about the simplest way to plan a home improvement project. The sketch in the notebook featured in that post is the sketch of this kitchen-to-be.

Project execution began in July 2017.

Yes, the execution began even though the design wasn’t quite finished. It still isn’t finished, to be precise.

The plan was to install the kitchen by the mid-June 2018. And yes, “mid-June” is in one week.

Here’s what happened: Continue reading “How not to plan a kitchen” →

COVERINGS & FINISHES, HOW TO DESIGN, KITCHEN

How to choose a perfect kitchen backsplash

January 13, 2018January 13, 2018by upgradesignLeave a Comment

As you may or may not know, we’re currently designing Tina’s new kitchen. To tell you the truth, this process started six months ago – with this simplest remodel plan.

But don’t get discouraged. It doesn’t take half a year to design a kitchen.

The thing is, for personal projects, we like to have way too much time. We simply want to allow ourselves to change our minds somewhere in the middle of the process. Also, life happens, so projects like these can’t always be a priority.

But it does take a certain amount of time. To design a kitchen is not the easiest thing to do. Because you want it to be functional. Because you want it to be practical. And because there are so many decisions you have to make.

The refrigerator, the stove, the oven, the microwave, the sink, the tap, the dishwasher. The lighting, the drawers, the shelves, the knobs and handles, the fronts, the base, the worktop. The backsplash.

So how to choose the perfect backsplash?

No, scratch that.

How to design a perfect backsplash?

That makes a lot more sense. Continue reading “How to choose a perfect kitchen backsplash” →

KITCHEN

How to design a kitchen island

December 9, 2017December 10, 2017by upgradesignLeave a Comment

Not sure if we’ve ever had a client who didn’t want a kitchen island.

It doesn’t really come as a surprise since there are so many ways to use one:

– extra food preparation area (and we who cook at home know there’s no such thing as too much free worktop)
– a place for your guests to gather around
– a place for serving finger food or entrees when hosting dinner parties
– storage space
– a place for eating breakfast – or any other meal for that matter

But to design a kitchen island that will serve you the best, you need to consider both the way you want to use it and the size of your kitchen. And even though you don’t want to hear this, the size of your kitchen has the final saying in this decision.

The truth is, sometimes the kitchen island does more damage than good. Continue reading “How to design a kitchen island” →

COVERINGS & FINISHES, HOW TO DESIGN, KITCHEN

How to choose a perfect kitchen worktop

June 29, 2017August 9, 2017by upgradesignLeave a Comment

When choosing a kitchen worktop, it’s easy to get overwhelmed by so many options – from the cheapest pieces of processed wood boards covered with a melamine laminate, to unbelievably expensive stone slabs. And everything in between.

The fact there are countless materials to choose from proves the kitchen worktops are something worth thinking about. Gosh, if only someone somewhere wrote a list of questions that could help you decide. But who? Who would do such a thing, based of course on experiences from their clients and followed by photographs of gorgeous kitchens to serve as examples?

Continue reading “How to choose a perfect kitchen worktop” →

HOW TO DESIGN, KITCHEN

How to design a practical kitchen

March 16, 2017August 9, 2017by upgradesignLeave a Comment

It’s been months since we first wrote that designing a kitchen is one of the hardest tasks in an apartment remodel. We’ll be honest with you, there are professional architects who can design amazing buildings, without being able to design a kitchen. A functional, practical and beautiful kitchen.

Because, to design a kitchen means not only to respect technical limitations (plumbing system, electric and gas installations) and to create a functional triangle between main elements, but also to implement client’s requests, to understand general cooking process as well as client’s cooking process, to organize cabinets for a client (which can be especially challenging because we usually have different habits than our clients) and to know what’s the newest trend. Continue reading “How to design a practical kitchen” →

KITCHEN, LIFESTYLE

Small and functional IKEA kitchen

September 29, 2016November 25, 2017by upgradesignLeave a Comment

You may know by now that we are huge Ikea fans. Since that seems to be an unusual thing for architects to say, we would like to elaborate it:

1. We really believe in ‘democratic design’. Of course, we love wonderfully designed furniture by both renowned and young designers, and we think that prices of those products are more than fair. That being said, we are aware that most people can’t afford them but still deserve to live in a stylish home.

2. We don’t think that everyone should be buying and renovating old furniture in order to have ‘unique stuff’ when they can’t afford new ‘unique stuff’ because people have different interests and it’s ok not to spend all your time searching for furniture unless you really want to. Continue reading “Small and functional IKEA kitchen” →

HOW WE DESIGN, KITCHEN

My kitchen remodel – one phase of a single-family house reconstruction

August 25, 2016November 25, 2017by upgradesignLeave a Comment

You have decided to remodel your kitchen. You found some inspirational projects, you read about basic rules for kitchen design, you set the budget. You thought about your habits – which you will not change for your lovely new kitchen, and you thought about what is bothering you in this kitchen and what would you like to change.

Great start! That’s exactly what I did. Continue reading “My kitchen remodel – one phase of a single-family house reconstruction” →