Updating your kitchen can not only have the most impact on your home’s value, but it can also significantly increase your day-to-day life. We spend so much time in our kitchens, cooking, helping kids with homework, paying bills, entertaining, that the right kitchen can really make a difference in your lifestyle.

And to get from the old to the new, you have to survive the remodelling process. After years of helping clients through theirs, we’re sharing our top tips on how to prep for a kitchen renovation.

Before Anything, Choose Your Design Style

Knowing your design style will help make any decisions around your kitchen remodel easier. When re-doing a kitchen there are a lot of moving parts. Everything from hardware to cabinetry to lighting comes into play, and when you know your design style you can narrow down your endless choice selection to not only make the process smoother (and easier on yourself), but make your final space cohesive.

Pick Out All Your Materials At Once

We’re not saying you have to choose your cabinetry colour, countertops, flooring, and hardware all in one shopping trip. But you do need to choose all of your kitchen materials before you begin the renovation process.

Every material in this space is going to play into each other. Those curtains on the window above the sink? Part of the kitchen renovation. By creating a moodboard and then laying out all your material choices in front of you, you can make sure everything works together, that all your choices fit into your budget, and that all your materials will arrive on the timeline you need to complete your kitchen renovation.

Set Up a Temporary Kitchen

You’re going to have to live without a fully functional kitchen for awhile, and while you can most likely keep your fridge plugged in, items like your sink, dishwasher, and oven might be out of commission until later. Setting up a temporary kitchen will help keep you sane, and fed, during your renovation.

Some things to keep in mind:

Keep commonly used items, like utensils, in a clear storage bin for easy visibility and access
Find access to a sink - think about setting up your kitchen in the mudroom, basement, or near a bathroom, wherever there is a sink you can use to prep food and wash dishes
Set up a workspace using a desk or foldable table, and use this as your temporary kitchen counter
Keep a microwave and toaster oven on hand and plugged in
If the weather permits, use your BBQ to cook most of your meals
Plan ahead - keep non-perishable snacks handy and plan your meals in advance to reduce as much stress as possible

Remember the Big Picture

A kitchen renovation is no small project, and keeping a balanced life can sometimes feel difficult. Whenever you feel like you’re about to pick a fight with your partner or lose your sense of calm, it’s important to remember that this process is only temporary. And it’s going to yield amazing results!

Feeling lost in the renovation process? Turn back to your moodboards, your mock-up designs, take a look at your materials, and imagine cooking or entertaining in your kitchen. What does that look like for you, and how does your new kitchen add to the excitement of this vision? The renovation process will wrap up, and you will have a new kitchen soon, custom made perfect for you and your life.

Are you ready to take on your renovation? Drop us a note at design@heronwoodcabinetry.ca and let us walk you through this process, one design step at a time.

Find Your Design Style: Take the Quiz!

Are you a Modern Farmhouse, a Traditional, or Coastal? Get to know your interior design style, and make tackling those design projects a little easier, with our quiz.

How To Prep for a Kitchen Renovation