Quick Overview of Expert Renovation Tips: Plan your kitchen renovation with a clear vision, detailed layout, and realistic budget. Choose durable flooring, maximize vertical space, and ensure wide walkways. Add a kitchen island if space allows, match your kitchen’s style to the rest of the home, and incorporate layered lighting. Upgrade appliances, sinks, and fixtures for better function and aesthetics, and consider features like pot filler faucets for convenience.

Introduction

Here at Ruvati, we strive to do more than just sell sinks and bathtubs. We want to help our customers and website visitors with their entire renovation projects by providing useful information about what and what not to do.

If you’re looking to renovate your kitchen, here are 10 tips from Ruvati that you can follow to make sure you don’t go wrong anywhere in the process.

Here is a quick list of the various renovation tips that we’re going to discuss in this post. You can read about them in more detail in the sections below.

1. Set a clear idea of what you want your kitchen to look like
2. Plan everything in detail
3. Focus on the kitchen floors
4. Create wide walkways and ensure a roomy center
5. Build a kitchen island
6. Make the most out of the vertical spaces in your kitchen
7. Incorporate generous lighting in the design
8. Get an improved sink for your kitchen
9. Make sure that your kitchen’s theme matches the rest of the house
10. Try out pot filler faucets

One of the reasons why anyone renovates a kitchen is to make it aesthetic and visually appealing. A kitchen like that is a joy to be in, even if you’re working hard and getting drained.

You can make a kitchen like that only if you have a clear idea of what you’d like.

This sounds like a really obvious thing to mention in a list of tips. But, it’s not unheard of for someone to spend money on a renovation just to not be satisfied with the end results, even if it is executed to perfection by everyone involved.

That happens because not enough thought is put into what you actually want to see in the renovated kitchen and how you’d feel to be around that vibe on a daily basis.

To make sure this doesn’t happen with you, think clearly about what you want in terms of these aspects:

• The color theme of the kitchen (what colors you want to see in the floors, countertops, and cabinets)
• The style that you want the kitchen to show (old-fashioned, modern, rustic, etc.)
• The amount of storage space you need (how many cabinets, drawers, etc., you need to have around the kitchen)
• The amount and type of lighting that you want in the kitchen

And so forth. When you have all of these things in mind, you can proceed with your renovation with a clear goal, one that you will ultimately be happy with.

Keep reading, though, because you can use the tips mentioned below to further shape your ideal kitchen before following through with it.

Planning everything is also a pre-emptive step, i.e., one that you have to take before diving into the renovation process. It helps to make sure that there are no troubles in making decisions further on.

Here is what you need to do in the planning phase:

• Finalize the date of the renovation
• Set a realistic budget for the job, along with some buffers for surprises
• Research renovation companies near your area and find the best one
• Arrange for a temporary kitchen setup where you can perform the day-to-day activities until the renovation is complete
• Also, arrange for a place to store all of your extra items until they are ready to be moved back

Now, let’s focus on some tips about the actual renovation.

Think about the floors of your kitchen.

If the floor is in good condition in terms of usage and appearance, you can go without changing it. However, if you notice damage or functional issues, it is definitely worth it to have an overhaul. 

Here are some issues to keep an eye on:

• Visible damage
• Nicks and cracks that hold dirt and water
• Uneven surfaces or sagging areas
• Loose or creaky tiles/planks
• Slippery surfaces that pose a safety risk

…and here are some decent floor options to consider:

• Porcelain or Ceramic Tile: Known to be durable and water-resistant. Ceramic tile is easy to clean and is also budget-friendly.
• Vinyl planks: Vinyl planks are waterproof and have a comfortable feel underfoot. They are also quite affordable and provide a faux-wood or stone aesthetic. However, they aren’t as long-lasting as natural materials like hardwood.
• Hardwood: Hardwood is the luxurious and expensive choice when it comes to flooring. It can completely change the look of your kitchen and give it a lavish appearance. However, it comes with some downsides, such as a not-so-great water resistance level and a tendency to get scratched or dented if used excessively.

When renovating your kitchen, try and create wide walkways. You can do this by opting for sleeker countertops and appliances around the edges. With wider walkways, you can have more room in the center of the kitchen.

There’s no reason to elaborate on the benefit of wider walkways and a spacious center. You can have a comfortable time in your kitchen without feeling cramped. If you need to work with someone else, such as a friend or a family member, a wide walkway would provide plenty of space without the constant murmurings of “Excuse me” and “Way, please.”

Having a roomy center also helps if you’re planning on building a kitchen island (more on that in the next point).

If your kitchen has the space for it, an island can be a very useful addition. A kitchen island gives you extra counterspace to work on, as well as additional storage space to keep all your stuff.

With a kitchen counter, you can have an easier time prepping meals. You don’t have to work with a cramped space between your sink and drying rack.

Kitchen islands are made with cabinets and shelves, which can be used for storing various utensils, appliances, etc.

However, it is important to know that an island only looks good if there is ample space for it in the room and if the layout is suited for it. For example, an island usually looks good in a U-shaped kitchen, with countertops all around and empty space in the middle.

If something in your kitchen is taking up space on the floor, it doesn’t mean that the area above it can’t still be utilized. You can use all of this “vertical space” for useful fixtures and decorative elements.

Many people don’t realize the potential of these spaces. It is only after they are done with the renovations that the empty spaces make themselves apparent in all of their bareness.

Here are some ways in which you can use the vertical spaces in your kitchen for improved convenience, functionality, and looks:

• Installing open shelves: You can install shelves on the walls to add some more storage options to your kitchen. These types of shelves can be great for small items or even just decorative trinkets.
• Hooks for spoons, pots, and other utensils: You can also install hooks for holding things like spoons, ladles, pots, pans, and other similar utensils. This can be a great way to maximize the vertical space for storing frequently needed items.
• Mount a magnetic strip: You can also mount a magnetic strip for knives, scissors, and even small metallic containers.

There are many other similar fixtures and gadgets that you can install in the vertical spaces of your kitchen.

This is another tip to keep in mind when renovating your kitchen. Don’t just stick to ceiling lights. Use hanging lamps, wall lamps, and other stylish forms of lighting in your design.

Doing this not only ensures the aesthetics of your kitchen but also proper illumination for your day-to-day needs. Hanging lamps over the kitchen island can give you direct lighting when doing meal prep or when you’re making a quick snack.

Similarly, if you use wall lamps in your kitchen, they can give you eye-level illumination where you need it. Instead of relying only on overhead lights, you can enjoy some shadowless lighting with the wall-mounted sconces/brackets.

Don’t forget to upgrade your kitchen’s sink.

During the renovation, you may want to upgrade a number of appliances and fixtures in your kitchen, including the fridge, dishwasher, etc. It’s easy to overlook one of the most functionally important parts of the kitchen, i.e., the sink.

If you have the budget for it, upgrade your sink, especially if your old one is showing signs of wear. With a new modern sink, you can enjoy different features and benefits, such as compatibility with slide-in accessories. High-end sinks, such as the ones you get here at Lumina, also come in various configurations and styles, including:

• Double bowl sinks: These sinks feature two bowls instead of one, making them great for multitasking.

• Single bowl sinks: These sinks have the standard configuration with just one bowl. These are great for normal use.

• Sloped sinks: Sloped sinks have a sloped bottom, which helps to ensure clean drainage without water accumulation.

• Farmhouse sinks: Farmhouse sinks have an exposed front. They are installed close to the edge of the countertop, with their front slightly protruding outwards. 

You can choose from these varieties and pick the one that suits your preference and needs the best.

If you’re renovating just your kitchen and not the rest of your house, keep the theme of the former the same as that of the latter. Don’t incorporate colors and design elements in the kitchen that clash with the theme of the rest of the house.

Mostly, this problem would arise in areas like:

• Floors: If the rest of your house has wooden floors, choosing white laminate for the kitchen would look quite out of place. You will have to match them.

• Wall paint: The same goes for wall paint. You should paint the walls of the kitchen in the same shade as the rest of the house. Even if the exact colors don’t match, it should be from a similar hue. For example, if your house is mostly painted white, don’t go with dark blue in the kitchen. Go with a light gray or other monochrome shade if you absolutely want to.
• Cabinet style and color: The cabinet style and color should match the other cabinets that you have in your house. In some rare cases, if there is already some diversity in the air, it can be fine to switch styles from room to room. But, in most cases, it’s better to stick to a uniform style for aesthetics.

Pot filler faucets can be a great addition to your kitchen and an excellent option to consider during a renovation. These faucets are typically installed on the wall behind the stove and are used to fill the pots when they are on the burners.

The purpose of the pot filler faucets is to reduce the trips from the main sink to the stove if you need water for cooking.

These faucets can add a modern aesthetic to your kitchen and also improve your cooking experiences. They can be moved and rotated to reach anywhere within a wide radius around the point where they’re installed.