Kitchen Design Center

ent’s needs and lifestyle,
3) The design must fall within the client’s budget. Judging Pictures in a Book or Website
We have all seen pictures of outstanding kitchens and baths. They all show the latest bells and whistles and display every high end feature available on the market. And, for a lot of people, they are viewed as an ultimate goal. But, can they be considered magnificent design solutions to the viewer? The truth is that for most people the answer is no. Most of us only look at the overall beauty of those pictures. That is natural. As viewers, we are never made privy to the obstacles encountered by the designer nor are we made aware of the required functionality expressed by the homeowner. Let’s not even mention the budget issue. So, without knowing all that, what is left for us to sense is the beauty of the image. Because of this, pictures are viewed with a subjective eye and not an objective one. Sometimes we look at them purely from a fantasy point of view (i.e. If I had no worries about money this is the kitchen I would want.). Other times, we look at them for ideas and details so they become inspirational. In both cases, they are viewed subjectively; whether we like the look or not is purely an individual choice. Here is the Problem! Most of these pictures look great because they are very large projects with equally large budgets. None of them resemble a remodel that an average homeowner can achieve. Unless a homeowner has a similar space, budget and lifestyle, most of those pictures are impractical and intangible. Except for getting ideas, they won’t really help the average homeowner in the remodeling of their own space. What needs to be extracted from these images is the functionality of the space and why it was designed that way. What was the designer’s thought process? Very rarely will someone look at an image and say “That is a great solution to a problem in my house!” Because most homeowners are not trained to identify design solutions, it stands to reason that they will be unaware that a design solution was even incorporated. It is not their fault and is unfortunate because that is truly the value of the design. A Different Approach To This Book
When creating this book, I chose a different approach. I wanted a book that would be useful to the average homeowner. In this book, I show practical, beautiful projects and provide insight about the thought process behind the design solution. To make these ideas tangible and practical, I chose actual remodeling projects that fit the average size home and budget. Most of these budgets ranged from $12k to $55k. Keep in mind that all of the projects were designed using the magnificent design solution criteria. To reiterate: 1) all of the final remodels shown are beautiful; far exceeding our client’s expectations, 2) all of the design solutions fully met our client’s needs and lifestyle and 3) none of these projects exceeded anyone’s budget. Once you read this book, you will view remodeling differently and understand the importance of a magnificent design solution!