Susan Serra, at the Kitchen Designer, shared a post about kitchen design software this weekend. She didn’t say which industry approved package she has used up until now, but I think I can guess. I was happy to read that Susan really likes AutoKitchen, I’ve used it quite a lot and I’d love to see it getting wider acceptance. Not only the 3D models but also the plans and elevations you can produce in it seem far superior to that other commonly used package. Anyway, while Susan has fun playing with the software, I thought I’d share a few of my AutoKitchen experiences.
AutoKitchen rendering
I always liked the other-worldly serenity of this photo realistic rendering. It is still incomplete – no back splash, no counter edge detail, no light fixtures, missing pulls, and the glass canopy of that hood is just too transparent – you can add stools, pots, pans, vases, etc., more and more detail – but I drew this to help a client get a feeling for her new kitchen layout. We designers can easily visualize a complete space from 2D plans and elevations, but it is not always so easy for the homeowner, who may do a major remodel only once in their lives.
The photo realistic renderings allow you to produce snapshots of the design from different angles – the computation can take some time, depending on your computer processor. But with what I’ll call the “regular” rendering, you can fly through and orbit around the space in real time, to your heart’s delight. It’s a wonderful tool, and quite addictive!
AutoKitchen rendering
Here’s a shot, from as near as I have to the same spot, of that same kitchen in progress – after a few changes. (Note to self – having a ceiling does make quite a difference).
Kitchen in progress
Here’s another kitchen where AutoKitchen was invaluable in helping the clients to “see” the alternatives for changes to their ceiling, and to experiment with different materials and styles.
AutoKitchen Rendering
A different view - and a change of materials
A snap from a similar angle
While my inner luddite still enjoys a quick pen and ink sketch to visualize an elevation
Just a suggestion
and my ideal rendering package would output instant watercolors in the style of artists from the past – for instance J.M. Gandy of Regency London
Watercolor Interior by J. M. Gandy
J. M. Gandy - The Rotunda at the Bank of England
for day to day design work I’ve found AutoKitchen to be invaluable. And no, I’ve received no incentive from the company, not even a free trial version. I think it’s a great package, and I just wanted to share.
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If you’ve followed this blog for a while, you probably know I have a bit of a bee in my bonnet about focal points in kitchen design. I know for many (both?) of you readers this is old hat, but with new clients the question of whether it makes sense to make the dishwasher disappear behind a panel fequently comes up. The answer, of course, depends on so many things – they style of the kitchen, the location of the dishwasher, and where it will be viewed from, being the main ones.
As always, a picture is worth 10,000 words (especially words of mine!) Here’s a situation where I would have preferred to see an “incognito” dishwasher – centered in the cabinet run like this, and in stainless steel to boot, it becomes a powerful focal point. And a dishwasher just isn’t what I would choose for that.
Dishwasher as focal point
Now I realize that the other appliances are stainless steel, so there is an argument for matching the dishwasher to them. But if, as I’m assuming, the dishwasher wall is the main view from a living or eating area, I’d rather keep the view quiet, and focus instead on accessories in those open shelves, or on the counter. The fact that symmetry in the base cabinets does not correspond with the uppers bugs me a bit, too – and that would also be de-emphasized if the dishwasher disappeared. (photo via).
For comparison – a perfectly disguised dishwasher in this photo by Roland Persson (via) – even down to repeating the lines of the drawers in the panel. Keeping those horizontal lines going is so important in this modern European style.
Dishwasher disappeared
Incidentally, d’you see how the sink isn’t centered in the window? Obviously done for practical reasons - to allow some clearance between the dishwasher and the corner. Does it bother you? (Nor me).
So just one more picture (up to 30,000 words, now – a positive dissertation). Here are stainless steel dishwashers that are easy to live with. For one thing, they are behind an island, so are not able to dominate any views, and for a bonus, there are two of them, symmetrically arranged, so they actually emphasize the focal point at the sink and the window, rather than competing with it:
Victoria Hagan's kitchen via Architectural Digest
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Here is my top ten list of mistakes to avoid when designing your new kitchen. Actually these are just my Top Ten Kitchen Design Crimes for today – ask me tomorrow and I might have ten completely different ones for you. And now I’ve written the list, I realize that each item could easily be an article on its own. Maybe one day they will be.
1. Too little light – a kitchen needs layers of lighting. General lighting is often provided by can lights, and provides an even light level, especially in the walkways. Task lighting lights the work areas, and ensures that the cook does not have to work in their own shadow. Then think about ambient lighting that creates the atmosphere you want, especially if it is an eat-in kitchen. Pendant lights over a counter, or a chandelier over an island will create a mood, and unlike cans, will cast light onto the ceiling as well.
2. Too much light – so you’ve followed all the best advice, and now you have multiple layers of light in your space. Don’t forget to add dimmers! Especially here in California, where 50 percent of the kitchen lighting watts in have to come from fluorescent sources, you often end up with a lot of cans in the ceiling just so you can get those halogen pendants you want over the peninsula. Even though they are more expensive, I always recommend dimmable fluorescent cans.
3. Forgetting to focus – a kitchen with no particular focal point can be boring, one with too many competing focal points can be too busy. Think about where you want the visual emphasis in your kitchen to be, and make sure it really does stand out.. Is it the cooking center, with an interesting hood or backsplash? Is it a window, with a great view? (Consider also how it will look after dark) Or is it a wall or open shelves where you display art or something you collect?
4. Failing to trust yourself or your designer – otherwise known as design by committee. Do you ask everyone you know, and even people you don’t know, how you should design your kitchen? Are you constantly confused with all the conflicting advice you get? Always changing your mind about layout and materials? No doubt your friends and your neighbors and your Aunt Gwen and your husband’s cousin Dora all have plenty of opinions and advice to share – but this is not their kitchen. Are they professional, qualified, designers? You have to trust yourself, or find a professional you trust and work with them. Deep down inside you know what you like – and a skilled professional can help you pin down your style and express it.
5. Trusting the wrong professional – this is something I have come across time and time again. A young couple buys an old outdated home at what seems like a bargain price. Their realtor tells them that they will be able to make the desired changes and updates for $xxxxx. They are all excited and can’t wait to get started. Then the bids start coming in, and they are at least 1.5 to 2.5 times the original $xxxxx. Heartache and disappointment ensue as they are forced to compromise their dreams. A realtor is not a qualified designer, or contractor. Their expertise is selling houses, and they have nothing to gain by scaring clients off with a high (or even realistic) estimate. Always make sure you consult the right professional.
6. Playing it too safe – so many people are concerned about resale, even if they have no plans to resell anytime soon. They end up designing their kitchen for the next owner. But they don’t even know the next owner! This is a good way to end up with a dull, safe kitchen that you don’t particularly enjoy, and when the next owner does eventually come along, they tear it all out because it is not to their taste anyway.
7. Making it too quirky – no, I’m not contradicting myself. Make the kitchen your own – a good looking, well designed kitchen will add value to your life and to your home. But you should not make it a kitchen that most people couldn’t live with. If you are 6’9” tall, by all means plan some taller counters, but include some regular height counters too, so that smaller guests or assistants will also have an area they can comfortably work in.
8. Losing track of the budget – it’s easy to get carried away with decisions about appliances, finishes, materials, as you visit showrooms and discover all the options that are available to you. Remember to keep your overall budget in mind, and to keep a list of everything that you will need. Appliances usually get chosen first, as your designer cannot design the cabinet layout until they have been picked – and as a result there is a tendency to spend too large a proportion of the budget on them. Don’t get to the end of the process and discover you can’t afford the backsplash material you really want, or those dimmers for the can lighting. And remember to allow at least 20% for contingencies.
9. Sticking too closely to the budget – sometimes, people make decisions because their project budget has reached certain number and they’re just not comfortable exceeding it. Now I’m certainly not advocating spending money you just don’t have, but I know that people don’t stand in their finished kitchen three years later and say “Oh, if only I had saved that $500 there, or that $750 here”. But they might well say “I wish I had bought the granite slab/ glass tile / built-in-refrigerator that I really wanted, because it’s too late to tear this one out now”.
Finally, and most importantly,
10. Failing to enjoy the process. Yes, that’s right, I said enjoy it. If you are planning wisely and designing for the long term, you probably won’t get to do this too many times in your life. So take your time, do your research, and enjoy the chance to make all these important, but definitely not life threatening, decisions.
Top Ten Kitchen Design Crimes by Kitchen Clarity is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-Share Alike 3.0 United States License.
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Sometimes it can be a dilemma to decide how to deal with damp kitchen towels when planning a kitchen. Do you put a pull-out towel bar under the sink, or in a nearby cabinet, so that they are hidden from view but may not dry properly, or do you plan a place for them to be out in the open? I came across this picture where, as you can see, the hanging bar is neither in nor out, but somewhere in between, so the towels are mostly out of sight but have plenty of air circulation for drying.
via illavillavita.blogspot.com
I can’t see from the picture exactly how you access the towels – the cabinet must open from the front or side by pulling on the bars, I should think. An ingenious solution to a problem that sometimes doesn’t get enough attention during planning.
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The day that the kitchen cabinets are delivered is always a revelation. We’ve planned for weeks or months, selected finsihes, colors and door-styles, had samples made and approved, and yet … The client’s reaction can range from”Wow, it’s even better than I thought” to “Oh no have I made a huge mistake”. Of course no designer ever wants to hear that second response, but if it does happen, what can you do?
The reality is, on delivery day the client is looking at cabinets, not the finished kitchen. You are out on the driveway or in a garage, surrounded by shipping blankets or packing material, there are so many parts, trim pieces, etc., it looks like chaos to the uninitiated. The color you carefully chose looks different out here, it is not lit by your artfully designed lighting plan, you do not have the materials you have chosen for countertops and backsplashes that will compliment the cabinets and make them look their best. So you can compare the finish and color with the approved sample – see how they look the same in this light? Remember how great it looked with the stone and tile samples in the studio? Think how wonderful the finished kitchen is going to be when everything is together, when the counters are there to balance the cabinet color, when the backsplash that marries all the colors together is completed.
I don’t know how many people have these doubts – I’ve encountered them a few times, and I suspect that other clients share the worry but do not express it. But every one of them loved the kitchen when it was finished. It really is just a matter of having trust in the design process you’ve been through – the end result is worth it!
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Here are the components for an ultra stylish Italian kitchen, for sale at a bargain price. One small issue is that they are in Hawaii, I don’t know if they could be shipped to the mainland. Check out another option, photos, and plans at Susan Palmer Designs.
Pedini Display Susan Palmer
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Kvanum Retro Kitchen
The retro style painted kitchen you see here is in fact a brand new kitchen from Swedish company Kvanum. I love the fresh, sophisticated color scheme. And for anybody living with old, outdated, kitchen cabinets in your tract house or apartment, isn’t it great to know that some paint and hard work can give you one of the latest looks from those style conscious Scandinavians?
Here at Chez Larsson you can read about one determined woman’s cabinet painting experience, and see the end results too.
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