There is no better test of a kitchen than Christmas.
For one week a year your kitchen does everything at once. Cookies cool on every flat surface. Someone is carving the ham while someone else is looking for the gravy boat. Three people are standing in front of the fridge, and the dishwasher is full before dessert.
If that sounds familiar, this is the year to pay attention. The holidays are the best time to start planning a new kitchen. You see every problem up close, the family is around to weigh in, and the slow week between Christmas and New Year's leaves time to think.
You do not need to pick a single cabinet this month. Here are five easy things you can do over the holidays so that when you are ready, the plan is already done.
1. Write down what does not work while you host
Keep a notepad on the counter this year (or use the notes app on your phone) and make a list as things go wrong. Be specific. "More storage" is a wish. "The roasting pan lives in the garage because nothing inside fits it" is a design requirement.
A few questions to get you started:
- Where do people pile up? Is the path between the fridge, the sink and the stove blocked?
- Where do you run out of counter space? Where do the cookie trays and casserole dishes end up?
- What do you have to dig for? Serving platters, the big stock pot, baking sheets, the good dishes?
- Where do guests set down drinks, plates and coats?
- What sits on the counter all week because it has no home?
Ask your family too. The person who washes every dish has opinions about where the sink is, and so does the person who can never find the measuring cups.
This list is the most useful thing you can bring to a designer. Every item on it is a problem that cabinet layout can solve: a deeper drawer for pots, a tall pantry cabinet, an island with seating on one side and storage on the other, a cabinet with vertical dividers for trays and cutting boards.
2. Measure while the house is quiet
Once the guests head home, take twenty minutes and measure the room. You do not need to be precise to the sixteenth of an inch for a first plan, but the more you bring, the faster your design comes together.
Measure and write down:
- The length of every wall, corner to corner
- The ceiling height
- Each window and door: how wide it is, and how far it sits from the nearest corner
- Where the sink, the stove and the fridge sit today
- Anything that cannot move easily, like a radiator, a vent or a support post
Take photos of every wall while you are at it, including the corners. Photos catch the details a tape measure misses.
If you are thinking about new appliances, look up the spec sheets for the models you like now. Appliance sizes change the cabinets around them, so it helps to know early if the fridge you want is 33 or 36 inches wide.
3. Pick a door style you love
This is the fun part, and the holidays are a good time for it. Everyone is home, and everyone has an opinion.
Start with the feeling you want. Warm and classic? Bright and clean? A bold color on the island and something quiet on the walls? Then look at the door styles in person or online and narrow it down to two or three favorites.
You can browse every door we carry on our door styles page and see each one in a full kitchen. Save the ones you keep coming back to. If the family cannot agree, that is fine. Bring the shortlist to your design consultation and you can see them side by side.
4. Set a budget you are comfortable with
A kitchen budget is easier to set before you fall in love with something. Decide what range feels right for your family now, while it is just a number on paper.
A few things that help:
- Know what is in the project. Cabinets only? Cabinets plus counters? Flooring too? Each one changes the total.
- Decide what matters most. If you host every year, an island or a pantry may be worth more to you than a fancy backsplash.
- Leave a little room for the things you only find once the old cabinets come out.
For real numbers, our guide to what a kitchen remodel costs in Saint Louis breaks a project down line by line. For cabinets alone, STL Cabinetry kitchens typically run $10,000 to $13,000. Your design consultation will give you an exact price for your room.
5. Book a free design consultation
When the list is written, the room is measured and you have a few door styles in mind, you are ready for the step that ties it all together.
At a free design consultation, one of our designers sits down with you, goes through your list and your measurements, and lays out a kitchen built around how your family actually lives. You see the plan before you commit to anything, and you get your quote at the consultation, typically within the hour.
There is no design fee and no pressure. Some families book right away. Some take a few weeks to think it over. Either way, you leave with a real plan and a real number instead of a wish list.
Book your free design consultation, or call us at (314) 441-5620 if you would rather talk it through.
Merry Christmas from STL Cabinetry
From all of us at STL Cabinetry, thank you for letting us be part of your home this year. We hope your kitchen is full of family, good food and a few too many cookies this season.
And when the dishes are done and the house is quiet, grab that notepad. Next Christmas could look a lot different.
