A kitchen can say a lot about a person. Your lifestyle, your likes, hobbies, and much more. For this reason alone, many people are considering a kitchen renovation for their homes. There’s a lot of things that go into this, however, and planning it is no easy task. Read on to find out what it takes to properly plan out a kitchen renovation in NYC for yourself.

First off, you’ll want to really double down on function and efficiency for your kitchen rather than only focusing on cosmetic changes. We’ll go into more detail about this later, but it’s also important to note that this is a good way to tell if your kitchen even needs a remodel. For example, if you mostly bake, but you don’t have the most optimal oven or storage space for your pans and other supplies, then you might want to consider a remodel. Going back to function rather than looks, it’s all about doubling down on what you need. Overall, if it doesn’t look like it will last more than two decades, it needs a remodel.

Set your budget according to what you know you can afford versus what you want, and always have a plan B for backup options. Convenience is much more important rather than your kitchen just looking pretty. The overall goal here is to make cooking much easier and efficient for both you and your family, to create a much healthier, cleaner environment.

Learn how to shop for materials effectively based on cost and durability. For example, consider marble versus wood, or stainless steel versus porcelain.  Nearly everything I mention will, again and again, go back to that functionality that’s the main necessity of someone who will be constantly using their kitchen’s facilities. This part is, of course, entirely subjective to you. Recommended areas where you should spend a lot are storage (cabinetry) and appliances. As these are the things you’ll be using the most, you should spend the most money on them. However, you still need to have a balance between these and the rest of your kitchen remodeling plan. You can’t have one without the other, as you could end up with nice floors but shabby-looking countertops.

If you’re looking for good options when it comes to appliances, you should consider energy-saving options such as more efficient dishwashers or fridges. For cabinets, your price range should focus on function, such as a waste-recycling center or larger storage space for any of your kitchen materials. If you end up spending more on cabinets, then the utility rather than the beauty should be upgraded in much more effect. The much less important part of your kitchen would be the floor. You can save money on this by perhaps going with a more cost-efficient option such as tile, for example, since it lasts a fairly long time and is much more resistant to wear and tear damage. As opposed to something look wood, which can lose its finish and shine fairly quickly (depending on how much you use or clean your kitchen), tile is the best option if you’re looking to cut costs down. Countertops, while they do make up a large portion of the overall look of your kitchen when it comes to things like the color scheme and layout, can be budgeted as well. There are cheaper options such as lamination that would make a countertop look like stone rather than it actually being made of stone. This way you can still achieve a luxurious look while keeping costs down and focusing on purely function as well.

Don’t forget to stay trendy, especially living in the NYC area. No one ever appreciates old or tacky décor when you do a kitchen renovation. I realize that this will sound a little hypocritical of me to say, as I’ve been pounding into your head that you need to focus on what you need, but that doesn’t mean your kitchen still can’t look nice. An upgrade in both visuals AND performance is always good. You should definitely base your layout on your lifestyle, since your kitchen is always one of the most verbal rooms when it comes to saying something about your personality. For example, you can go for gourmet, family-friendly, or a guest-based kitchen for entertaining purposes. The possibilities really are as endless as your needs and imagination.

Make sure you’re able to maximize both space and overall storage to its fullest, and work your remodels around these as well. For example, new cabinets or an expanded pantry that allow for more plates, china, spices, and the like or china are very useful upgrades to make for your kitchen. A spacious kitchen is also more pleasing to the eye, as this goes with anything. The appearance of much less clutter is a very good thing to look for.

When considering who to hire for the job of carrying out your remodel, there are a few important things to also consider.

Base your choice off of past reviews of other homeowners who were clients of this contractor. Look at their past work and portfolio to see if that’s what you’re looking for. Homeowner references are especially the best to have because they provide genuine, honest opinions about the contractor you’re looking to hire, so you’ll have a much higher chance of getting a good bang for your buck. You’ll also want to look at a company’s history in terms of not only what they’ve worked on, but how long they’ve been a company for. That is very important, because a lower price isn’t always automatically favorable. For example, starter companies are almost always lower, but if the company was just formed, let’s say, half a year ago, do you really want them to work on your kitchen? This can be a dangerous situation, because you can jeopardize he quality of your kitchen renovation even though it’s a lower price. Steer clear of these, and always look for someone with much more experience.

Hopefully this comprehensive list of things to go for when considering to plan out your kitchen remodel in NYC was helpful for you and you have a better idea of how the process works. Although it can be a troubling area to delve into at first, with a little focus, it becomes a much simpler ordeal. Happy remodeling!