Kitchens are more than just a place to prepare meals. They are often the central gathering spot for family and friends. The place where laughs are shared, stories are told, homework is mastered. Yours should be comfortable, functional, and inspiring.
With a variety of layouts, design elements, and finishes to choose from in your kitchen, we understand there is a lot to consider when taking on such a complex remodel. Click on the links below to help guide you through the process.
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Harmonizing the balance between the old and the new is the first consideration when approaching kitchen remodeling in Atlanta, GA historic homes. Each home and owner demands different considerations. Discovering and showcasing the personality of your historic home kitchen is a matter of identifying the right designer and remodeling company for the job. Since 2003, Copper Sky has specialized in Victorian, Mid-Century, and Craftsman-era home remodeling in Atlanta, GA, and is well-versed in reviving the unique character of historic home kitchens.
Perhaps the most signature feature of historic homes is hardwood flooring, making them well worth preserving. By setting your hardwood floors against white countertops, tile and trim, you’ll make your historic floors the central feature of your kitchen leaving you with a modern kitchen without detracting from the historic charm. In fact, when it comes to historic home renovation, exposing finishes is a tried and true design style that combines the charm of long-gone historic touches with new, modern functionality.
But kitchen remodeling in an Atlanta, GA, historic home isn’t just about reviving old charm. It’s also about infusing the space with new and complementary finishes that reflect the owners’ personalities. Some homeowners prefer an elegant kitchen, while other prefer a pop of personality which can be accomplished through colorful islands, unique backsplashes and quirky finishes.
Preserving a kitchens original atmosphere is another way to create a beautiful kitchen without losing historic charm. In keeping with the grandiose gravity of historic homes, create a kitchen that features solid cabinetry a shade darker in tone than its adjacent flooring. For a touch of modern edge, introduce stainless steel appliances, gray granite countertops, and echoing metal drawer pulls.
Yet sometimes, no matter how much you want to keep historic details, they don’t provide the functionality you desire and you’ll need to create new installations. Balancing your modern design incorporation within an older home can be tricky, but incorporating texture can help the eye travel through the kitchen.
If you decide to start new in your kitchen, think about adding new “old” design elements such as a half layout, gridded window or double wide stove to provide subtle reminders of classic designs.
For a more extensive repertoire of uniquely-crafted kitchens, visit Copper Sky’s kitchen remodel photo gallery.
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Our designers are trained in industry ingenuities to maximize your budget, providing credible advice on design trends that are worth following as well as on fads to avoid- so your space will retain its value over time. Best of all, our designers have the software and training to provide you with detailed 3D imaging before construction begins. Visualizing your ideas will help you save time, money, and materials, since you won’t have to pay for your mistakes.
Here’s how to get started:
Prepare for Your First Meeting – sitting down and writing a summary describing why you’re remodeling. What is it that you’re unhappy with? What are your top priorities for improvement? Are there any features you have that do work well that you’d like to keep?
Visit Houzz and Pinterest and create collections of kitchen remodels you like. Review your favorite photos and try to identify common themes. Be ready to talk through your pictures and ideas with your designer, but remain open to the possibility that your designer may propose changes to match your budget, maximize functionality, or incorporate new ideas.
Establishing Expectations Early. Establish a workable budget. Decide how much you’re able to spend overall.
Learn More: Working with a Kitchen Designer in Atlanta
When it comes to kitchen design and remodeling, perhaps a few of us have planned exactly what kind of custom cabinets we want. But for most us, we don’t necessarily know what we like until we see it.
White painted cabinets have been popular for a long time, but now, cabinets painted with deep, saturated tones are in favor. For those who want to maintain a brighter look, pastels and various hues of blue are also in.
Shaker cabinets are by no means a new trend—they’ve been a predominant cabinet style choice for a long time and are not likely to disappear in the new year, though their painted sheen gives them a fresh presentation.
Homeowners are sometimes reluctant to remodel because they don’t wish to risk losing their home’s architectural charm.
At Copper Sky, we recognize the importance of preserving historical authenticity while introducing efficient functionality. We specialize in integrating modern utility with original aesthetics. In other words, we’re here to say you can have your cake and eat it too! Here are a few ways to modernize your historic home’s kitchen while keeping that old charm.
Add Design Depth to End Panels – Install some unique, quarter-sawn, inset cabinets. And pay special attention to finishing them with fine detail, adding paneled craftsmanship to the exposed ends.
Don’t Be Afraid of Color – Home owners opt only for the classic beauty of safe neutrals, not necessarily because they prefer them, but because they’re timid about incorporating statement colors.
Get Creative with Your Materials – Most hardwood cabinets are made from maple, oak, cherry, birch, hickory, and knotty pine. But if you’re looking at custom cabinets, it’s worth entertaining ideas on incorporating creative styles and materials into your cabinetry.
Clutter is the enemy of creativity, and your kitchen is the last place you’ll want to face it. That doesn’t mean you have to donate all your favorite gadgets to the local charity, though. It just means you’ll want to think through how best to arrange your space for maximum efficiency and enjoyment during your next cooking spree. Here are some great organizational ideas that maximize your storage space and add ease to your work flow for your kitchen remodeling in Atlanta, GA:
Hide Appliances:
Even small appliances like a Kitchen-Aid, coffee pot, or microwave can add to the overall clutter of your kitchen by taking up valuable work space on your countertop. Yet many of these devices are indispensable when it comes to serious cooking. The solution? Find ways to tuck them away.
Many custom cabinet companies like Tambortech are beginning to offer creative cabinets that do just this. Pull-up and roll-up doors are gaining popularity as ways to vanish less sightly kitchen equipment behind an attractive wood exterior. But why stop there? Place a slide-out shelf behind your pull-up panel for easy accessibility for items you won’t want boxed in when in use.
Wall Pull-Out Drawers and Drawer Dividers:
Sometimes there’s a wall in your kitchen where cabinets just won’t fit perfectly. If you have any of these awkward spaces, consider filling them with narrow wall pull-outs. Wall pull-outs are long and narrow open-sided drawers ideal for small item organization. For instance, they may serve as a fantastic and easily accessible spice rack, a spatula and utensil hanger, a pantry for smaller items like sauces and cans, or even a dish holder for mugs and small bowls.
Pull-outs also apply to trash bins, recycling containers, or any other type of cabinet storage. Some home owners become so enamored with the efficiency of wall pull-outs that they install floor-to-ceiling cabinets instead of just lower or upper pull-outs for their kitchen renovations.
The Dreaded Corner Cabinet:
Perhaps the most notorious kitchen storage station is the dreaded corner cabinet, so awkward a space that some home owners even opt for galley kitchen to purposely avoid its wasted space. Probably the most common solution is the classic, lazy Susan interior, but while this addresses the issue, it does so only half-heartedly since homeowners still have to bend down and crane to see its contents.
Learn More: Big Remodeling Ideas for Small Spaces
Browsing pictures of kitchens layout ideas in catalogs and on the internet can turn up hundreds of unique options that can occasionally make your kitchen layout decisions seem more complex rather than more approachable. With a few terms and concepts in mind, you’ll be able to identify common patterns and design the best floor plan for your own kitchen remodel. Take a peek at the most common kitchen layouts.
Galley – Two parallel walls of cabinetry with appliances incorporated into each. Common in homes with small square footage.
L-Shape – The perpendicular walls of cabinetry allow for comfortable flow between work stations, while the two open sides of the kitchen allow easy access to the rest of the home.
Horseshoe – Also known as U-shaped, utilize three of the kitchen’s four walls for cabinetry and appliances.
Island – As non-intrusive ways to add storage, seating, counter space, or a spatially juxtaposed home for appliances to optimize work flow.
Peninsula – Cabinet outcroppings joining a wall or an adjacent counter on one end most commonly found with L-shaped or Horseshoe kitchen layout.
Beyond the style of sink you select, you’ll want to consider its dimensions, placement, and material. For instance, will you want a sink with one basin or two? One basin allows you to easily wash and soak oversized dishes, but two basins allow you to separate tasks. Will you want a deep or shallow sink? Deep sinks again give your dishes more room, but bending over to reach them could cause back pain.
Consider your kitchen layout and decide whether this means placing it in the middle of a countertop, an island, or even a corner. For materials, will you want standard stainless steel, composite granite, fire-clay, cast iron, natural stone, quartz, solid surface, or copper? Research the benefits and drawbacks of each material before finalizing your own kitchen sink design choice.
Consider these popular sink models:
Apron-Front or Farmhouse Sink: Apron-front sinks, also known as farmhouse sinks, have recently enjoyed a surge in popularity. Their rustic appeal adds charm to any kitchen, and their deep, wide basins are highly functional. These sinks are often made of porcelain and may have straight of beveled aprons, but they are also sometimes made of innovative materials like bamboo. Because these sinks are statement pieces and their long-term appeal on the market has not yet been proven, homeowners would do well only to select this sink if it matches their home’s style.
Under-Mount Sink: This style makes countertop cleaning easy since crumbs may be swept directly into the sink basin and it looks smooth and sleek. It’s important to remember, however, that the place where the sink and countertop meet requires routine cleaning. If you do purchase an under-mount sink, it’s advisable to select a standard size so that replacement is easier.
Self-Rimming Sink: Self-rimming sinks are easy to install and replace and are less expensive and less susceptible to leaks than under-mount sinks. While not as invisible as under-mounts, they tend to match most countertops.
Integrated Sink: Integrated sinks are designed so that the basin and countertop material are the same. They are sleek and minimalistic and are the easiest sink style to clean and install. If you ever change your mind on the type of sink you want, however, replacement is extremely expensive since you’ll need to change your countertops as well.
Prep Sink: We said earlier that sinks are perhaps the hardest-working feature in your kitchen. They’re so hard-working, in fact, that avid chefs (and homeowners with wet bars or coffee stations) will often install a second, smaller sink.
Kitchen islands allow your unique design aesthetic to really shine. In addition to being a workspace, kitchen islands provide maximum functionality and storage space. Some studies even report that a newly remodeled kitchen can even improve your eating habits. Lately, furniture islands are replacing traditional islands; as they are made from different materials than their surrounding kitchen cabinetry so that they act as statement centerpieces. Often, antique buffets or intentionally distressed wood tables are repurposed as islands. Because of their many practical and aesthetic benefits, islands have become expected features in nearly every medium and large-sized kitchen. Including a kitchen island into your design is one of the best ways to optimize flow and provide extra storage and prep space.
Here are some kitchen island designs to think about:
Make Room for Seating – There are generally two categories of upgrades: practical and aesthetic. Happily, seating falls within both. Your kitchen is where you enjoy an invigorating cup of coffee before work, where your kids congregate for an after-school snack and homework, and where you chat with friends while crafting cocktails and appetizers. Because your kitchen is as much used for living as it is for working, it’s important to include some seating, and the best way to do this is with barstools welcomingly nestled under an island overhang.
Add a Prep Sink or Hide Appliances– If you’re an avid chef and enjoy entertaining, you’ll want to incorporate a prep sink into your island. Be sure to leave ample counter space on either side for dishes and food, and consider purchasing a sink with a clever cutting board insertion to make your sink do double duty. The inner side of your island is also the perfect place to hide appliances like microwaves and small beverage refrigerators that every kitchen needs but that you may not want to have visible.
Insert Outlets – In today’s home designs, having outlets, and lots of outlets, is essential. Whether you need to plug in a KitchenAid mixer or just charge your cell, it’s handy to plug in where you are instead of rearranging your work space. Because outlets aren’t known to enhance aesthetics, however, we recommend hiding them under countertop lips and color-matching them either to your countertop or cabinetry depending on where they’re inserted. This allows both a sleek finish and unencumbered functionality.
Dress it Up – Enhance your kitchen island design visually by adding cabinetry paneling, bead board, columns/furniture legs, or decorative corbels that complement your own interior design scheme. Your island is naturally set apart from the rest of your kitchen, so it’s a great place to playfully introduce a pop of color in your cabinetry or incorporate statement materials like reclaimed wood. Pay special attention to drawer and door pulls as well, as these details have the power to unite your design scheme and exude confidence.
Prioritize the Basics – Finally, it may not seem like it, but one of the best ways to upgrade your island is by attending to the basics by picking high-quality cabinetry and a durable countertop material. This Old House offers a detailed guide on the hallmarks of good cabinet construction, but in general, look for thick, solid wood and mortise-and-tenon joinery. Then, choose a countertop material that is beautiful, durable, and easy to care for. Popular choices include granite and quartz. Be sure to view our gallery for inspiration on how to implement each of these five upgrades!
Kitchen renovations are consistently ranked among the most financially advantageous investments for substantive home remodels. But what exactly is the number breakdown on the initial cost of a kitchen remodel and its overall return?
National Averages: According to the Remodeling 2023 Cost vs. Value report, national averages for upscale kitchen remodel returns come in at 31.7%. Although the full cost is not recouped, real estate agents often advise home buyers to go ahead and make the investment since updated kitchens are among the first features home buyers look for and are even coming to expect. More specifically, in the South Atlantic region, the ROI for a renovated upscale kitchen costing an average of $155,709 is 30.4%.
If you plan to resell, prospective home buyers will be likely to pay more overall for a home with an outstanding kitchen than one with a mediocre finish. If you plan to keep your home, you will want to feel comfortable in what is potentially the most important room and to make it a place where you will spend time with family, friends, and food.
Download the 2024 Atlanta Remodeling Cost Report [PDF]
Copper Sky Design + Remodel uses the design-build methodology, a proven process that combines design and construction. Our team excels at major renovations, kitchen and bathroom remodeling, home additions, ADU’s, and specialty projects with a minimum investment of $100,000.
