Kitchen Remodeling Tips

When we remodeled our kitchen, we balanced what would add value to our home while designing a space that functioned well for our family (and fit within our budget). In partnership with Samsung, I’m sharing kitchen remodeling tips.

This is a sponsored post written by me on behalf of Samsung. All opinions are 100% mine.

We lived with our kitchen for several years before we remodeled it, so we knew exactly how we could make it better. Here is a before photo of the space:

We brightened up the space by painting the cabinets and added glass to a couple doors. I was even crazy enough to paint the floor (which was in terrible shape). The appliance were original to the home and old. The layout was terrible (it was impossible to stand at the kitchen sink while the dishwasher was open and the fridge had a similar situation), and we needed a better flow through the space.

Appliances

Although it is fun to add pretty hardware and a gorgeous kitchen faucet, appliances are extremely important – you will use them more than other features in your kitchen. Look for energy-efficient appliances with warranties and be sure to maintain a balance between what you spend on appliances and cabinets. If you choose appliances first without considering cabinets/hardware, countertops or other features, you can box yourself into a floor plan and end up without enough money to spend on other features.

We selected all Samsung appliances for our kitchen and have no regrets over two and a half years later. Our appliance choice was driven by how much we loved all the Samsung Family Hub has to offer. Here’s what we have in our kitchen:

• Family Hub 4-Door French Door Smart Refrigerator in Stainless Steel
• Samsung Countertop Microwave in Stainless Steel with Shiny Mirror Design
• 24 Inch Top Control Dishwasher in Stainless Steel with Stainless Steel Tub and Waterfall Wash System
• Flex Duo Slide-In Double Oven Electric Range with Self-Cleaning Convection Oven in Stainless Steel

I talk more in detail HERE about our appliance selection. I still can’t say enough our our Samsung Family Hub refrigerator. We can search for recipes, check the weather, keep our family organized with the calendar, and stream music while keeping our food organized and cool.

Backspash

Keep the style and color scheme simple with a backsplash. You can add your personality through accent pieces and other decor. I used classic subway tile on ours installed in myself for around $100.

Countertops

I really wanted marble countertops, but I couldn’t justify the cost or maintenance with three kids. Think through your family needs and budget. We went with quartz because it was within our price range, provided the look of marble, and is very durable.

Cabinets

Cabinetry is expensive, but there are ways to save. We opted to go the RTA (ready-to-assemble) cabinet route. It took a lot of time and energy, but it was worth it for us financially. You can see more about our RTA cabinets HERE. Generally we’re fairly happy with them, but we have noticed the drawers aren’t perfectly straight and that’s probably due to our assembly.

Hardware

We splurged on our cabinet hardware mainly because it was one of the only hardware I could find that had a soft gold finish that would go well with our stainless steel appliances. Although I still like our choice, I do fear that we’ll be left with two unusually sized holes in our cabinets if we ever change our mind in the future.

Flooring

As I mentioned earlier, our floor was in poor shape. However, the wood flooring extends to all areas of our first floor. It wasn’t in our budget to install new flooring, so we had it all finished.

We did open up our kitchen by shortening the wall but didn’t go as short with it as we originally planned due to the plumbing we found. We added a kitchen island, but included the sink to avoid changing the plumbing. Try to avoid structure changes as much as possible to avoid additional costs.

With thoughtful planning, you can create the perfect kitchen for your home and family.

Are you new to my blog? Go HERE to see my home tour and HERE to shop for items I use in our home.

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