The Mid-Level Kitchen Budget
The Middle Ground
Upgrades from the basics lead you into the next level of kitchen design, the mid-level kitchen. The kitchens we consider Mid-level kitchens are usually the second kitchen a homeowner has or the kitchen being planned for an average new home. Mid-level is not simply a budgetary description, it also describes the degree of function and finish involved. When you plan to upgrade from a less than satisfactory kitchen, you already have a pretty good idea of what doesn’t work and an idea of what changes you’d make in a perfect world. Also, the owners of mid-level kitchens tend to be a little older and more established, both financially and in their habits and use patterns. You know what you want more than a first time home owner and have more resources to work with.
All of the considerations covered above apply but you have now have more choices. This is a double-edged sword from a design standpoint. Many of the best designs are the result of working within various constraints including money, time, limited space, etc. Often these constraints require creative thinking to come up with the elegant solutions that define good design. Having a little more money and a little more flexibility can mean having a lot more choices and having those choices can result in the kid-in-the-candy-store syndrome. This is a form of mental gridlock caused by having so many choices that you cannot make them for fear of making the wrong ones.
When you’re working on a basic budget you have a model for decision making: Is this the best choice for the money, in the context of our design? The creators of a mid-level kitchen can also use this model but they must add to it. This is where professional design help and a good overall plan become vital to creating a successful kitchen. If you are looking for one cost-effective place to spend more time and money, it is on planning.
Mid-Level Design Choices
A more expensive kitchen is not necessarily a larger kitchen. Nor is it a more functional kitchen. And, it is unlikely to have significantly differing functions than a basic kitchen. You still cook, clean-up, socialize and store there. The difference may be in level of comfort, more sophisticated technology in your systems and the degree of finish detailing and materials. You may have more cabinets, more built-ins, more use of natural surfacing materials, architectural detailing and the option of moving or adding windows and entrances.
Your appliances will be more durable, have more sophisticated functions and a higher level of esthetic design involving more durable materials and finishes like stainless steel and high-tech ceramics. You are likely to have a more complete battery of appliances including, in addition to the standard ones, trash compactors, convection ovens, microwaves, recycling centers and additional ovens and sinks. Your portable appliance selection is likely to be larger and require more space and sufficient power supply. Adding an item like a professional quality mixer means more than simply purchasing the mixer, it means having a dedicated place for this heavy, high wattage machine, where you can get the best use out of it. This in turn may mean additional counter space, an appliance garage or a pop-up, under-cabinet mixer stand. All must be planned and budgeted for.
Surfaces
You have more choices in surfaces at the mid level. As the chart on page X shows, you are starting to get into natural surfacing materials like stone, wood, glass and ceramic. You also have more choices in solid materials as opposed to surfaces applied to a substrate like laminate over fiberboard. While these materials are very durable and attractive they are also more difficult to install and often require specialized skills and tools, making their overall price higher
At the mid-level you’ll probably be mixing custom fabricated items with good quality factory built pieces. Cabinetry, counters and specialized furniture items all present you with this choice of custom vs. manufactured. Try to remain open minded. In many cases you will have a very large range of options with a manufactured product, sometimes more than can be provided by a custom fabricator. For instance, factory applied finishes are usually very durable and uniform because they have specialized machinery and operators who do nothing else.
Good designers faced with budget limitations often choose a few very high quality parts and integrate them with good quality pieces to convey an overall sense of detail and craftsmanship. A simple item like cabinet pulls can change the appearance of a whole kitchen in an almost indefinable way. Pulls range in price from simple mass produced pulls for a few dollars each to hand made pulls priced like fine jewelry. Making a stylish and functional choice on these ubiquitous and tactile items can lift an ordinary cabinet up tom the next level.
Lighting
When faced with the many decisions a kitchen entails and asked to make one that makes the biggest difference for the money, we would probably choose lighting. Time after time, having functional, clearly lit work surfaces and a choice of light levels and placement is a revelation to a new kitchen owner. Few builder kitchens and remodel jobs place any emphasis on good lighting design, yet even a small number of fixtures designed for specific uses and carefully located can make an incredible difference in the overall ambiance and comfort of your kitchen. The mid-level kitchen should have a full range of lighting.
Water, Clean-Up and Waste Removal
After designing and working in dozens of kitchens we’ve decided that, unlike the kitchens of the past that centered around the hearth, the modern kitchen works around the sink and clean-up areas. Food is washed there, scraps flushed down the disposal, pans drained and drinks made. Dishes are cleaned, filled, rinsed, loaded into the dishwasher and stacked in the there. We wash our hands and our house out of the sink and much of the soil we pick up is drained away with the water. Often we store a large number of potentially dangerous and corrosive chemicals under or near our sinks.
Because the function of the kitchen often centers around a sink or sinks, you’ll want to carefully consider what you buy and where you’ll use it. A high quality sink is worth buying because it is more durable, quieter and designed ergonomically to be easy to work in without splashing water al over the place. The range of choices is wide.
The sink is also a major budget consideration when you consider adding an additional sink for food preparation or a bar area. Another sink entails a lot of hidden plumbing including water supply lines, drains and drain venting. You may need a dedicated electrical circuit and switch if you install a disposal. Al of this requires plumbers and should be done before any walls are closed up. If you decide to put a sink in an island you’ll want to consult a plumber to make sure it is physically possible to locate the proper lines without doing major deconstruction. We’ll be covering this in more detail in Chapter Four.
The Mid-Level kitchen is capable of being a comfortable, attractive, functional room that anyone would be proud of without breaking the bank. Or it can be a poorly designed room that fails to function well but contains a lot of expensive finishes, shiny appliances and trendy cabinetry. The difference is in the design and the planning. A creatively conceived and carefully planned kitchen built on a mid-level budget can outshine even the priciest showcase. And even if you have an unlimited budget, good design is essential.
