1. Define Your Goals
Think about how you use your space. What do you like about it and what don't you like about it. Make a list. Think about how many cooks might use the kitchen and what preparations each might be doing at the same time.
Consider what your storage needs are and if they will be out on the counter, concealed in the cabinetry or can they be in a remote location for occasional use.
What kind of kitchen do you really want? Are you looking to simply increase the resale value of your home? Do you want to create a new gourmet kitchen for all of your entertaining? Does your kitchen space need to be expanded to accommodate your growing family? Remember that form always follows function. So what you're really looking for is a kitchen that works for you and your family. You want a kitchen that makes your life easier. Define your goals now, set priorities and create the super kitchen that suites your life.
2. Budget and Planning
The products and materials you choose will have the greatest impact on your new kitchen’s price tag. Cabinets typically account for half the cost. Installation and labor costs (which vary most by geography) take up the next biggest chunk—about 16 percent—followed by the costs of other major design elements.
If you walked into a $50,000 kitchen, you’d expect to see some materials and details that you wouldn’t find in a $12,000 kitchen. While there are endless combinations of products and materials available for any kitchen, here are some of the most likely scenarios:
3. Measurement and Volume
Below is a step-by-step guide for drawing and measuring your kitchen.
NOTE: If you are remodeling, do not include in your measurements current cabinetry or other furniture that will not be kept, such as kitchen tables.
NOTE: All of your measurements should be in inches. For example, if you measure a wall that is 10 feet, write it as 120".
Start with the first wall on the left and work to your right around the room. First, measure the overall length of each wall in your kitchen. Use grid paper to record all your measurements.
Indicate all breaks in walls (windows, doors, closets) by measuring from the corner to the outside edge of the molding. Don't forget to indicate any permanent appliances, air vents, offsets, etc.
Measure to centerline of plumbing, ducting and outlets. Remember, plumbing and outlets may be moved to accommodate a design.
Measure the height from the floor to the center of the plumbing, ducting and outlets. Measure floor to top height of each window and the height of the window itself.
4. Plan Your Floor Plan
Because your kitchen is the heart of your home it is necessary to have a good kitchen floor plan, one that has a good flow between the refrigerator, the sink and the stove or oven. Your kitchen serves as a meeting room for the family, a place for dining, a work area for a chef and a place for entertaining friends and family. With so many variations of kitchen floor plans you need to think about how you plan to use your kitchen and select a kitchen floor plan that will provide the needed amount of work space.
More and more designers are creating more open kitchen floor plans that join the living and family rooms with the kitchen. This kind of kitchen floor plan is family-friendly and perfect for entertaining.
Since today's kitchen has gone from being in the back of the home to becoming the exciting focal point in the house it is more important design a good kitchen floor plan. You need a kitchen floor plan that will provide a way for the kitchen to be part of a dining area and the family room, therefore becoming a 'great room'.
To prevent the feeling of too much uniformity and sameness it is important to select the right materials and colors and using cabinets to create a lively interior. The kitchen must fit into the spaces around it while still being set apart from other areas of the house.A good kitchen floor plan must provide a good work triangle that will provide a working relationship between the cooktop, the sink, and the refrigerator. You should have a good flow between these three areas.
The best work triangle will have a total of 26 or less, with no single leg shorter than 4 feet or longer than 9 feet. However if you are remodeling an existing kitchen it may not be possible to live up to this standard.
Whether you are designing a new kitchen floor plan in a new home or redesigning an existing kitchen you might want to consider including an island or peninsula. These can help connect the kitchen to a nearby dining room, living room or family room and can create a bridge connecting all these rooms.
You can create a kitchen canopy to provide visible but subtle borders that do not obstruct views of the other rooms. What islands and peninsulas do below, a kitchen canopy can do above. Having a canopy can create the feeling of openness.
Kitchen cabinets can be a problem with the type of open kitchen floor plan since you will have just one or two walls. Therefore having enough space for storage can be a challenge. You might think about putting the china in a china cabinet in the dining area. Consider staggering the height, length and the depth of wall cabinets, and do the same with the base cabinets and the counters. This will make the kitchen look less rigid, as will having the cabinet door styles be of varied styles instead of all identical. For example use solid doors on some cabinets and glass doors on others. You can have one style of cabinet doors for the perimeter of the kitchen and another style for the island. You can also use different colors, wood stain or finish for perimeter areas and the island.The style of the cabinetry must however be in accordance with the existing design elements of the home.
Try to plan on having ample countertop work areas as possible near the sink, the cooking areas, and also near the refrigerator.
Plan for adequate storage needs. What about cabinet accessories, such as roll-out shelves, a spice drawer etc.
In planning your kitchen you might want to think about the use of your kitchen and choose a kitchen floor plan that will meet your requirements for work space.
Besides having a kitchen as part of a 'great room' there are other kitchen floor plans to consider.
U-shape - This kitchen floor plan consists of having cabinet storage on three walls along with work stations on each wall.
L-shape - This kitchen floor plan is more space efficient, but of course it works best in a large kitchen.Island kitchens - This type of kitchen floor plan also works best in large kitchens, and features a free standing island in the middle of the kitchen.
Galleys - The galley kitchen floor plan can be used in small kitchens. It features parallel walls with the workspaces on each wall.
Before you begin a major kitchen-remodeling job, you need to know what you want in your new kitchen floor plan. You also need to know how much to budget.
Kitchens have evolved a lot over the years. Once found only in the rear of the house, today's kitchen design takes the kitchen out the background. The challenge for kitchen design is in creating a more open-faced kitchen that is part of a dining area, a family room or a great room.
In deciding on how to design your kitchen, you must take into consideration such things as: will your kitchen have an island? Will it be of a modern or traditional design? What kinds of appliances will you need for your new kitchen design? What kind of lighting design?
1. Kitchen as 'Great Room'
Whether you are redesigning an existing kitchen or planning a new kitchen in a new home there are some design considerations to keep in mind, such as including in an island or peninsula as part of the kitchen design. These can be used to connect the kitchen to a nearby dining area or family room thereby creating a 'great room'. A kitchen island or peninsula will allow the cook to keep in visual and conversational contact with family members or guests in the adjoining family or dining room.
2. Create a Kitchen Canopy
To give the kitchen some visible borders without blocking views create a kitchen canopy. Also a high ceiling in the kitchen can create the perception of spaciousness.
3. Using Kitchen Cabinet Color to Set Tone of Kitchen Design
Kitchen cabinets will help set the tone for the whole room. The choice of wood will influence the overall look of your cabinets. To create a light look, use a light wood such as ash, beech, birch, oak, maple, or chestnut. For medium range, select cherry. To darker kitchens, choose wood that has some color to it.
4. Plan Out Use of Cabinets and Drawers in The New Kitchen Design
Plan out in the kitchen design blueprint 
just how your cabinets and drawers will be used and how much space and storage you will need before you start your new kitchen design. The first thing to examine is the counter surface area. Look at where you put everything in your existing kitchen and where in your new kitchen design will these things will go in the new space. Will there be more than one person cooking at a time. If so, will there be enough room for two cooks in the kitchen to work together?
just how your cabinets and drawers will be used and how much space and storage you will need before you start your new kitchen design. The first thing to examine is the counter surface area. Look at where you put everything in your existing kitchen and where in your new kitchen design will these things will go in the new space. Will there be more than one person cooking at a time. If so, will there be enough room for two cooks in the kitchen to work together?5. Use The Galley-Type Kitchen Design
As for counter arrangements, many kitchen designers agree the galley-type design to be the best in terms of efficiency with it's single aisle and counters to either side, making it easy to turn around to go from sink to cooking range.
6. Under-Cabinet Kitchen Lighting
kitchen lighting can be an overlooked area of kitchen design. Even if the kitchen has generally good lighting, the counter areas can be somewhat dark. For these areas under-cabinet lighting can help provide more light to work in. By using simple spots or fluorescent lights a smaller kitchen can be made to look larger.
7. Looking at Countertops
Granite, marble, and limestone are all popular natural materials for use in countertops are available in many colors. Ceramic tile kitchen countertops are versatile, practical, and also available in many colors, as well as many shapes, patterns, and finishes. Solid surface countertops provide seamless acrylic faces. Solid surfaces also come in almost limitless colors, patterns, and styles, and are stain and heat resistant. Laminate countertops are more affordable but not built to last. Concrete countertops are known for versatility, as well as strength. Wood countertops are long lasting and easy to clean and repair but the wood will not withstand exposure to water and household chemicals. Stainless steel countertops lack the elegance of granite or tile. These countertops do not absorb stains, but tends to scratch easily.
