With so many incredible choices in kitchen design elements like countertops made of semi-precious stones, gourmet coffee makers and custom made furniture, where do you start when designing a custom kitchen?

The best place to start is to decide the function of your kitchen as it relates to your family. Are you going to use the kitchen for gourmet cooking or just warming and serving food that you order in? Will you prepare Thanksgiving dinner every year in your kitchen or just snack there? Is your kitchen just for show or are you going to use it for entertaining? And if you entertain, do you have small or large groups? And how many people are in your family that will use the kitchen daily? How much storage do you need and what type? If you have a large dish collection, you might opt for more see through cabinets to show off your dishes, but if you have a large family or large parties frequently, you might decide on a bigger pantry.

If you plan to make your kitchen more of a gathering place, think about additional seating at the bar or hearth. But if you would rather have a quiet place to read, then add a big comfortable chair and ample light to see.

Consider the other functional needs of your kitchen too. Do you need office space for household management, a homework area for your children or place to work on your favorite hobby?

I suggest that you make a list of the options and then compare that list to how your family will function in the room to make a smart choice about theses options. If your budget doesn’t allow for everything on your list, then I recommend that you invest in features that are a permanent part of your home like architecture, windows and cabinets that can be costly to change later. Purchase your other luxury items for the kitchen later when you can afford them.

Cabinets are usually the most expensive part of your kitchen design, so if you are trying to cut costs, a great option would be to reface or refinish your cabinet doors to save money.

As you begin to select features for your kitchen, start by deciding on a focal point such as a beautiful stove hood or cook top and spend a little extra money and effort to really make this area stand out. For example, you could add architectural interest to your stove hood with corbels or have the hood embossed or hammered in a beautiful design. Or you could add an unique tile design on the wall below the stove hood and then place additional tiles around the room to repeat your motif.

And as you’re thinking about your work triangle design, add additional workstations if you will have multiple cooks in the kitchen. And don’t forget ample lighting and clearance room for all your doors and drawers!
For example, one new poorly designed kitchen I was in a few years ago had a refrigerator door that completely blocked traffic into one side of the kitchen and actually hit the kitchen island in the middle when extended.

If you’re just looking for the latest in kitchen design, think about matte finishes on your surfaces like countertops or tile and look at hardware that appears to have been around for a few years in a more timeless look. One of the hottest trends right now are kitchens with a handcrafted look and high tech function, along with pot fillers and separate stations for coffee or wine.

Designer’s Eye column was written by Karen Mills of Interiors by Design, Inc. and host, Living Large.