Anyone who has completed a major remodeling project can attest that the details do matter. Minor considerations can have a major impact on a space’s usability and visual interest, ultimately affecting homeowner satisfaction.
The kitchen is the hub of the home, so it’s an area worth investing in.
Here are six ideas for adding value to your kitchen remodel through countertop design:
- Varied Counter Heights: CounterScaping, or using various countertop heights to create zones within a kitchen, is a great way to increase kitchen functionality. CounterScaped kitchens easily transition between food preparation, mealtime, entertainment and home office work.
- Landing Spaces: It sounds intuitive, but many frustrated homeowners can attest that landing spaces are often sacrificed or unplanned. Leave at least 15 inches of countertop space on each side of a cooktop and a refrigerator, as well as near the microwave, to provide a convenient place to set cookware.
- Decorative Countertop Edges: Stone- and granite-patterned laminate countertops look more realistic when finished with edge treatments commonly found on more expensive surfacing materials. Our new IdealEdge™ decorative edges have quite a few people giving laminate a second look due to the added realism.
- Varied Countertop Thicknesses: Although standard laminate countertops are about 1 ½ inches thick, experimenting with thicker or thinner countertop surfaces can add a modern and dramatic flair to the kitchen. Our new IdealEdge™ profiles achieve unmatched realism as they reduce the countertop thickness to 1 ¼ inches – a look to which expensive surfacing materials now aspire.
- Blocking the Island: Who said laminate is only for the island countertop? One international trend is “blocking” an island — applying the same decorative surface to both the top and sides.
- Backsplash Upgrade: While laminate and solid surfacing are great backsplash materials, the backsplash certainly doesn’t have to match the countertop. Mosaic tile, glass, bead board and even unconventional surfaces such as repurposed chalk board or pennies can provide a functional and attention-grabbing complement to any countertop material.