Essential Tips for Designing the Perfect Kitchen with Fairfax Kitchen and Bath

Nora Duran: Hello, everyone. Welcome to our session where we are exploring all aspects of home remodeling. Today, we are here to offer straightforward, practical advice to help homeowners kick off their renovation project. Our goal is to answer those common questions you might have about updating your space, ensuring you have all the information needed to make good choices.

Throughout our series, we’ll cover a range of topics, help simplify the remodeling process from picking the right design elements to understanding the basics of construction. We’ve got you covered. We want you to feel confident and ready as you transform your home into the dream space you have always wanted.

Now, let’s welcome our expert today, The lead designer at Fairfax Kitchen and Bath. Sena, could you please introduce yourself? 

Fairfax Kitchen: Thanks Nora. Absolutely. My name is Sena. I’ve been with the company for eight years now. We’re a boutique kitchen bathroom remodeling company that does everything from A to Z.

We have a few locations here in Virginia. So we have Fairfax, Sterling, we’re opening up Gainesville, and then we’re moving into Bethesda Field as well.

Nora Duran: Perfect. Thank you very much. So let’s kick things off with a question on many homeowners minds. What’s the best way to designing a kitchen? 

Fairfax Kitchen: , designing a kitchen, uh, involves multiple factors. I would say, , you really need to balance functionality, aesthetics and personal preferences. Um, so I think the best way to get started is to figure out your needs and wants, , and then find the right professional to hire, to help you make those correct choices. 

Nora Duran: Perfect. Thank you very much. And I just want to break it down a little farther. Can you walk us through the three essential factors to consider when planning a kitchen design? 

Fairfax Kitchen: Yeah, absolutely. I would say one of the most important things is always functionality and creating a work triangle is extremely important in a kitchen.

Thinking through how you’ll be working in the space, how much counter space you need. How accessible your appliances are to you Um is extremely important and you need to take that into consideration when planning for a kitchen So that also means having different work zones another really important factor to consider would probably be your cabinetry the quality of cabinets that you want Uh, that’s the the largest element of the kitchen.

 Picking that to stand the test of time is extremely important, especially with how big of an investment Um, and then lighting is also extremely important. That will really shine through on everything that you select and everything that you spend money on, um, will be reflected off the lighting.

Nora Duran: Great. Thank you for this great advice. Now let’s talk about layout. In your opinion, what’s the most ideal layout for a kitchen space? 

Fairfax Kitchen: That’s a tough one because layout really comes down to each person’s, , lifestyle and the way that they utilize the kitchen. There are so many different layouts and it’ll also be limited by, the configuration of your home, how much you can expand, what walls you can knock down.

So, ideally I like to create a balance between openness. And some privacy. Um, I’m not a huge fan of just having everything completely open. I think, , there needs to be a nice marriage between the two. Um, so, I love having a grand space, but I like to create archways, and kind of designate and ground some areas, uh, so it doesn’t feel like The kitchen and the living room are, are all one giant space. 

Nora Duran: Perfect. That, that’s such a profound insight. Thank you for highlighting that. And now let’s discuss something practical. What exactly is a kitchen checklist and why is it so important to have one? 

Fairfax Kitchen: A kitchen renovation checklist is a pretty comprehensive guide that helps you plan, organize, and execute a kitchen renovation.

So this will consist of a list of wants and needs, what’s realistic for you, what you’d like to have, um, and helping, having this will help you, stay on track, whether it’s with budget, timing, making sure that you checked off everything on the list so that you’re not missing anything when it comes to getting started with the renovation.

 It’s a pretty important piece of keeping yourself organized, really. 

Nora Duran: Mm hmm. Fascinating. And in your opinion, what takes precedence when it comes to designing the perfect kitchen? What’s the most important?

Fairfax Kitchen: I would say functionality is the most important factor when it comes to designing your kitchen because, , as beautiful as it may be, uh, if there isn’t functionality, there’s really no purpose to a kitchen. It is the heart of the home. A lot of people spend so much of their time there, whether it’s entertaining, cooking, , people just tend to gravitate towards the kitchen in the house.

So I think functionality is extremely important, um, and make sure you have an efficient workflow, everything’s safe, , you have enough clearance to pass by each other, things open properly,, it just makes it more enjoyable and less stressful when you have a functional kitchen. 

Nora Duran: Yeah, for sure, for sure.

And now let’s talk about the one of the hottest topics, budgeting. What’s a realistic, um, investment someone should aim for when planning a kitchen remodel? 

Fairfax Kitchen: Well, this will change with the type of company that you want to hire. There’s such a large variation of pricing, which is why it’s such a hard topic.

Everybody kind of prices it because I do consider this line of work to to be sort of like artwork where you know, it’s all based off of the value that that you think you’ll be getting from it. So with budgeting, I think, realistically, um, at this time, kitchens will start at about 40, 000 before appliances.

, plus you have to consider appliances into the factor. So that could be anywhere from. Five to thirty thousand depending on how high end you want to go, but a kitchen can range from, Forty to three hundred thousand dollars realistically 

Nora Duran: Yes, that’s a great reminder for for all of us All right.

Let’s talk about organization strategies What is your go to approach for keeping projects running? Seriously Without any hassle. 

Fairfax Kitchen: So one of the most important things is having that checklist and making sure that We’ve gone through everything. Explored all the options And then one of the most important things for me is having everything ordered and ready before beginning the project That’ll really ensure that once the ball gets rolling.

It doesn’t stop there’s always some sort of delay when it comes to construction since there’s so many moving elements, but You , if you have everything in hand, it’ll make sure everything goes a lot smoother. 

Nora Duran: Mm hmm. Yes, for sure. And now let’s break things down. Let’s talk about cabinets.

It’s a big part of any kitchen, and can you break down different construction types for our listeners? Sure. Thanks. 

Fairfax Kitchen: Yeah, I would say the three major, , construction types for cabinetry is framed, frameless, and inset, , and these are basically the way they’re structured. A lot of cabinets have the same sort of base infrastructure with our company.

Um, they all have wood doors, they’re soft closed, plywood ends, dovetail drawer box constructions. But there’s different levels to this. So as you go up in price, typically the price will, um, reflect the quality of the construction as well. So although they all have the similar features, um, you can get different qualities of that.

So with framed cabinets, , the door sits on top of the base frame of the cabinetry, frameless cabinets are a little bit more European, , a little bit of a cleaner look, cause there is no front frame on them. And then inset is a little bit more traditional. I think it provides a really rich look because everything is so flush and clean , but it still has character to it.

So that’s why it can really play into the like Traditional transitional side of things

Nora Duran: and with all the information you’re providing. I think it could be very overwhelming to choose. , the perfect cabinetry what factors should homeowners consider when deciding, you know, between frame frameless inside. What should they consider? 

Fairfax Kitchen: You should consider their style and budget. So the most common form of cabinetry would be the framed, and that’s where you’ll be able to find it at lower price points to, , but style also factors into this.

So if you have a really particular aesthetic in mind where, you know, it’s super transitional or traditional and it reflects, the inset style cabinetry, it might be worth spending a little bit more to achieve that look. , but, you know, framed isn’t a bad option either. It, it’s really durable because it does have that frame to hold onto.

So there are pros and cons to all of them. It’s just really about the aesthetic and then how much you want to spend on the cabinets. 

Nora Duran: Mm hmm. Yes, great points. And now let’s talk about style, shall we? What’s trending right now when it , comes to kitchen cabinets, countertops, countertops, countertops. 

Fairfax Kitchen: With cabinets right now, a lot of neutral hues are in, , so we’re veering away from the really bright, sterile, , cooler tones of white and gray, and we’re going more into like the cashmere tones, a little bit more earthy, organic, , you’ll see a lot of off whites. When I say cashmere, this can veer into grays too, , but it’s typically a warmer gray right now, sage greens, and just different shades of green are very, very in trying to incorporate a little bit more nature, again, that organic feel.

And then stained tapestry is huge right now, especially rough cut oak, lighter shades of oak, um, walnuts are very in, uh, basically anything stained will always repeat itself. with the trend history. So I’d say those are super popular, as far as cabinetry goes. And then for countertops, natural stone has always, been in the game, but quartz is extremely popular right now.

The maintenance free aspect of it is very attractive to homeowners, especially, you know, ones with, Is your lifestyles and Children.

Nora Duran: All right, perfect. And now going into the luxury. What countertop options scream sophistication for, , that was aiming for a high end finish. 

Fairfax Kitchen: I would definitely say. Natural stone really screams sophistication, especially marble and quartzite. , it’s really, quartz does imitate that look, but it’s not the real thing.

It’s kind of like the comparison of luxury vinyl flooring to hardwood. Hardwood just has that character. Same thing with natural stone. It just has that natural character, the different depths and layers to it, , that only nature can create. So I would say that’s really like a wow factor in a kitchen for me.

And even though it’ll have imperfections, that kind of is what makes it so amazing is that it has those natural imperfections and it makes it cooler. And you know, each of those edges have a story to them. 

Nora Duran: So what do you think, , the most luxurious type of kitchen counter best? 

Fairfax Kitchen: I’d probably say, , marble, like especially ones with Really deep red veining.

, I think screams luxury. It’s one of the most expensive types of marble too. So I would definitely have to go with marble when it comes to luxury. 

Nora Duran: Yes, yes, great advice. And now let’s brighten things up. How can a strategic lighting choices elevate the overall design and functionality of a kitchen?

Fairfax Kitchen: Lighting makes a huge, huge difference in the kitchen. So everything that you picked out is brought to light literally through lighting. And there’s different types of lighting. So there’s task lighting, general lighting, there’s accent lighting, and each of these have a different purpose. So task lighting is literally, It’s very literal.

, it helps you focus on work areas, town top spaces. So that could be through recess lighting. It could be through, , under cabinet lighting, especially if you cook at night. Under cabinet lighting is very helpful. It also adds some ambiance to, , a nice glow since they have different settings now. , but, , pendant lights, decorative lighting is extremely important because you don’t always want harsh light.

Sometimes you want to just set a mood and accent lighting really helps with that. And it’s such an important factor. I think people forget that sometimes and just put in recess lights, but it does define a space as well. 

Nora Duran: Yes. Yes. Great. Thank you very much for your information. And like perfection is in the details, right?

So what are the key considerations for selecting kitchen appliances? Yes. 

Fairfax Kitchen: Key considerations for selecting kitchen appliances would probably be again, how you’ll be using them. Um, so if you’re not an at home, um, chef, prodigy, you might not want to invest the 20, 000 in a cornuce stove or a wolf range.

 It’s all about how you’ll realistically be using them. Sometimes it’s really nice to have those bread knobs, but you might not know how to use them How to work them. , so I’d say it comes down to the design one, making sure that it fits in , with the rest of the design. So if you have an ultra traditional kitchen, you don’t want to put the most contemporary appliances in there.

, a function is extremely important sizing, making sure it’s proportionate to the space. Reliability, of course, some certain things are more reliable than others. Some people wonder if they should just get a package so they can make Get a deal. , but all the appliances might not turn out that great versus picking everything to Maximize its functionality and get the most bang for your buck could be a little bit more worth it in the long run and then planning for the future is important appliances, too so Making sure that, , you can entertain if you do, um, and have enough to cook for a family if you need to in the long run.

, so planning ahead is important and then technology is important too. , making sure it has different functions, It makes it a little bit more user friendly that way, too. And if you’re not the best cook, it might help with that as well. 

Nora Duran: All right. Great, great information. Absolutely fascinating.

Thank you so much, Sina, from Fairfax Kitchen and Bath. And our listeners, thank you so much for tuning in today. I hope that was, enlightening for all of you who are planning Renovation projects and we hope to see you in, our next episode. Thank you. 

Thank you.