In this episode, join us as we chat with Rashad Eid, the interior architect from Gilman’s Kitchens and Baths, to explore the art of designing your dream kitchen. Rashad shares valuable insights on creating functional and stylish spaces, covering everything from essential design elements and layout tips to budgeting and the latest trends in cabinetry and countertops. Whether planning a remodel or seeking inspiration, this episode provides the guidance you need for a successful home transformation.

About this Podcast

• Vision and Planning: Establishing a clear vision and budget is crucial for a successful kitchen remodel. Patience and careful planning are essential due to the long and detailed nature of kitchen renovations.
• Key Design Factors: Focus on the kitchen’s style, budget, work triangle, size, and lifestyle needs. These elements are vital for achieving a functional and aesthetically pleasing space.
• Importance of Layout: The kitchen layout should facilitate easy movement between the sink, fridge, and oven. While islands are popular, they should be considered carefully based on the kitchen’s size and functionality needs.
• Budget Considerations: Budget is the most critical factor in kitchen design. Realistic expectations and careful choice of elements are necessary to avoid costly mistakes, especially in high-cost areas like the Bay Area.
• Lighting and Appliances: Good lighting is essential for functionality and cleanliness, and investing in high-quality appliances that suit the kitchen’s size and style can prevent future expenses.

Transcription

Nora Duran: Welcome to our exclusive series with Rashad Eid, the mastermind behind Gilman’s Kitchens and Baths, where we explore the art and science of transforming your home. Today, we’re thrilled to have Rashad join us as we aim to enlighten homeowners about achieving their ultimate dream spaces. Our goal is clear: to equip you with insights and strategies for a seamless and successful home renovation. Whether it’s that custom kitchen you’ve been dreaming of or a full remodel, we are here to ensure your visions come to life with style and expertise. So, I have Rashad here.

Hi Rashad, could you please introduce yourself?

Gilmans Kitchen: Hi, Nora. I’m Rashad. I am an interior architect with Gilmans, and I’ve been in the business for almost 20 years.

Nora Duran: Thank you so much, Rashad. I want to continue with our first question, which is a big one that everyone wonders about: What is the best way to design a kitchen?

Gilmans Kitchen: That’s not an easy question to answer, but I’ll try to give you the best guidance. You need to have a vision and a clear idea of the style you want in your design. A budget is crucial, and you need a lot of patience to do a remodel. A kitchen remodel is a long process and takes a lot of patience. You must be very careful about what you’re choosing because it’s something permanent, not something you can change regularly.

Nora Duran: Yes, that’s true. Now, I want to dig a little deeper. When it comes to designing a kitchen, what are the five key factors people should consider? I’m sure there are many details to keep in mind, but what are your top three or top five?

Gilmans Kitchen: I’d say the top five are: first, the style of the kitchen you want. Second, the budget you plan to spend. Third is your work triangle. In all kitchens, there’s a work triangle that you must have because it needs to be both functional and aesthetic. You can’t really sacrifice one for the other; they need to come together if you know what you’re doing. The size and proportion of things are very important in the design of a kitchen. Lastly, consider your lifestyle. Do you want to change your lifestyle, or do you want to keep it as it is?

Nora Duran: Great point. Moving on to something a bit more specific, what do you think is the most ideal kitchen layout? I feel like this can vary based on personal preference and space, but I want to hear your opinion on the ideal kitchen layout.

Gilmans Kitchen: As I mentioned earlier, there’s a work triangle that needs to be functional in the kitchen. It’s important that clients know how to navigate their kitchen so they can move from the sink to the fridge to the oven easily and without obstruction from an island. I know many people love islands, but some spaces don’t need one. There are many layouts where people want to remove walls, but those walls may serve an important purpose and should stay. You have to be very careful rather than just going with what you see on TV, like removing walls to open the space. Sometimes your kitchen doesn’t need a wall removed, and you may need that space for more storage if your kitchen is small. You need to be careful about the kitchen layout as it’s designed on the floor, not just how you imagine it will be. Making a mistake can be very expensive.

Nora Duran: Absolutely, the layout is crucial. For those planning a remodel, having a checklist can be super helpful. What do you think should be on a kitchen remodeling checklist?

Gilmans Kitchen: Appliances and the size of the appliances are super important. The height of your countertop is another consideration, and finally, though not the most important, is the style of the kitchen. Do you want it modern or traditional? I cannot stress enough that appliances and their placement are the most important things to start with because they take up a lot of space in the kitchen. You need to know if these appliances are proportionate to the kitchen. Sometimes you might sacrifice a cabinet if you’re set on a 48-inch oven, but if the kitchen can’t accommodate it, you might need to reduce it to a 36 or 30-inch oven. It’s really important to make good choices with appliances.

Nora Duran: That’s very helpful, thank you. With so many factors to consider, what would you say is the most important factor when designing a kitchen, if you had to choose one?

Gilmans Kitchen: Budget. There are a lot of cool ideas online, but most of them are not realistic kitchens—they are renderings. In renderings, you can do whatever you want, but if you try to apply that to real life, sometimes these renderings are unrealistic for real-life budgets.

Gilmans Kitchen: But again, if you have a million-dollar budget, that’s totally fine. You just have to be very careful about what you’re choosing. I keep saying “careful” because I’ve been in the business for a long time and have seen many situations where people try to start a remodel based on a picture, but they don’t understand how expensive that can be. Once it’s in their kitchen, it might not look good, and they end up having to remodel again, which means a double remodel and a lot of money. In the Bay Area, we have some of the highest-priced remodels in the country, so it’s important to be cautious.

Nora Duran: Yes, I totally agree. Now that we’re on the subject, I want to talk about budgets. What would you say is a realistic investment for a kitchen remodel? This can be tricky for homeowners, so from your perspective, what’s a realistic investment?

Gilmans Kitchen: I can’t pinpoint an exact realistic investment because every project is different. If you’re just replacing the old kitchen with a new one as is, that’s a simpler remodel. But if you want to open walls, move the fridge, or relocate plumbing and electrical, that’s a different project altogether.

However, we do have some general numbers. In the Bay Area, where costs are higher due to factors like lack of parking for contractors, a 10 by 10 kitchen with shaker-style white painted cabinets might start at around $24,000 without countertops or general contracting. Overall, you could expect to spend between $60,000 to $80,000. I’m not as familiar with costs in other areas, though I do work in places like Vegas, Wisconsin, and Kansas, where expenses differ significantly.

Nora Duran: Yes, budgeting is always tough. Organization is key to any kitchen, right? What type of organization do you recommend in your kitchen projects?

Gilmans Kitchen: For all my clients, there are three organizational elements I always include: a trash can cabinet, a cabinet next to the oven on the left or right for a spice rack, and a double-decker drawer for utensils and kitchen tools. If you have corner spaces, you might consider a lazy Susan or a magic corner, depending on the project and the client’s preferences. These are really essential features to include in a kitchen.

Nora Duran: That’s really useful, thank you. Let’s move on to another big topic: cabinets. Can you explain the three basic types of cabinet construction to our listeners?

Gilmans Kitchen: Absolutely. We have three styles of cabinets…

Gilmans Kitchen: We have frameless, framed, and inset cabinets. Frameless cabinets are the most modern style, and I would say 80% of people want that because you can take full advantage of the depth, width, and height of the cabinets. There’s no obstruction at the front of the cabinet. Framed cabinets are the most common American style. They’re more traditional and transitional, making them easy to work with. If you don’t like fillers in the corners, that’s the best way to go. Then there’s my personal favorite, inset cabinets. They’re very traditional and work well with the Victorian homes in San Francisco. I love them because they’re elegant and sophisticated. The downside to inset cabinets is that you lose a lot of space if you have a small kitchen, but otherwise, they look amazing.

Nora Duran: That’s really insightful, thank you. Trends are always changing. What is the current trend in kitchen cabinets?

Gilmans Kitchen: There’s a lot of mixing textures in cabinets right now, like a lower finish for paint and the top in wood or a mix of wood with laminate. Surprisingly, what I’m seeing is that nobody wants upper cabinets anymore; they just want floating shelves. It’s an interesting idea, but I’m a messy person, and I prefer to hide things behind cabinets. I’m not sure how I would keep my kitchen clean with floating shelves, but that’s a different subject we can discuss later.

Nora Duran: That’s very interesting to hear. Moving on to countertops, what would you say is the best countertop for a high-end kitchen?

Gilmans Kitchen: Marble is the best choice for high-end kitchens. There’s a lot of quartz that looks like marble, but nothing compares to the real thing. Marble is more expensive, but the quality, feel, and nature of the stone are much higher and more sophisticated than any quartz available. There are some lines of natural marble that are treated, and I would consider those a high-end product to use. Don’t get me wrong, I like quartz—95% of my projects use quartz, and they’re gorgeous.

Nora Duran: Great recommendations. Do you think quartz is the most luxurious type of kitchen countertop?

Gilmans Kitchen: Quartz is luxurious for the time being, but it doesn’t compete with natural stone like marble. There are many high-quality marbles on the market that surpass quartz. However, quartz is amazing because it’s a plug-and-play product. You don’t have to treat it, worry about scratches, or deal with stains, so it’s a great product for every project.

Nora Duran: That sounds amazing. Now, let’s talk about something that often gets overlooked but is so important: lighting. How does lighting affect kitchen design and functionality?

Gilmans Kitchen: Lighting is everything in a kitchen because it’s a sanitary place where things need to be clean. You need good lighting underneath the cabinets and on your ceiling. Lighting should be the first thing you think of when designing. Most people want to cut it from the budget, but I stress its importance with my clients. When you’re doing dishes or waking up in the middle of the night and don’t want to light everything, you need good lighting. Toe kick lighting is popular now. I can’t stress enough how important good kitchen lighting is, especially with dimmers if you don’t like a super bright kitchen.

Nora Duran: Yes, lighting really does make a difference. Finally, for our listeners who are looking to upgrade their kitchen appliances, what are the key considerations they should keep in mind when selecting kitchen appliances?

Gilmans Kitchen: Consider the proportion to the kitchen, the finish that complements the kitchen, and make sure you’re buying good quality appliances. Cheaper ones often break, and you’ll end up paying double to replace them, so it’s better to invest in good appliances from the start. It’s an expensive part of the kitchen but a very important one.

Nora Duran: All right, perfect. Thank you so much for sharing your knowledge with us today. This has been incredibly informative. Thank you to all our listeners for tuning in. We hope you got some valuable information, and until next time, happy remodeling.