The kitchen is the heartbeat of your home. It’s the room where kids flock, your family gathers, and friends congregate. A professional kitchen designer takes an ordinary space and adds creative and technical solutions to create a space that is functional, beautiful, and suited to your family’s lifestyle.
In order to design a kitchen that is both functional and beautiful, your designer will need an intimate understanding of how your family lives, interacts, and uses the space. These insights will be the basis for a room that is customized to your family’s requests and requirements. The most effectively designed spaces will streamline daily routines, will suit your style and sensibilities, and will be an enjoyable place to work and to relax.
Design vs. Décor
Designers and decorators may work together to create an ideal space for their client. While their jobs may overlap, they each play very specific roles in the overall progression of the project. The professional design team at AKG Design Studio is one of the best in the industry. They’re experienced at coordinating projects and working together to provide guidance, insight, planning, collaboration, and execution of each step of the project.
- The Designer: A professional designer is trained in the psychology of space. This person connects art and science to better understand a person’s behavior in relation to their environment. The designer’s objective is to create the perfect intersection between the beautiful and beneficial. Designers use strong spatial skills, with a myriad of aesthetics, as well as industry knowledge to provide value, function, and beauty.
- The Decorator: A professional decorator is responsible for furnishing and adorning a space. Decorating is often subjective to the specific taste and style of one person, but professional decorators can adapt their skills to a wide variety of styles. Often, professional designers make fantastic decorators because a good design requires very little adornment.
Concepts of Successful Kitchen Design
A kitchen should suit the unique style of those who will use it every day. In order to put this concept into practice, one must combine elements of both design and decor. Successful kitchen design results in a kitchen space that is comfortable to work in and beautiful to look at.
Your kitchen should be functional with finishes and features that are easy to use and easy to love. The materials, colors, appliances, and layout should all contribute to creating a balanced design that is both rejuvenating and relaxing. A professional designer provides the knowledge and the insight to overcome challenges, solve problems, and to create the environment you’ll enjoy.
- Function and beauty– Within the design, practicality cannot take a back seat to beauty. A faucet with motion detection is both useful and is a more streamlined visual as it does not require knobs or handles. Cutting-edge appliances are just the beginning to a fully functioning custom kitchen. Appliance storage solutions, caddies for pots and pans, and creative cabinetry options are other factors to consider. These problem-solvers create a clean and organized counter space in your kitchen.
- Luxury lifestyle in small spaces– You don’t need thousands of square feet to live in luxury. Premium finishes and clever solutions give you chic design in a variety of spaces. Do you have neutral walls but find choosing paint colors tedious? Create a fresh and beautiful backsplash that demands attention instead. Do you have limited workspace between your stove and an island? Consider a French-door oven. Working with a professional designer ensures that every square inch elevates your style and serves a purpose.
Why Hire a Kitchen Designer?
A kitchen is the one space in a home that you cannot hide. Unlike a messy bedroom that can be safely undetected behind a closed door, a kitchen is often open and visible to everyone who enters your home. This room is truly a living area, and as such, should be one you enjoy showing off and relaxing in.
Working with a professional design team will ensure that your wants and needs are taken into consideration when designing your space. Partnering with a professional gives you access to exclusive resources, expertise and explanation on industry jargon, and second (or third, or fourth) opinions when it comes to adding on final decor pieces. From plumbing and lighting down to dinner plate selection, professional designers make sure your kitchen is as pleasing to use as it is to look at.
- Innovation
In the world of HGTV, YouTube, and ambitious DIY advocates, it seems anyone can transform their entire home single-handedly. For minor touches to major makeovers of your kitchen, professional designers bring about quality and originality you can’t find on Pinterest. Professional designers are up-to-date with the latest style trends and the most advanced technology. They also provide invaluable experience and understanding of the project as a whole.
- Added Value
Professional designers bring added value to your home in several ways. By nature, working with a professional means you are getting products that are of the highest quality in both function and style. Working with an expert also means that no corners are cut and no shortcuts are taken. This ensures quality craftsmanship and professional skills. Additionally, the kitchen is one of the most important factors in the sale of residential real estate. A professionally designed space always increases the value of your home.
- Time
Do you have time for a second full-time job right now? Probably not, but that’s what a major overhaul of your kitchen takes. It’s a 40-hour work week just to coordinate the full scope of the project. We’ll oversee installers, schedule subcontractors, select materials, manage the budget, and troubleshoot any unforeseen problems along the way. At AKG Design Studio, we do our job and we do it well, so you can continue to do yours. Working with a professional team provides a full staff to schedule, coordinate, and execute the project.
Our Process
Our approach to design is a holistic approach that starts in the home. We meet with each client in their home to learn about how you live. Our goal is to create a space that works for you, your family, and your lifestyle.
- Design and Review: Once we understand what you’re looking for, we will convert your ideas into a few simple concepts. This includes different layout options, a few finish selections, and creative solutions to your specific challenges.
- Show and Select: We present each client with complete floor plans and 3D renderings of the concepts and solutions that bring their vision to life. This makes it easy to envision and experience the possibilities that are available.
- Shopping: You have the opportunity to meet with AKG Design Studio vendors and see all the options available to you. This includes the obvious items like cabinets and countertops, but can also consult with contractors or craftsmen who create custom items just for you.
- Final Package: AKG Design Studio provides each client with a final design package that includes floor plans, elevations, cabinet specifications, tile layout, hardware, wall colors, and more. These plans will create a picture of the vision before we begin the project. You’ll experience how each color, element, texture, and fixture will work together to create a cohesive design.
- Project Management: If you choose to have AKG Design Studio manage the demolition, construction, and installation phase of the project, we ensure a smooth transition until the entire space is complete and ready to use.
Why AKG Design Studio?
Anna K. Gibson of AKG Design Studio is an award-winning, certified kitchen designer with over 15 years of experience. As a certified NKBA designer, she gives individual attention to each client’s specific wants and wishes, as well as the requirements that will work best within space. Anna is not only a designer but is considered an expert in her craft, making sure you see a return on investment for every dollar spent.
We understand that any type of transformation in your home is a very personal journey. It’s about you, your family, and how you live. We take the opportunity to work in your home very seriously. Every client deserves the honesty and integrity that AKG Design Studio provides from the very beginning. We are honored to work with those in Great Falls, McLean, Arlington, Alexandria, Reston, and other surrounding areas in Northern VA.
Whether you’re working on downsizing, reworking your current kitchen design, or upgrading to a luxury kitchen space, AKG Design Studio is here, every step of the way.
We design based on your lifestyle. We take your needs, your wants, your questions, and your concerns into consideration, and then we take them to the next level. See for yourself by visiting our gallery.
