Remodeling your kitchen not only raises the value of your home, but the level of enjoyment you get out of your home. The kitchen truly is the heart of a home and choosing one that suits your needs is a big step towards creating a wonderful space to make memories with your family.

If you are starting from scratch with your fitted kitchen, there are some important factors to take into consideration and decisions to make:

Cost

The cost of a total redesign can fall anywhere between about $1,500 and tens thousands of dollars. Set a budget to begin with and plan accordingly, leaving some wiggle room for unexpected costs. And be prepared – there normally are unexpected costs and issues that arise when installing new appliances, cabinetry and pipes. It is often impossible for kitchen installers to know what they will face at the outset.

Layout

A kitchen should be planned sensibly. Having an inconvenient distance between the fridge and the stove is not practical. Professional kitchen designers work off a system called “the work triangle”: There should be a clear, open space between stove, sink and fridge, and the perimeter of the distance between them should be 12 feet minimum, 26 feet maximum. This allows for ease of movement, but no unnecessary trekking around the kitchen. The layout of cupboards and islands should be conducive to your needs: For instance, if you are a tall family, hanging cupboards can sit a little higher to create more vertical counter space (but do not put them out of an average person’s range) and if your kitchen is not big enough for an island but you really want one, get one made on wheels so it can be tucked away when necessary. For sink placement, if possible put it under a window so when doing mindless chores like washing up, you can see outside and also get natural light. If your family needs additional storage space, choose cabinetry that fills areas that would otherwise go to waste, like corner units, or lazy Susan shelving.

Appliances

Depending on your budget, aim for the highest quality of appliances you can without overpricing yourself for your neighborhood. Make sure to take measurements of depth, width and height and discuss these with your kitchen designer to ensure they fit well with your cabinets.

Design

The most fun part of redesigning a kitchen is choosing the materials (the woods, the counter-tops, the fittings), the colors and the details. The choice of design should reflect your budget and the room – smaller rooms look better with sunnier colors, larger rooms can absorb darker, richer colors. If you like to display your collection of china, choose an area where the cabinets are glass fronted to show it off and buy a light that can be angled to spotlight your collection. Try to find a theme for your kitchen and stick to it, but keep it simple. For instance, a country kitchen should have a few detailed elements that