The Kitchen Planning Journal
Notes from the design table — the questions, sequences and quiet details that shape a remodel long before demolition day.
Written by Shelley Giles
Atlanta, Georgia
Five conversations · One plan
Don’t design the new kitchen yet.
Before you start thinking about solutions, identify what’s not working. The four questions I ask every homeowner before a single line is drawn.
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The appliance that changes the plan
Why your range, refrigerator and hood are among the first decisions — not the last.
Don’t plan to the last dollar
Your project budget and your spending limit should not be the same number. Here’s why.
Two proposals. Are they the same kitchen?
How to compare more than the price before a signature turns assumptions into commitments.
Function before finishes
A kitchen can be beautiful in a photograph and frustrating to live in every day.
Plan the contents before the cabinetry
Storage planning starts with what you own — not with cabinet doors.
Start with the house, not the kitchen
Home value, time horizon and the bigger picture belong in the investment conversation.
New entries for this conversation are on the way.
“Get the consultation before the consultation.”
Everything in the Journal, in the order it matters — the full 44-page guide built from 25+ years in kitchen design-build.
The Journal, delivered.
New planning notes, plus my free guide — 7 Questions Before You Commit to a kitchen remodel.
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