When undertaking the task of designing  a kitchen space, there are a lot of things to keep track of.  What should be enjoyable can turn into a daunting task.  It is good to focus on several key factors when designing a kitchen.

Start with the large items.  Focus most of your energy on the largest items in your space because these are the things you (and other people) will notice first.  We all know how important first impressions are and  having a pleasing overall kitchen can make small imperfections acceptable. 

Consider the areas of your kitchen design in the following order:

• flooring

• kitchen cabinets

• counter tops

• wall paint color

Let's now take a closer look at these areas.

Flooring is very noticeable in every room and the kitchen is no exception.  Since everyone looks where they are walking, it's inevitable that we notice flooring.  When choosing the right kitchen floor, make sure that the flooring meets several criteria.

• Smooth - kitchen flooring should be smooth and not porous.  This will prove important whenever you spill or drop something on the floor

• Resilient - choose a flooring option that can take a beating.  It's very likely that you'll drop something onto the floor that is hard, and when that happens we don't want it to ruin your floor.

• Cleanable - while there is a small trend toward using natural stones in the kitchen, many flooring surfaces are not tolerant of modern day cleaners that can make your life much easier.  Make sure to research what cleaners are usable on your flooring.

Kitchen Cabinets are very important to the design of a kitchen.  Using Quality Kitchen Cabinets will raise the value of your space.  There are many different features to consider.  While most cabinets look similar from the outside, they can be very different on the inside.  Cabinets can contain many different space saving and organizing features within the shell of the cabinet.

Make sure to consider the what your kitchen will be used for.  Today's modern kitchen is much more than a food preparation center.  It can be a gathering space, a studying space, a workspace ect.   You should keep this in mind when designing the kitchen layout.

One final note regarding cabinets is that you might want to consider using the same color and style kitchen cabinets and bathroom vanities.  This can make your home flow more smoothly.

Counter Tops are very visible to the eye in a kitchen and therefore are important from a design perspective.  There are many shapes and styles to choose from.  Keep in mind that the counter  top surface should be easy to clean and should follow the same criteria as the flooring surfaces mentioned earlier in the article.

Wall Paint Color can change the feeling of a space drastically.  Depending on the light and size of your room, paint can make a big difference.  For smaller rooms, or rooms without large windows, consider lighter colors for paint color.  This will make the space feel bigger and will promote a better mood for the space.

Make sure when designing a kitchen you make it fun.  You having fun doing the activity of designing will help ensure that the space ends up being fun for its end users!