Layout first: the work triangle and the traffic path
The relationship between sink, stove and fridge sets how the room feels to work in. Get it wrong and no amount of stone or hardware will fix it.
We also look at the traffic path, because in most Ottawa homes the kitchen is a corridor as well as a workspace. Where the fridge door lands when someone is at the sink, and whether a dishwasher door blocks the route to the back door, matter every single day.
In older bungalows the kitchen is often closed off at the back of the house. Opening it up usually means a load bearing wall and a beam, which our renovation design concepts stage prices before we detail cabinets.
Storage, lighting and the details people forget
Drawers beat doors for base cabinets almost every time, because you can see what is at the back. We plan drawer banks where the heavy items live and doors where they genuinely suit.
Most kitchens we are asked to redesign are badly underlit. One ceiling fixture is doing work that should be shared between pot lights, under cabinet task lighting and pendants over an island. Lighting gets planned on paper, with circuits noted for the electrician.
We also plan for the unglamorous things: garbage and recycling, a spot for a coffee routine, charging outlets, and where wet boots and bags land in January.
Appliance sizes before cabinet orders
Appliances have to be selected before cabinets are ordered, not after. A counter depth fridge, a slide in range and a 24 inch dishwasher all change cabinet dimensions.
We build the appliance list into the design and confirm clearances, door swings and venting routes. Getting a range hood vented properly to the outside is a detail worth insisting on in an airtight modern house.
What a kitchen design package includes
- Measured existing kitchen: including out of square walls and floor level.
- Floor plan options: with the work triangle and traffic path explained.
- Elevations: every cabinet run drawn to scale.
- Lighting and electrical plan: fixtures, circuits and switch locations.
- Appliance schedule: sizes, clearances and venting.
- Material and finish list: with allowances so the build cost is real.
Where kitchen design sits in the bigger job
This work is part of our building designer service, so it can run on its own or as one stage inside a larger project. When it is part of a bigger renovation we sequence it with the other trades rather than treating it as a standalone visit.
Clients booking this often pair it with custom home design or renovation design concepts. One contract covers whichever combination you need, with a single schedule and one point of contact.
Kitchen Design across the Ottawa area
We take this work on throughout the greater Ottawa area. Recent jobs have run through Nepean, Merivale, South Keys, Kanata and the surrounding neighbourhoods. The consultation is free wherever you are in the city.