Renovating your kitchen? Don't forget about the appliances

(NC)—Every home renovation project is stressful, but there's no room in your house that invites more renovation stress than your kitchen. With a multitude of choices to make, from the design of the cabinets to flooring and light fixtures, it's no wonder this type of construction project often runs longer than anticipated.

And surprisingly, in the midst of all of this cosmetic planning, one of the most often overlooked elements of any kitchen renovation is the appliances. Just as dated and tacky-looking linoleum flooring needs to be updated, more often than not, the kitchen appliances may need an overhaul as well.

"Regardless of how much money you invest in a kitchen renovation, old and mismatched appliances simply ruin the over-all look," says Warner Doell, director of sales and marketing for the home appliance division of Samsung Electronics Canada. "Finding appliances that perform as well as they look is a paramount step in achieving a dream kitchen."

Doell offers the following tips when shopping for new kitchen appliances:
• Get a plan and budget – Before you put a hammer to your old kitchen, sit down and come up with a design concept and budget for the renovation. Make sure you have an idea of the size and dimensions of your kitchen appliances as they will affect your cabinetry layout. Do some research to determine an adequate budget for your appliance purchases. Remember it makes no sense to spend your entire budget on design elements when the appliances you use daily perform at a sub par level.
• Think uniformly – Think of your kitchen as an outfit and the appliances as accessories. It wouldn't make sense to mix and match shapes and colours. Today, many appliance manufactures offer complete kitchen line solutions – from over-the-range microwaves to refrigerators. For example, Samsung's full line of kitchen solutions – from French door refrigerators to dishwashers – not only look as good as they perform, but each piece was designed with similar handles and LED lighting so all the pieces match.
• Form and function is a must - From cooking holiday dinners to washing daily loads of dirty dishes, your kitchen appliances are constantly put to the test. Aside from looking great, kitchen appliances need to do the job well. Whether it's a range or a dishwasher, assess your needs and purchased accordingly.

More information on this topic is available online at www.samsung.ca.

- News Canada