Kitchen Remodeling Services

A small kitchen remodel in Providence, RI does not have to start with knocking down a wall. In older Rhode Island homes, I often find that awkward refrigerator spots and difficult to reach corners are the biggest issues. Fixing those problems can make the remodel worth it and you don’t have to turn the project into a full construction job. Ways to Improve a Small Kitchen Without Removing Walls Make better use of the cabinet run Small changes in cabinet size can create more usable storage without moving the walls. For example, a wide drawer cabinet is more useful than two narrow cabinets with limited storage. Redesign the corner A standard corner cabinet can leave you with a deep difficult to reach space. It can also interfere with the drawers or doors beside it. Change the cabinet arrangement, and get easier access without changing the room itself. Look at the refrigerator and other appliances Appliance placement can make your kitchen feel even smaller. A refrigerator or a dishwasher leaves little room to stand when it is open; change their position in the existing layout. Simply have a better place for one appliance and you may not need a larger kitchen. Give everyday items easier storage Deep drawers near the range for pots and pans are more useful if you cook often. Rethink where the toaster, mixer and coffee maker should be stored instead of placing them always on the counter. Be careful with cabinet depth More cabinet space can be good for storage but it also makes the walkway too tight. Some older kitchens are only suitable for shallower cabinets that give enough storage while leaving more room to move. Give up a little space inside the cabinet and gain a kitchen that feels much easier to use. Think twice before adding an island Your dream kitchen island can be an obstacle if there is barely enough room to walk between the island and the cabinets. A smaller work surface with the middle open is a better choice if there is space constraint. Use the space above the cabinets Taller cabinets can give you extra storage without taking more floor space. That upper storage is a good place for serving pieces, seasonal items and appliances you only use occasionally. It is a simple way to gain storage while keeping the main work area clear. How Smart Planning Can Save Money on a Kitchen Remodel Homeowners can avoid spending money they do not need to spend. When someone tells me they want to remove a wall, I ask what is bothering them. Do you need more counter space? Removing the wall may be one solution and it is not necessarily the only one. Do you need more storage? I want to look at the cabinets. If two people keep getting in each other's way, I want to see where that is happening. Example: You think you need to remove a wall Imagine a kitchen where the lack of storage can be solved by opening the kitchen into the dining room. Before doing that, we might find that one corner cabinet is practically unusable. There is a large filler beside another cabinet. The refrigerator takes up a lot of counter space. Most of the base cabinets have shelves instead of drawers. Those changes could give the homeowner more useful storage without touching the wall. Removing the wall would still be an option. But now they can decide based on what the kitchen actually needs. Example: You need more storage but cannot lose walking space The homeowner wants deeper cabinets because they want more storage. This creates the problem of a narrow walkway. We could look at the cabinet widths and storage inside them. You can solve the issue with wider drawers, a different corner cabinet or smart use of the space near the refrigerator. Example: You do not need every cabinet to be custom I would not recommend making the entire kitchen custom just because one area is difficult. Let's say a standard cabinet works everywhere except for one narrow section. We could use standard or RTA cabinets for most of the kitchen and make one cabinet to fit that particular space. That can be a more sensible way to spend the budget. Example: Your old kitchen is not perfectly square A wall may be slightly out of square. One side of the room may measure differently from the other. A cabinet combination that looks fine on a drawing may not sit the way you expect once you get into the room. That is why I want accurate measurements before we start ordering cabinets. It is much cheaper to catch a problem during planning than after the cabinets arrive. What We Look at Before Suggesting a Cabinet Plan At Darlington Designs, we measure the walls and check the corners. We look at windows, doors and appliances. We also pay attention to how you use the kitchen. Maybe you need a better place for your baking supplies Maybe your pans are buried in a base cabinet. Maybe you have nowhere to put the microwave Maybe the refrigerator is eating up the only useful counter space With these details, we can figure out where your money will do the most good, like standard cabinets or custom pieces. What I Would Tell My Own Brother If this were my brother’s kitchen, I’d tell him to hold off on removing the wall. I’d first look at what we can fix within the existing 10- or 12-foot kitchen. A 6-inch change in cabinet width can help eliminate an awkward filler. A 12-inch drawer is useful storage where a filler or narrow cabinet was doing very little. Even changing a 24-inch-deep cabinet to a shallower option in the right spot can give you more room to move. I’d also check the appliances. If the refrigerator is taking up 36 inches of prime counter space, moving it may do more for the kitchen than opening up a wall. Then I’d look at the corners. A standard corner cabinet may fit a 36-inch space but still leave you reaching 2 feet into the back to find something. If the kitchen still feels too tight after that, then we can talk about removing a wall. But I wouldn’t spend money on demolition until we know the cabinets and layout cannot solve the problem. Planning a Small Kitchen Remodel? At Darlington Designs, we can help you look at what is worth changing before you commit to a bigger project. Visit our kitchen and bath showroom in Rhode Island and talk through your ideas with us. Bring photos of your kitchen if you have them. We can start there and figure out what the space really needs.

A complete redesign is not always the answer for older Rhode Island kitchens. The room may have enough space with a good layout but things may not line up when you put standard-size cabinets into it. A cabinet leaves an odd gap at the wall. A drawer cannot open properly. The sink does not sit where you want it. A corner cabinet takes up space but gives very little storage in return. I see this often in older Rhode Island homes. The issue is not always that the kitchen is too small. It is that standard cabinet sizes do not always fit the room very well. That is why custom cabinetry is useful for kitchen remodels in Rhode Island . Why Older Rhode Island Kitchens Need Different Cabinet Sizes Standard widths and depths of stock and RTA cabinets are easier to manufacture and therefore are more affordable. The problem starts when the room does not match those measurements. For example, you might have a wall that is 91 inches long, but the cabinet layout works best at 88 or 94 inches. A filler strip in this situation is not the best use of the space. The same thing can happen around windows, doors and appliances. A few inches can be easy to ignore when the kitchen is empty. But you will notice the difference once the cabinets and appliances go in. A drawer may hit the cabinet next to it. You may end up with a bigger filler than you wanted. Or you lose storage just to make the standard sizes fit. In an older home, I want to look at the actual room before deciding what cabinet sizes should go into it. What is the importance of cabinet dimensions in kitchen design Say you have a cabinet run that almost fits a standard combination of cabinets. You could use fillers to make up the difference. But now you may be giving up several inches of usable storage. Or perhaps the refrigerator needs to sit beside a cabinet. The cabinet technically fits, but you face a problem when the door or drawer does not open fully. Another common issue is when a window may not be centered around a standard sink cabinet. Moving the sink may affect plumbing, countertops and the rest of the layout. Custom cabinets give us another option. Instead of making the room fit the cabinets, we can make the cabinet layout work with the room. Common corner cabinet problems in kitchen design Wasted corner space: Standard cabinets can leave awkward areas. Deep, hard-to-use cabinets: Items can get pushed to the back and forgotten. Doors and drawers may clash: One cabinet can limit how far the next door or drawer opens. Small kitchens feel it more: You cannot lose usable storage when space is limited. The layout may need adjusting: A different cabinet configuration, custom width, or corner setup is way more practical. How custom cabinets reduce wasted kitchen space People often have this misconception that custom cabinets mean a more expensive or elaborate kitchen. But custom solutions mean you should have a wider drawer where a standard cabinet would leave a filler. It also means working around the cabinet depth so the walkway feels less crowded. For an older Rhode Island kitchen, those small changes can have a bigger impact than adding decorative details. Have an awkward kitchen space to work around? Visit our showroom to see cabinet options in person and talk through what could work for your layout. Schedule a showroom consultation . When I Wouldn't Recommend Custom Cabinets Custom cabinets aren’t always necessary. There may be no reason to pay more if standard or RTA cabinets fit your kitchen. Custom cabinetry is not the only solution if standard options provide enough storage and allow doors, drawers, and appliances to work properly. Custom cabinets are indeed a wise choice when standard cabinets create awkward gaps. Our offered custom cabinetry is worth considering if standard dimensions reduce storage or cause clearance issues. What to look at before choosing custom cabinets Look at the whole kitchen : Cabinet runs, appliances, windows, doors, corners, and walking space all matter. Find out how the kitchen is used: Someone who cooks every day may need more drawers for pots and pans. Someone else may want better storage for small appliances and clear counters. Plan around the homeowner : The cabinet layout should work for the room and the person using it. Measure the space: Don’t assume a standard cabinet combination will fit just because it looks right on paper. Use standard cabinets when they work : Sometimes the measurements show that standard cabinets are all you need. Use custom cabinets where they solve a problem : If the measurements reveal awkward gaps, tight clearances, or wasted space, choosing a kitchen remodeling Rhode Island contractor that offers custom cabinets is a better fit. Which is the right cabinet for your kitchen Kitchen planning can be different for Older Rhode Island homes. Imperfect dimensions or an existing window can create challenges. Sometimes, you even want to have an appliance in a particular location. That does not mean an entirely custom kitchen is your answer. If there is a corner in your kitchen that does not cooperate with standard cabinet sizes. It means you need a better cabinet plan. At Darlington Designs, we look at the kitchen as it actually exists before recommending a cabinet solution. Sometimes standard or RTA cabinets are the right choice. Sometimes a custom cabinet solves a problem that standard sizes can’t. Have an older Rhode Island kitchen that doesn’t work with standard cabinet sizes? Come visit our kitchen and bath showroom in Rhode Island . We can look at your space and talk through the best suited custom or RTA options.

I always tell people the same thing: do not start with the pretty stuff. Start with what can cause problems later. Older kitchens have things that look fine from the outside until you start taking things apart. Then you may find old pipe, a strange electrical setup, an uneven floor, or a layout that was built around problems from years ago. That is why I always tell homeowners not to jump straight into the pinteresty countertops or cabinet finishes. Before you decide the look of your new kitchen, figure out what the old kitchen needs. Here is how I would prioritize an older kitchen remodel. What Should You Check First in an Older Kitchen? Start with the parts you cannot see in a finished kitchen, like: ● Plumbing ● Electrical work ● Walls ● Floors ● Windows Now is the time to identify what needs to be fixed first. It is much cheaper to deal with a bad pipe while the cabinets are out than to find it six months after the remodel. Why Fix Plumbing Before Replacing Kitchen Cabinets? I’ve seen older kitchens where the sink plumbing has been patched more than once. You may also find old supply lines or a drain that is not in the right place for the new layout. Here is a simple example. Say you want to move your sink three feet to the left and put a dishwasher beside it. That sounds simple until you realize the existing plumbing was never set up for that location. Deal with the plumbing first because you cannot break open the pipes after you have installed the cabinets. Tip: Do not finalize the cabinet layout if you have plans to move the sink, dishwasher, or refrigerator. 5 Things to Fix First in a Kitchen Remodel Start with the layout. Before we choose finishes, we look at how you move through the kitchen and where the main work happens. Fix cooking, cleaning, and putting groceries away challenges. There are layout problems if you have to walk around an open dishwasher to get to the sink, or you keep crossing the kitchen just to move food from the refrigerator to the stove, the layout is working against you. Fix lack of storage Storage needs attention if your countertops are covered with appliances. Pots and pans need a different kind of storage than baking supplies. Everyday dishes should be easy to reach. Appliances you use once a year do not need to take up prime cabinet space. Fix appliance placement Appliance placement is fine if ● One can open the refrigerator without blocking someone walking through ● Two people can use the kitchen when the dishwasher is open ● There is enough counter space beside the range If an appliance makes you change the way you move around your kitchen, it is worth looking at. Fix the Lack of Counter Space You need counter space to unload groceries, to prepare food, or to put in a hot pan when you come off the stove. A kitchen needs a better plan if every inch of counter space is already being used by a coffee maker, toaster, microwave, and other appliances. The answer is a different cabinet layout or moving an appliance. Not sure what is the right solution for your kitchen? Consult with Darlington and you can even claim a first complimentary layout draft for your kitchen . Fix Wasted Space Do you have a deep corner cabinet where everything gets lost? The narrow gap beside the refrigerator is also wasted space. The cabinets stopping short of the ceiling are also leaving space that collects dust. These areas are worth looking at during a remodel. Don’t Ignore the Signs of Water Damage Behind the Cabinets Do not ignore the stains on the walls or floor damage. Find the source of the issue and avoid putting a new cabinet over an old problem. For example, if the cabinet under your sink has swollen from years of small leaks, I want to know why before we install the replacement. Should You Replace Old Windows During a Kitchen Remodel? A perfectly good window does not need replacement but a leaking, damaged or difficult to operate window surely needs discussion. Having someone look at the whole project helps. Connect with us if you are not sure which old things in your kitchen need to be replaced. Can Custom Remodeling Fix an Awkward Kitchen Layout? Kitchens with unusual corners, narrow spaces, or weird dimensions do not work well with standard cabinets. Get more flexibility with custom remodeling. We can plan the kitchen around the space. Choose our fully customizable options and get the layout, storage, finishes, and details that make sense for your kitchen. Typical duration: ● Template: 2–5 days ● Fabrication: 14 days ● Installation: 1–5 hours What I’d Tell My Brother Before Remodeling an Older Kitchen I would tell him to forget about the backsplash for a minute. First, figure out what is wrong like old plumbing or electrical lines that need work. Figure out how the uneven floor will affect the cabinets. Color or finish selection should come after you fix the poor layout. You are going to look at the backsplash for years. You do not want to spend those years wishing you had moved the sink. What Should You Fix First in an Older Kitchen? If I had to put it in order, I would start here: Water leaks and plumbing problems Electrical issues and outlet locations Structural or wall problems Floor conditions Kitchen layout and cabinet placement Appliance locations and clearances Cabinets, countertops, backsplash, and finishes The exact order can change from one home to another. That is why we look at the kitchen before making a recommendation.  Bottom line Do not let the pretty finishes distract you from the work that needs to happen underneath. A new countertop will not fix a leaking pipe or new cabinets are not a solution to the bad layout problem. Fix the important stuff first to make the kitchen look good. Choose Darlington if you want to discuss kitchen remodeling in Massachusetts and Rhode Island. I’ve seen plenty of old kitchens. I know where the money is worth spending and where it isn’t. Come by the showroom and let’s talk about yours.