How Many Decisions Does It Take to Design a Kitchen?

FIELD NOTES

August 7, 2026 By Patrick Ediger

Hint: All of your design decisions should be made, materials ordered and received but this stage.

One of the biggest reasons renovations become overwhelming isn’t because homeowners have to make difficult decisions. It’s because they’re asked to make hundreds of them while construction is already underway.

One thing I’ve noticed over the years is that the most stressful renovations usually have one thing in common. Construction begins before enough decisions have been made. Everything after that becomes reactive.

Our philosophy is different. We believe construction is the time to execute decisions, not make them.

Long before demolition begins, we’re working through the countless choices that shape how a kitchen will function, feel, and come together. The goal isn’t to slow the process down. It’s to remove uncertainty before construction ever begins.

Most people think designing a kitchen means choosing cabinets, countertops, and appliances. That’s certainly part of it, but it’s only the beginning.

Before we even start talking about materials, we’re asking different questions. How do you cook? Where do groceries come into the house? Do your kids do homework at the island? Where do guests naturally gather? What’s frustrating about your kitchen today? Those answers influence every decision that follows.

Then the decisions start to multiply.

The layout. Cabinet configuration. Appliance locations. Drawer organization. Door styles. Wood species or paint. Countertop material. Edge profile. Backsplash. Sink. Faucet. Hardware. Lighting. Flooring. Ventilation. Pantry organization. Electrical outlets. Trim details. Seating. Furniture. Even details as small as where the trash pull-out belongs or which way a cabinet door swings can change how the kitchen functions every single day.

Here’s the tricky part: none of those decisions exists in isolation. Change one thing and you’ll almost always have to revisit several others. Move the sink, and suddenly you’re reconsidering plumbing, cabinetry, countertop seams, lighting, and even the way people move through the room. What seems like a simple adjustment rarely stays that way.

Leave those decisions until construction starts, and suddenly everything feels urgent. Contractors need answers. Schedules tighten. Costs become harder to control. What should be an exciting process starts feeling like a series of last-minute decisions.

That’s exactly what we’re trying to avoid.

Our job isn’t to make hundreds of decisions for the sake of making them. It’s to organize them, make them in the right sequence, and solve problems before they ever reach the job site. When construction begins, everyone can focus on bringing a well-considered plan to life instead of trying to create one in real time.

Oh, and by the way, if you’re still wondering how many decisions it takes to design a kitchen, the answer is usually somewhere between 250 and 400 individual choices. Crazy, right?

That’s exactly why I believe construction is the time to execute decisions, not make them.

Until next time,

XO

PE