By Malik 
One of the greatest benefits of being a homeowner is the ability to retrofit every single room in the house in order to better suit your needs. While some spaces in the house can be done by the homeowner alone, when it comes to kitchen and bath design,
I always recommend homeowners to work closely with either a registered interior designer or a certified kitchen and bath designer as both professionals have received enough training on the subject and they will be better prepared to handle all the odds and ins related to the design and retrofit of your kitchen.
Select the right working surface — Although a lot of times people think that a kitchen to be good must have granite countertops, this statement is not absolutely true. Matter of fact, engineered quartz will give you the same look for a better price and furthermore, you will have a much more resistance surface to work on. Engineered quartz surfaces are very easy to maintain as they don’t need sealants or waxes. They are non-porous, scratch resistant and highly resistant to stains. Besides all that technical attributes, engineered quartz surfaces are also GREENGUARD Certified® material which make them aenvironmentally friend product. If you are not so sure where to start, consider Cambria, and DuPont websites.
Keep your existing plumbing lines — If you are in a budget, your kitchen and bath design professional will advise you to keep your new kitchen plumbing line as close as possible to the existing one to avoid increase in construction cost. More you move your plumbing and gas lines as well as your electrical, more costly your project will be. However, if you have no option but to move those lines around, your design professional should present a solution that will be not only functional but also cost-effective.
Play with Textures — While designing your new kitchen, explore different colors and finishes; be bold on your back splash; add some texture to the walls; use glass, wood, and metal combined; and most important, be environmentally responsible.
Bring Daylight In— If you live in a ranch style home, a great way to bring more natural light to your kitchen is by installing solar tubes as part of the new kitchen’s daylight system. Besides making your kitchen much brighter, solar tubes also will help you to reduce your monthly energy costs and, if you have them installed before December 31, 2013, you may also qualify for few tax credits under the American Taxpayer Relief Act of 2012.
Maximize your Storage — Using either semi-custom or custom cabinetry, a good kitchen and bath or interior design professional will be able to come up with a very functional, yet stunning, kitchen design that will maximize the storage space without breaking the bank. A great approach to large kitchens on a semi-limited budget is to combine open and closed spaces (like shelves) as well as different styles of doors cabinets (wood and glass doors) and some architectural molding to finish it up. Space allowing, your design professional might consider incorporating some armoire or china cabinet into the room.
Regardless of where you live and your lifestyle, a well versed design professional will know how to make most of your kitchen without compromising the architectural style of your home, nor your banking account.