If you’re remodeling your East Brunswick kitchen, chances are you’re trying to solve a few problems. Most people finally bite the bullet on a renovation once they get so sick of a difficult layout. At a certain point, you find yourself grabbing take-out just to avoid the dreaded space. With a smart redesign, your kitchen can work for you — instead of drive you away every morning and night.

A Dark Den

Does your current kitchen sort of resemble the bat cave? While some people dislike the all-white ‘trend’ in kitchens, the truth is that it just opens a space up. Take a look at the narrow kitchen above. Now imagine it in dark and oppressive colors. Unless you have a fancy wall made of windows in there, you’re likely going to end up feeling cramped. Even the natural wood look that was (and is still) popular can feel suffocating.

Dated Decor

We touched on this in the last point, but it really deserves its own section. Look, there’s no way to avoid having your kitchen look dated, eventually. If you could predict the exact trends a decade into the future, you’d make millions Marty McFly style. Instead of avoiding all trends in sheer terror, recognize that your style should just reflect your personal tastes in kitchen cabinets. While even those change, you’ll have better luck enjoying the space years later.

Spacing Snags

This is just straightforward, but not everyone thinks of it. Do you have drawers that you can’t quite open? How about kitchen cabinets that get blocked by the dishwasher door? Plan out your kitchen remodel so that you solve these irritations. Reconfigure angles where you can. Swap styles where you can’t. You understand the flow of your kitchen better than anyone else at this point. Put that knowledge to good use.

Storage Shortage

Kitchen cabinets like these ice white shakers from Forevermark Cabinetry help you store everything in style. Hey, no one needs to know that their clean white lines hide your unruly tangle of kitchen twine and take-out lids. But seriously, think of expanding the storage room you have over your current cabinets. What can you remove from your crowded counters? What requires a specially-sized drawer or shelf?