Design a kitchen you love

Does your kitchen need an update, but you’re not sure where to start? For every woman who has ever felt daunted by kitchen renovations, here’s your knight in shinning armor: cabinet maker Camille Finan’s new book, “Kitchen Love Story.”

​​​Finan, who owns her own kitchen remodeling company, wrote the tome to help women navigate the usually torturous process of kitchen alterations.

“I’ve been in the industry for quite a while and all of my colleagues are men,” explains Finan. “They have a very different way of approaching kitchen design.” From hiring the right contractor to staying within budget, she give us advice from the female perspective.

Drawers make a difference
For the perfect kitchen remodel, the most revolutionary adjustment is how you handle your base cabinets. Put in base cabinets with drawers instead of doors, stresses Finan. “It’s the single biggest change that will make the most dramatic impact in your kitchen,” she says. Wouldn’t it be nice to just look down instead of digging in the back corner trying to find what you need?

The bigger, the better
Bigger handles on your cabinets are more accessible and just plain easier than tiny ones, explains Finan. She almost always uses a pull 6 inches or larger. Bare essentials “People keep things they don’t use very often right next to stuff they use every day to make their grilled cheese or scrambled eggs,” says Finan. “Take out things like Christmas plates and store them somewhere else.”

Corral your seasonings
Instead of having your garlic powder, tarragon and nutmeg haphazardly placed in a cabinet, invest in a spice insert drawer. “It allows spices to lay in a drawer horizontally, and you can see them all,” Finan says. “Plus, it frees up your upper cabinets for cups, glasses and cereal bowls — which is really what they are made for.”

Bare essentials
“People keep things they don’t use very often right next to stuff they use every day to make their grilled cheese or scrambled eggs,” says Finan. “Take out things like Christmas plates and store them somewhere else.”