I’m “Funneling” My Kitchen, and It’s Taken the Stress Out of My Renovation (No Regrets Guaranteed!)

Boudreaux’s “design funnel” rule for decision-making helps prevent the most common renovation regrets. The concept is simple but game-changing: Start with the biggest elements, and narrow those down beginning with functionality. Let each choice inform the next so that no decision is made in a vacuum. Here is the decision order that changes everything.

Start with the biggest commitment, both visually and probably financially. Here’s how to break it down, according to Boudreaux. First, consider quality and budget — that alone “will restrict the options in some type of way.” Decide between paint or stain (pro tip: You can go from stain to paint later, but not vice versa!). Now choose between light or dark, pick warm or cool tones, and only then choose the style of the boxes. Et voilà! What could be an overwhelming decision is magically made more manageable.

Let your lifestyle guide this choice, Boudreaux says. Consider durability first, and think about maintenance preferences. Ultimately, you should also choose the material based on your cooking habits. “I just ask people, ‘how do you cook?’” Boudreaux says. “Some of my clients make a lot of red sauces, some use turmeric. That’s going to affect what material works best for them.” 

Choose your sink size — as well as single vs. double — based on cooking habits, Boudreaux says. Then, select the right material for you (stainless, composite, or porcelain), and pick a faucet finish that will set the tone for hardware elsewhere in the kitchen.

Although you still want to start with function when it comes to materials, the kitchen backsplash is where your personality should show through, says Boudreaux. It should be an easy decision, she says! “If it’s not 100% knocking your socks off, just walk away.” She adds that if you think of going bold with patterns elsewhere, you might want to keep this section simpler.

Choose your kitchen “jewelry” after you have a good visual of the kitchen coming together. Keep function in mind with the size of the drawers (and of the hands using them!). While a lot of people like to match the metals throughout the kitchen, don’t feel constrained here, Boudreaux says. If you like metal tones that are different from what you chose for your faucet, go for it! Mixing metals is actually a hot kitchen design trend experts say is here to stay.

By this point in the process, you’ll definitely have a strong sense of your kitchen’s direction, which makes choosing flooring much easier. You know the drill: Start by choosing the material based on how hard you’ll be on the floors. “If you have a lot of dogs and kids, those luxury vinyl tiles are awesome,” she says. 

On the other hand, if you’re going for a higher-end look and are considering resale, keep perceived value in mind, and consider tile. Once you’ve picked your material — and because the rest of your kitchen has virtually come together — it should (!) be fairly easy to narrow down the aesthetic choice of color or pattern. 

Here’s where Boudreaux’s approach really shows its ingenious nature — by leaving paint until very last, you can choose a color that perfectly complements everything else. It’s so much easier to choose from a palette that works with your cabinets, countertops, and backsplash than reverse engineering, trying to find all those elements to match a pre-selected must-have paint color (ahem, more on that below). Plus, you suddenly only have to pick from … a few thousand shades, rather than virtually infinite ones!

Boudreaux’s method is so much more streamlined for two reasons. Choosing cabinets first automatically makes every subsequent decision easier because you’ve just eliminated all the countertop options that don’t work with your cabinets; after the counters, you can remove from the equation all the backsplashes that you don’t love with the counters, and this cascade effect continues all the way down. 

Then, focusing on functionality first also funnels your options. If you know you can’t or won’t commit to the upkeep of marble, there you go! You just slashed a ton of options from the menu. Even more ingenious: By the time you get to the smaller decisions, you’ve already established a clear direction, which makes those choices much more manageable. Of course, appliances can be a wildcard — some people may already have them, some have no idea until the end. And that’s OK! The good news is that with options available now, you can build around basically anything. 

Boudreaux’s “design funnel” rule prevents you from making decisions in isolation. Each choice builds on the last, creating a cohesive look that feels intentional rather than thrown together. “You just have to take your time and make sure you are showcasing just the things you want and quieting other things,” she says. “Because that will make your kitchen more classic and timeless.” And the more timeless the kitchen, the longer before you have to do this again! 

What do you think about the “design funnel” rule? Let us know in the comments below!