9 Things Your Designer will Consider that You’ll Never See

If you are planning a kitchen remodel, your dreams are probably focused on ideas about counter top material, tile selections and new appliance choices. Here are a few of the less visible things our designers will think about for you to make your both kitchen beautiful and functional.

1. Work Triangles

This refers to the cooking area, sink and refrigerator. The concept behind the work triangle is that when the three elements are in close proximity to each other, the kitchen will run efficiently.

2. Work Zones

Think about the areas where you prep, cook and clean. Is the waste container near the prep zone? Is there counter space near the stove?

3. Ergonomics

Think about the height of your counters and whether there will be two or four people in your kitchen. Is there enough space to move without constantly bumping into each other? Cabinet height, drawers instead of doors and pullout trays can all play a role in an ergonomically correct kitchen.

4. Aging in Place

If this is your forever home, will you be able to reach into your cabinets easily? Is there enough light to see as your eyesight changes over time?

5. Hood Venting

This kitchen project designed by Chelly Wentworth required the removal of an existing chimney and the re-routing of the stove exhaust through a new hood and into the soffit above the penninsula.

Depending on the location of the hood and the direction of ceiling joists, venting the hood can be challenging.  There are also minimum clearances required for venting that is located next to operable windows.

6. Outlet Placement

Are there enough outlets and are they logically placed? Code requires that you have outlets placed every five feet plus some.

7. Range Hood Placement and Size

This kitchen renovation in a Portland National Monument building included a custom range hood designed for the project. Design by Anne De Wolf.

Hoods should be placed a certain distance from the cooking appliance for optimum ventilation as well as at a distance that works with the user’s height.

8. Appliance Placement

This is an important thing to take into consideration for creating a work triangle and work zones that correspond to how the user will use the space. We will also consider how appliance door swings and clearances will affect adjacent cavinets and other obstacles.

9. Material Durability/Maintenance Needs and Concerns

This kitchen designed by Anne De Wolf features soapstone counters.

While it may cost more initially, selecting durable materials will pay off in the long run. The soapstone counters pictured above require additional maintenance (they should be oiled regularly), but patina beautifully over time. If you prefer a more pristine look, your designer may recommend a counter top material that is less porous.

See More Stories

Induction Cooktop

The Pros and Cons of Induction Cooking: Modernizing Your Kitchen in an Older Home

By Holly Collum • April 15, 2025
Learn about the benefits and drawbacks of induction cooking, a modern kitchen technology that offers efficiency and precision in culinary tasks.

The Essential Guide to Garage Design, Remodeling, and Rebuilding for Portland’s Older Homes

By Anne De Wolf • February 24, 2025
Garages in Portland’s vintage homes carry a special blend of character and complexity. Whether you aim to breathe new life into a weathered structure, enhance it for today’s needs, or craft a fresh addition that honors your home’s historic roots, the process demands imagination and care. At Arciform, we draw on years of hands-on experience to guide homeowners through every step—design and construction—delivering results that feel both personal and enduring. Whether your Portland home is a Craftsman bungalow, Tudor, Four Square, or another timeless style, we get the quirks of older properties and the pride you feel in their unique stories. Here is what you need to know to begin with confidence.

Designing the Perfect Mudroom: Top 10 Must-Have Features

By Anne De Wolf • February 22, 2025
Everything you need for a mudroom that blends functionality, organization, and style.
Lonesome Pictopia's Northwestlake wallpaper tells complex stories of Northwest nature and history.

The Storytelling Power of Pattern

By Anne De Wolf • January 30, 2025
Explore how patterns, from bold wallpapers to architectural details, can tell stories, evoke emotions, and transform any space with a touch of creativity

Love & Logistics: Modernizing Your Older Home

By anne • November 20, 2024
It’s an old story with a modern twist. You fall in love with a classic beauty. You can hardly see for the stars in your eyes. Hardly hear anything but your pounding heart. You can’t believe she’s all yours! And then you move in together. And the romance ends. Which is where this story begins. We Portlanders love our heritage homes, and we should! They’re charming, well-built, exhibit fine craftsmanship, have lots of stories to tell, and they’re...old. Meaning that they often come with problems, and they don’t have many of the modern conveniences that we’ve come to expect. So how do you update your aging beauty without sacrificing its classic charm? As principal designer at Arciform (a design build firm specializing in vintage homes) for over 25 years, I’ve seen it all – the joys, occasional frustrations, and creative challenges of bringing an older home up to contemporary standards of comfort and efficiency. The Chain Reaction Challenge Although this article is divided into neat headings about electrical, plumbing, and other categories, your old house is proof positive that we live in an interconnected world. Remodeling can often be like a game of Whack-a -Mole, where upgrading one thing involves several other things in a chain reaction. Adding a dormer may first necessitate a new foundation or structural work. Installing new ceiling lighting and fans in your bath may reveal asbestos insulation (asbestos wasn’t banned until 1989) in the attic. Even adding that just-one-more electric appliance may demand a new electrical panel. The trick is to plan the proper succession of remodels (see: Whole House Remodels, Parts 1 - 3) and group projects together. For instance, if you’re going to open a wall to replace a window, that’s the time to modernize wiring, add outlets or lighting, insulate, and address plumbing issues.
Vaulted interior living room of the Edward Dimmit House in the Columbia River Gorge.

This Day in History: The Edward Dimmit House

By anne • November 20, 2024
Perched 800-plus feet above sea level along the scenic Columbia River Gorge is the Edward Dimmit house, built in 1932 for its namesake, one of the early 20th century’s most renown postcard photographers. 92 years later, this sturdy Eclectic Tudor house in the coniferous woodlands of Corbett, Oregon is home to two lighting designers and their pups. Getting Started Edward L. Dimmitt (1881-1963) joined Arthur B. Cross’ photography studio in Portland in 1916. Cross and Dimmitt specialized in scenic photography: the Columbia River Gorge, the then-new Historic Columbia River Highway (built 1913 - 1922) and other scenic landmarks. Selling them as postcards from their Model T, and later from a stand at Crown Point, the adventurous businessmen helped share the wonder of the Gorge with visitors and, thanks to the United States Postal Service, to postcard recipients across the world. Dimmit moved into this house with his wife around 1931. He served for 40 years as the caretaker of the nearby sandstone Vista House at Crown Point (dedicated in 1918). Vista House was not only a place to observe and pay tribute to the history and beauty of the landscape, but also a place for travelers to rest and refresh themselves while exploring the Gorge along the new highway.
SEE MORE STORIES