Understand your specific food storage and preparation needs before you start planning your new kitchen. RELATED LINKS Design a Kitchen Just for You Kitchen Remodeling Tips

If you’re eager to start building a new kitchen, you’ve probably already been visiting do-it-yourself centers and kitchen design shops, browsing for appliances, flooring and cabinets. But the first step in building any room is to sit down and consider your specific needs so that you don’t end up with a space that, while beautiful and stylish, doesn’t match your lifestyle. By simply asking yourself some basic questions, you can ensure that the kitchen you build will be the perfect one for you.

Known for her knack of bringing functionality and aesthetics together, certified kitchen designer Andrea Tobias of Heritage Cabinets Corporation has left her stamp on kitchens up and down the east coast. Tobias’ work can be seen in the Viking Corporation’s company headquarters and guest cottages and in numerous magazines, and she has appeared on television with the likes of Bob Vila. Here she lists some of the important questions that you should answer before designing your dream kitchen:

• Entertaining. Are you the type of person who likes to have groups over for dinner parties? If you are, you should consider planning for lots of counter space for food preparation and perhaps a second dishwasher to make after-party cleanup a breeze.

• Shopping habits. If you come home from the grocery store or shopping club with tons of food to feed a big family, you’ll probably need a very big refrigerator. If you have a small family or if you like to make smaller shopping trips several times a week, you can get away with a more compact model.

• Cooking style. How much do you like to cook? Do you prepare small portions of just a few dishes, or do you make multi-course dinners with lots of leftovers? The answers to these questions will affect both the size of your range and cook top and your refrigerator.

• Storage needs. The size or your of dishware, utensils, small appliances and cookware collections will effect your cabinetry choices. There are wonderful pullout options for pot and pan storage, as well as great utensil storage systems that allow you to separate your cutlery. Finding the best system for your needs will depend on whether you’re a cook with five or six multi-use pans, or if you prefer to have a different gourmet pan for every cooking situation.

• Style. Once you understand your specific cooking and storage needs, you can start concentrating on the really fun part, like designing a beautiful kitchen that shows off your decorating flair. So sit down, ask yourself the important questions, and start down the road towards the perfect new kitchen!