When it comes to a kitchen remodeling project, many of us stop acting our age and end up feeling like kids in a candy store. And what’s wrong with that? The excitement and enthusiasm of seeing things through a child’s eyes is hard to match. We point, we giggle, we grin ear to ear as we see so much we would like to have.
At first we are mostly in awe, visiting the candy store that is a kitchen showroom with wide eyes, afraid to touch anything and wondering how much this costs or that costs. We imagine the joy it can bring. We can almost feel it or taste it for that matter! It’s near overwhelming to see all the different colors, woods, finishes, surfaces, back splashes, cabinet accessories…so many choices we almost can’t decide even as we rapidly hone in our favorites in our heads.
Then excitement kicks in! This is happening! We imagine ourselves already enjoying our new dream kitchen, buzzing and flitting around like we are on our own candy-induced sugar high, enjoying every moment…only to be snapped back to reality when the taste slowly dissipates and we think about our current kitchen, our budget and what we really are able to do.
And that leads us right into what comes next, reality. We realize we only have a certain amount to spend. What do we really want? What do we really need? We carefully consider our choices and decide what we want…is it a decision based on value and logic? Emotion and desire? This is the tricky part, because for most of us the answer is both! We want value and efficiency in the kitchen but we also want those “treats”, the bells, whistles that are sweet to see and use and confirms a decision that only leaves a good taste in our mouths that lasts and lasts.
Where will your golden ticket take you?
And if you are one of the lucky ones who can figure out how to do it all, you may just get the same advice that little Charlie Bucket got when he asked Willy Wonka about the man who suddenly got everything he always wanted. “What happened?” asked Charlie, to which Willy replied “He lived happily ever after.”
By Jim Grace
