The Kitchen Design Process: Why Fall Is the Smart Season to Begin
- Janet Campbell
- Oct 8
- 6 min read
Updated: 2 hours ago
The Kitchen Design Process: Why Fall Is the Smart Season to Begin
BEGIN YOUR KITCHEN DESIGN THIS FALL AND ENJOY A TIMELESS, PERSONALIZED SPACE BY NEXT THANKSGIVING.
There’s something about fall that invites intention. Maybe it’s the way the air turns crisp or how the light filters through golden trees, but it always feels like an opportunity to slow down and refocus especially at home. Autumn isn’t just about pumpkin spice and cozy blankets. For many homeowners, it’s the moment they start taking their renovation goals seriously, especially in the kitchen.
This season, I’ve been reflecting on our Quail Hill project, a full first-floor renovation for a growing family who recently purchased what will become their forever home. The kitchen, though modest in size, is the heart of this redesign. And while the footprint may be small, the transformation will be anything but. It’s a reminder that great design doesn’t rely on grand square footage. It’s about thoughtful planning, layered details, and intentional moments that make life easier, more beautiful, and more inspiring every day.
If you've been thinking about renovating your kitchen, fall is the ideal time to begin. Not just because it aligns with the natural rhythms of the season, but because it gives you enough lead time to design with clarity, intention, and have everything ready just in time for spring.
Let’s explore why starting now makes sense, what a timeless kitchen design process actually looks like, and the steps that go into creating a space that blends beauty, function, and longevity.
Why Fall Is the Perfect Season to Start a Kitchen Renovation
Each season has its rhythm, but fall has always felt like a turning point, a time to take stock, reset, and plan ahead. It’s when the calendar slows just enough to make space for big-picture thinking, and for many of my clients, it becomes the season where intention meets action.
There’s a reason why interior designers like me love the fall for launching renovation projects. Autumn is the perfect time to begin the design phase of a kitchen renovation — not the demo or the dust, but the dreaming and planning that lay the foundation for what’s to come. With summer vacations wrapped and the school year underway, there’s a natural shift in focus back toward the home. It’s when people start noticing what’s no longer working in their kitchen: the awkward layout during meal prep, the lack of storage, the outdated finishes that no longer reflect their style.
And while the holidays may seem just around the corner, starting your kitchen project now doesn’t mean you’ll be in the middle of construction while hosting Thanksgiving dinner. In fact, it’s quite the opposite. Fall is the ideal time to collaborate with your designer, map out your vision, finalize selections, and prepare the construction documents your contractor will need to begin work after the new year.
That’s exactly where we are with our Quail Hill project. We’re deep in the design and planning phase, reimagining a small kitchen for a growing family into a space that’s both beautiful and functional. It’s a reminder that great design doesn’t begin with swinging a hammer. It begins with clear ideas, thoughtful conversations, and a strong foundation.
Starting in the fall means you’ll step into the new year with your plans finalized, materials ordered, and your timeline in place so you're ready to break ground with clarity and confidence.
Understanding the Kitchen Design Process
One of the most rewarding parts of working with clients is guiding them through a process that takes their kitchen from idea to reality. It’s where vision meets execution, and it all starts with understanding how you live.
Here’s how we guide you through it at LINEN + ORCHID:
Discovery & Planning: Every project begins with listening. We talk about how you use your kitchen today and how you want it to feel and function tomorrow. We ask questions about your routines, frustrations, and what you’ve been dreaming of. This phase is all about clarity.
Design Development: We translate your goals into a tailored design concept. Floor plans, custom cabinetry elevations, and curated inspiration all start to take shape here. This is where the magic begins.
Selections & Sourcing: From stone countertops and handmade tiles to fixtures, lighting, and cabinet hardware, we curate materials that feel timeless, personal, and elevated — not something you’ll find in every catalog.
Construction-Ready Plans: Design is nothing without details. We create comprehensive drawings, elevations, and specifications that your contractor can use with confidence (contractors will love you for this, too).
Implementation & Support: Whether you're working with your own builder or need help finding the right trades, we stay by your side to ensure the design is executed with care and precision.
A kitchen that feels effortless is never accidental. It’s the result of a thoughtful, layered process, and a designer who understands how to turn vision into reality.
What Makes a Kitchen Design Truly Timeless
Timeless kitchens don’t follow trends. They balance beauty with function and reflect the character of the home. Some of the hallmarks we use at LINEN + ORCHID include:
Functional flow: The layout supports the way you cook, clean, gather, and live.
Classic materials: Natural stone, white oak, handmade tile, and unlacquered brass.
Cabinetry with detail: Inset doors, framed construction, soft-close hardware.
A neutral base: Think warm whites, taupes, mushroom tones layered with texture.
Intentional contrast: Dark accents, natural wood elements, and mixed metals.
Livable luxury: Hidden pantries, inset appliances, furniture-style islands.
These are the kinds of choices that don’t age. They grow with you and enhance your everyday living.
As I often say,
“It’s how a space becomes not just beautiful, but emotionally resonant.”
Trends Worth Embracing in 2025
As a designer, I love being inspired by what’s current. And while my work is always rooted in timeless design principles, there are moments when a fresh trend feels like the perfect finishing touch, especially when it’s done with restraint.
In our Quail Hill kitchen, we’re layering some of these subtle 2025 trends to bring warmth, texture, and a sense of the unexpected to a more traditional layout:
Warm wood cabinetry like white oak that adds depth and grounding
Slab stone backsplashes paired with floating shelves for functional elegance
Mixed metals to create contrast without overwhelming the palette
Mossy greens and mushroom tones for cabinetry that feels earthy yet elevated
Statement lighting that becomes a sculptural focal point
Used intentionally, these trends bring a room to life and reflect your personality without overpowering the timeless foundation we’ve built.
Trends to Avoid (or Use With Caution)
With my background in real estate, I’ve seen firsthand how overly trendy choices can cause a home to age itself prematurely. What feels “in” today can feel out of place tomorrow, and that’s especially true in a space as central as the kitchen.
At LINEN + ORCHID, we always guide our clients toward decisions that will stand the test of time. That means approaching certain trends with care, like:
All-white kitchens that lack dimension or texture
Open shelving everywhere, which can quickly become high-maintenance
Overly minimal designs that sacrifice comfort for aesthetics
High-gloss finishes that show every fingerprint and smudge
Gold everything — instead, we recommend balancing it with wood, stone, or mixed metals
In our Quail Hill project, we intentionally avoided chasing trend overload. Instead, we prioritized materials and layouts that reflect the family’s lifestyle while ensuring the design still feels fresh five, ten, or even twenty years from now.
Because at the end of the day, your kitchen should never feel like it belongs to a specific decade. It should always feel like it belongs to you.
Planning Now Means Cooking Later With Joy
A well-designed kitchen doesn’t just make daily life easier. It invites you in. It transforms the way you gather, cook, and celebrate, especially during the holidays.
When I think about our clients, many of them come to me saying the same thing: “I wish we’d started sooner.” And I get it. Life moves fast. But when you start your kitchen design in the fall, you’re giving yourself the gift of time. Time to plan, to edit, to explore your options without pressure. You’re also ensuring that by the time the next holiday season rolls around, your new kitchen isn’t just finished, it’s ready to be lived in.
It’s no coincidence that many of my fall design clients picture Thanksgiving as their dream deadline with a cozy table, favorite recipes, laughter echoing from a space that finally feels like them. But the truth is, that vision starts now. Because good design doesn’t happen overnight. It’s a layered process, and fall is the perfect time to begin laying that foundation.
So if you’ve been walking past that outdated backsplash or dreaming of a better island layout, consider this your sign. There’s still time to begin planning before the end of the year. And if you’re ready to talk about it, I’d love to hear your ideas.
Ready to Begin?
Let’s make this fall the season you said yes to your dream kitchen.
