The Kitchen Features Americans Spend Thousands on But Often Specify Last
Coppersmith® founder Ryan Grambart explains why some of the most visible and frequently used elements of a kitchen deserve to be considered earlier in the design process, with decisions around proportion, material, finish, and function helping shape how the finished space comes together and ages over time.
Americans can spend six figures creating their dream kitchen, carefully selecting cabinetry, countertops, flooring, and appliances. But according to architectural metalwork expert Ryan Grambart, some of the decisions that can have the biggest impact on the finished room are still being made surprisingly late.
Range hoods, sinks, and other metalwork are often considered only after cabinetry, surfaces, and hardware have already begun defining the space, according to Ryan Grambart, founder & CEO of Coppersmith®.
And while leaving these decisions until later might appear harmless, Grambart says it can restrict everything from proportion and material choice to finish, ventilation, and how successfully different elements of the kitchen work together.
Grambart recommends considering sinks, range hoods, and architectural metalwork alongside the kitchen’s other fundamental materials rather than treating them as decisions to resolve at the end.
Why the Order You Design Your Kitchen Matters
A kitchen isn’t simply a collection of individually attractive products.
Cabinetry, countertops, hardware, appliances, and metalwork all sit within the same sightlines, meaning decisions made about one can affect the options available elsewhere.
Ryan believes metal deserves to be considered with the same intention as cabinetry, stone, hardware, and furnishings. A hood, sink, or other metal piece can establish proportion, create contrast, connect materials, and give the wider space a focal point.
This becomes particularly important with a range hood.
Its height, width, depth, and profile influence whether it quietly integrates into the architecture or becomes one of the room’s most prominent features.
Leaving that conversation until cabinetry and other major decisions have already been finalized can mean designing the metalwork around existing constraints rather than considering how all of the materials, proportions, and finishes work together from the beginning.
The Kitchen Features Worth Specifying Earlier
Kitchen decision
Why it matters earlier
What homeowners should consider
Range hood
Size and proportion interact directly with cabinetry, ceiling height, ventilation, and surrounding sightlines
Width, height, depth, ventilation, material, finish, and proportion
Sink
Countertop fabrication and cabinetry can limit later options
Material, dimensions, configuration, mounting, and how the surface will age
Metal finishes
Metal needs to work with hardware, appliances, lighting, and surrounding materials
Whether finishes should match, contrast, or intentionally develop character over time
Hardware
Smaller details can establish relationships between larger elements
Material, finish, scale, and its relationship with other metals
Architectural detailing
Bands, rails, rivets, and other details affect the overall composition
How detailing relates to cabinetry, hardware, and the wider architecture
Living finishes
Some metal finishes deliberately change with exposure, touch, and use
How the homeowner wants the material to look today and how comfortable they are with natural variation later
Your Kitchen Shouldn’t Only Be Designed for Installation Day
Another consideration is what happens after the remodel photographs have been taken.
Materials don’t all age in the same way.
Ryan says homeowners should understand whether the surfaces they select are intended to remain relatively consistent or develop character through everyday use.
Copper and brass, for example, can change in tone over time. Copper can warm, brass can mellow, and living finishes can develop natural variation and patina through touch, exposure, and use.
Rather than automatically representing damage, these changes can be an intentional characteristic of the material.
That makes understanding how a material will age another decision that should happen at the specification stage, rather than years later when a homeowner notices their kitchen no longer looks exactly as it did when installed.
The Difference Between Choosing a Finish and Specifying One
One of the biggest misconceptions around kitchen design is that more choice automatically produces a better result.
Instead, Ryan recommends understanding what each decision actually changes.
Material determines more than color. Finish affects how a surface develops. Texture changes the way light interacts with metal. Proportion affects presence, while mixed metals can either connect surrounding finishes or create deliberate contrast.
It’s why decisions around material, proportion, finish, and detail shouldn’t be treated independently from the wider kitchen.
Ryan Grambart, founder & CEO of Coppersmith®, said:
“When people plan a kitchen, it’s understandable that cabinetry and countertops receive enormous attention because they represent a significant part of the project. But the metalwork shouldn’t automatically come afterward.
A range hood can occupy one of the most prominent sightlines in the entire room. A sink is something you interact with every day. Their proportion, material, and finish can influence how the rest of the kitchen comes together, so they deserve to be part of the design conversation earlier.Considering dimensions, proportion, ventilation, material, and detailing together allows those relationships to be resolved before fabrication, so the finished piece isn’t simply selected for the room, but specified around it.
It is also important to think beyond how a material looks when it is first installed. Real materials behave differently over time. Copper can warm, brass can mellow, and living finishes can develop variation and patina through everyday use.
That isn’t inherently a flaw. It is part of understanding the material you are specifying and making a confident decision about how you want your kitchen to live and age.
The goal isn’t to make every feature compete for attention. Sometimes metal becomes the focal point, and sometimes its role is to connect the cabinetry, stone, hardware, and other finishes around it. The important thing is that the decision is intentional.”
Five Questions to Ask Before Finalizing a Kitchen Design
Before approving cabinetry, countertops, and other major elements, Grambart recommends homeowners consider:
1. What will be in the room’s main sightline?
A hood’s proportions can materially affect the balance of the finished kitchen. Consider its dimensions and relationship with cabinetry before the surrounding design becomes fixed.
2. Which materials need to work together?
Decide whether metals should connect, complement, or deliberately contrast with hardware and surrounding surfaces rather than selecting each finish independently.
3. How will each material age?
Understand patina, natural variation, and maintenance requirements before installation. A material changing over time doesn’t necessarily mean it is deteriorating.
4. What becomes difficult to change later?
Dimensions, ventilation, cabinetry, and countertop fabrication can make certain decisions considerably less flexible once a project progresses.
5. Have you seen the actual material?
Samples can reveal texture, tone, and finish variation that screens and photographs cannot fully communicate, particularly when specifying real metal and living finishes.
Ryan says the principle is simple:
“The details that help determine how a kitchen looks, functions, and ages shouldn’t automatically be the last decisions made about it.”
Rather than designing solely for installation day, considering material, proportion, finish, texture, and architectural detailing earlier can help homeowners create a kitchen in which every element has a clear relationship with the wider space.
