The kitchen is the heart of the home. Whether you love to host dinner parties or family functions, the kitchen tends to be where people gravitate towards when socializing or sharing a moment at home, even when it’s not over a meal. Accommodating both functional and social purposes is what makes designing or remodeling this space so challenging. To help you stay on the right track, here are five steps to consider when designing your ideal kitchen:
1. Choose Beautiful Cookware
One of the simplest things you can do to refresh your kitchen design is to treat your home to a beautiful, new cookware collection. Bronze, stainless steel and copper items are stunning, timeless options that are ideal for frequent use. While budget cookware items serve a purpose and can be a great temporary solution to a sparse kitchen, when you are upgrading your space it’s important that you opt for cookware made from high-quality and durable materials. In addition to being more aesthetically appealing, quality cookware is much safer to use long-term.
2. Carefully Consider The Function Of The Space
What a functional kitchen looks like can vary from house to house. When designing or reorganizing your kitchen, pay close mind to what creating a functional kitchen layout means for your household specifically. Consider questions like whether your kitchen needs ample surface area for cooking large meal servings every day, if a bigger fridge is needed for your pre-prepared meals, and what kinds of appliances you use.
3. Always Say Yes To More Natural Light
There is practical and aesthetic sense for bathing your kitchen in as much natural light as possible. You want a high level of visibility in your kitchen at all times for preparing and cooking meals as well as for sorting through pantries and storage shelves. For similar reasons, it’s most common for kitchen walls and furniture to be lighter in colors and shades. Natural light will not only complement these color schemes during the day but give the illusion of a larger space.
If you keep any indoor kitchen ledge plants or herbs, setting up your space so that it is well-lit will ensure better growth and longevity for all your greenery.
4. Discourage Clutter With Adequate Storage
This can be applicable to any room in a house but is especially important for your kitchen for one big reason: perishable food items. It’s not just the discomfort of coming across a forgotten fruit or snack growing mold, but also the risk of leftovers attracting moths and other insect infestations. A clever kitchen layout can work wonders for reducing the potential for clutter.
This goes back to point number two about being mindful of function. Give serious thought to all types of ingredients, cookware, bulk purchases, pot plants, flower vases, decor and anything else that you might store and keep in your kitchen. Then, when planning the layout or design, make sure that there is a designated place, shelf, cabinet or nook for everything you use. This way, if you commit to putting everything in its place, you lessen the chances of overfilling or cluttering your countertops and surfaces.
Now that you have a better idea about what goes into designing a kitchen you will love, the rest is up to you. What does your ideal kitchen layout, accessories and cookware selection look like?
