If you’re looking to do something new with your family’s kitchen you might be desperately searching for design ideas. Rather than fretting over things too much, you should focus on getting the fundamentals right because that’s how you create a kitchen that’s going to serve you and your family’s needs well for a long time to come.
There are lots of things that need to be taken into consideration, and this guide is going to discuss each of the most important matters that should be in your thinking as you make changes to your kitchen space. The decisions you make now will impact your family’s daily life for a long time to come. Here are some changes you might want to think about.
Create a Cooking and Preparation Area That’s Safe and Spacious
One of the most important factors to take into account is the level of space and safety that your kitchen is able to offer you. If you don’t feel like you have space on your work surfaces and countertops for all the things you want to do, cooking simply becomes a stressful hassle and that’s not how it should be. A lack of space can also lead to safety issues, which you don’t want to be dealing with, so always keep safety in mind when designing a new kitchen space.
Make Sure the Lighting is Adequate
Lighting is another thing that will impact safety. The last thing you want to be doing is chopping vegetables with a sharp knife on a poorly lit countertop. That’s why lights that fit underneath your cabinets and shine down onto your work surfaces can be a smart investment. The lighting in general should be plentiful throughout the space if you want to make your kitchen an enjoyable place to cook, dine and spend time with your family. Take the time to consider the options carefully.
Consider an Island
Creating an island in your kitchen might be exactly what your space needs. Having an island gives you more space for storage and also a place to stand and sit around when you’re using your kitchen as a social space. You could even install a sink in the island, freeing up extra space that you can use for cooking and food preparation on your counter tops. If you have the space for one, it’s definitely an addition that you should be considering.
Ensure You Have Plenty of Storage Space
Storage is a big deal when it comes to your kitchen, and when you don’t have enough of it, it’s very easy for your space to become messy and disorganised which is obviously not what you want to happen. This guide to kitchen cabinet sizes and standard dimensions will tell you what you should be expecting from any new cabinets that you install. Having that extra storage space will make a huge difference to how you use your kitchen and how organised and streamlined everything in it feels. Don’t underestimate kitchen storage.
Combine the Seating Area with the Kitchen Area Seamlessly
The best thing about cooking food is eating it afterwards, and that’s why you should try to combine the seating and dining area with the kitchen and food prep area as seamlessly as you possibly can do when you’re looking to do something new with your kitchen. When there’s a seamless transition between where you cook and where you sit, the whole space will feel much more cohesive and that’s the way it should be. It’ll also help create a much more social kind of space.
Give Each Key Appliance a Home
Every appliance in your home should have a space of its own and a storage area that’s adequate for it. That way, you avoid having things behind left around and taking up space on the surfaces in your kitchen. It’s a simple thing but it’ll help improve organisation, as well as making it easier to find the things you’re looking for when you need them. Just make sure your whole family knows where things are kept so they don’t put them back in the wrong place.
Keep Surfaces Simple and Clutter-Free
A good general rule to implement in your kitchen is to make the surfaces completely free from clutter. Keeping surfaces clean and tidy will ultimately result in your kitchen becoming a much more enjoyable space to cook in. It’s not too difficult to get this right, and it’s not just about clutter. Going over the top when decorating with too many ornaments taking up space on your surfaces can also make using the kitchen harder than it should be and harder than it needs to be.
Add Touches Your Family Can Enjoy
Those little touches that you add to your kitchen are often the things that can make the space more enjoyable to use for your family. For example, you might dedicate some of the wall space in your kitchen to a chalkboard. This is good for writing down notes and reminders or even recipes while you’re cooking. But it’s also fun for the kids to play around and get creative with. These are the kinds of ideas you should explore.
Make it Accessible for Everyone
Sometimes, families make work surfaces at various levels so that kids can help with cooking and tasks in the kitchen as well. When it’s more accessible for everyone, more people can take part in the process and it’s generally more enjoyable as a space for the family. It’s definitely something to think about as there are lots of creative solutions to these issues.
The kitchen is one of the most important rooms in the house, especially from the perspective of your family unit. It’s where you all gather in the morning to share breakfast and where you come together again at the end of the day to prepare and eat dinner. So it’s definitely worth improving it in the ways discussed above.
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