Designing a kitchen is one of the most important aspects of building a new home. The kitchen has to be really right to cook without headaches in the future. Most homeowners become frustrated with their kitchens in a matter of years. To avoid expensive remodelling, consider these early on when designing a kitchen:
Storage, Storage, Storage
The worst kitchens are usually bad because of lack of space. The kitchen might be too small. Rather, the kitchen has limited amounts of storage space. Remember, the kitchen is one of the rooms the family spends most times of the day. We also keep lots of things in the kitchen, including food and appliances. Therefore, the kitchen must have plenty of storage space.
There’s no too much storage space for a kitchen. Smartly make use of the available space to design storage areas. Efficient designs don’t let even an inch go to waste. You can install storage vertically going up. Some kitchens even use the small space between the underside of ground cupboards and the floor to design slim drawers. You can use these for storing trays and cutlery. Likewise, don’t let even the smallest space go to waste.
Choose Built-In Appliances
While freestanding appliances have been traditionally common, the built-in options are gaining popularity day by day. Freestanding appliances can stand on their own and use a singular power outlet dedicate to it. On the other hand, built in ovens and microwaves are embedded within the kitchen design.
These appliances are often installed into the cupboards and integrated into exiting kitchen spaces. The result is a seamless look for your kitchen. You can save more space and efficiently utilize available power outlets. The built-in appliances would very likely be the norm in the future. Therefore, you will not regret choosing this option now, instead of paying a fortune to remodel your kitchen later to support them.
Access and Task Lights are a Must
Most homeowners make the mistake of installing only overhead lights for the kitchen. Overhead lights illuminate a large room area, but it may not illuminate the area where you are chopping the onions. The classic design of the kitchen—with all those cupboards—tend to hinder adequate light falling onto the counters. To solve this problem, install accent and task lights.
Task lights are usually present in reading rooms. That lamp you have on your desk for reading is a task light. Accent light illuminate small but specific areas in a room, such as the top of the kitchen counter. These types of light will make your kitchen superbly well-lit, so you never have to worry about the lack of it when you are about to bake something big.
Aim for a Spacious Sink Area
We wash hands and dishes at the sink. Even when you use a dishwasher, dishes do tend to pile up on the sink. Therefore, try to design a spacious sink area with a separate bin just for dirty dishes. Make sure the design takes into account how convenient it is to wash dishes at the sink. Not all the dishes go into the dishwasher, so you will certainly appreciate having a convenient sink in the kitchen.
The above tips should help you come up with a kitchen plan that allows for efficiency and convenience. Think of your future needs, rather than present ones, to design a kitchen that you would really love to cook at.
