Your kitchen is the focal point of the house and that means it is really important to get the design elements right, as any mistakes will be noticed every day, such as wishing you had installed an island or chosen the right faucet.
There are a number of significant factors to consider when working out the perfect design plan for your kitchen and anything from the best kitchen faucet for your needs to the color of the handles on the units, will all help to ensure that you have no regrets when the work is done and your new kitchen is ready to use.
Take your time
Having made the decision to get on with a kitchen makeover or a completely new installation, there is the obvious temptation to get started as quickly as possible.
Despite the understandable and obvious enthusiasm that you will have about the prospect of getting a new kitchen in your home, it is definitely worth taking the time to think about all the design elements and have a bit of a brainstorming session with everyone in the house who is going to be using the kitchen.
Write down a list of all of the ideas put forward. Take a look through some magazines for inspiration, so that you have a clearer idea of what might work in your kitchen and more importantly, what won’t. For instance, after going through a lifestyle magazine, you might find that granite countertops sourced from firms like Stone Boneyard can be a good fit for your kitchen. However, before making any hasty decision, it might be wise for you to gather more info regarding the cost and durability of granite countertops.
Design elements
Not all kitchens are equal and despite the fact that many of us fill our kitchen with the same regular items such as plates, utensils, cutlery and glasses, not everyone ends up being able to put them exactly where they want them, as a result of poor design.
Think about items like plates and cups which are high-use and need to be in an accessible position to make things easier. Plates are often heavy and awkward especially if you are feeding a family and need quite a few at the same time, so make sure you allocate a suitable cabinet where you can easily reach them and other regular items without much difficulty.
If you have larger items like a crockpot, which might not be used on a daily basis, allocate a lower-level or corner cabinet for these, so that they are out of the way but still convenient to reach when you need them.
Food preparation areas
There are countless times where people have had a new kitchen installed and only realise when then come to use it, that they have made their food preparation tasks harder than they needed to be.
When designing your kitchen, it is often a good idea to think through your normal cooking routine and remember that the best place for utensils is close to the food preparation area and close to the dishwasher if you can do that too, so it can go away for washing as soon as you have used it, without having to travel across the other side of the kitchen.
Spices and other cooking items are best placed near the stovetop so that you can gain easy access during preparation and cooking. Think about all of these aspects of what you like to do in your kitchen on a daily basis, so that tasks like food preparation are as easy as possible because you have thought about the usability of your kitchen when designing the layout.
Having easy access to running water in your preparation area is another requirement that you should try not to overlook, so it is important that you hire professionals like this Denver plumbing company to ensure that when you have your faucet installed properly, allowing you to use as much running water as you would like. Luckily, there are a wide range of faucets available to suit your needs including pull-down models, which can be pulled down and let you wash those vegetables with the minimum of fuss.
Entertaining
You want your kitchen to work in terms of ease of access and food preparation, but also give plenty of thought as to how the room will function in terms of entertaining family and friends.
If you have regular gatherings in your kitchen, you will want to be able to chat and cook at the same time as seamlessly as possible, which is where maybe an island would provide a good solution, if the space available makes this an option.
Your kitchen space will often be unique in terms of shape and functionality compared to others, despite the fact that many of us will be performing the same tasks.
This means that you will probably have to combine various different aspects of other kitchen designs in order to get the kitchen that works just right for you.
Elias Doyle is a freelance kitchen designer and planner. She always enjoys the opportunity to share her insights online. You can find articles written by her across a variety of different websites.
