For most of us, the kitchen is one of the most important rooms in our homes – it’s where we spend time with our families, try out new recipes, and unwind after a long day at work. For those reasons and more, it’s important to design your kitchen with comfort and functionality in mind to create a space you love to spend time in. To design the kitchen that’s perfect for you, you need to think about your current needs, your future plans, and how your dream kitchen will fit into both.
If you’re renovating your kitchen or simply looking to freshen up the décor, here are five kitchen design tips that will help you create an inviting space with a warm, cozy feel. Use them as inspiration to transform your kitchen into a modern and functional work of art.
Measure and plan your kitchen carefully
Make sure you measure your kitchen correctly and carefully—after all, you want to get an accurate sense of how much space you have to work with. When planning your design, think about what kind of layout will suit your needs best. For example, if you spend most of your time cooking in one area of your kitchen, focus on designing that part first. It’s also important to take any future additions into account.
Take some time to figure out what spaces will be used for storage and design them accordingly. Think about traffic flow: Traffic flow is essential because people use their kitchens in different ways. If you like to bake often, for example, make sure there’s ample counter space for rolling out dough or cooling treats before moving them to the fridge or pantry. It might be helpful to create a kitchen map with each person who uses the kitchen noting their typical path through it—this way everyone can understand each other’s patterns and avoid getting stuck in someone else’s way during meal prep.
The goal here isn’t necessarily to create an entirely new kitchen from scratch; instead, think about repurposing unused storage space in underutilized areas of your home. For example, you could use built-in cabinets as extra pantry space in one corner of your kitchen island. This helps keep ingredients close at hand while minimizing clutter across all parts of your countertop. While I’m on kitchens… kitchen islands can be very practical (but they don’t have to take over a room). An uncluttered countertop allows you to use it as both dining table AND prep area, depending upon what task you’re doing at any given moment – which is a big space saver if there’s only 1 of us using said island!
Lastly, don’t forget about storage: While it’s true that kitchens look pretty when they’re packed with appliances, cabinets and drawers—it’s not so pretty when they’re cluttered with stuff!
Mix cabinets and drawers throughout your design.
There is no such thing as too many drawers in your kitchen. Drawers offer great flexibility and give you many more storage options than cabinets alone. Think about how much weight will be placed in each of your drawers, as well as how far they’ll be opened during regular use—both factors should inform which material makes sense for your drawers. Balance is key when determining how much cabinet versus drawer space works best for your design. We also recommend getting as many lower cabinets as possible since they add extra storage space.
Play with colour
Have fun with color. Color is a great way to add visual interest without going overboard with knickknacks and decorations. Try mixing light blue with yellow or red accents throughout your kitchen; we think you’ll find that bolder colors keep things looking fresh longer than traditional neutral tones! It also helps break up otherwise empty spaces so everything doesn’t blend together visually (you don’t want people getting lost in there!). Add some vertical elements. Sometimes kitchens feel cold because they have no vertical elements (like drapes) tying them together.
Make sure your kitchen feels warm by adding things like curtains or even art to spruce up plain walls. Your kitchen can actually look cozy rather than bare with just a few changes here and there! And while you’re thinking about decorating, try putting up shelves over your stove. That empty wall probably isn’t doing anything positive for your décor, so fill it with spice rack holders instead! They add easy-to-reach spices but aren’t an eyesore when left behind closed doors. Dress yourself down: When designing your kitchen, choose materials that dress themselves down to reduce maintenance costs later on.
Don’t forget power points.
We can’t stress enough how important it is for you to carefully consider where your power points should go in your kitchen. Placing them in strategic locations can make a world of difference. This is especially true if you want to create an open concept. Just remember that adding more isn’t always better, so be sure not overdo it when incorporating power points into your space. They don’t have any functional purpose, but they definitely play an aesthetic one! A good place for your first power point would be above or below a bar-like peninsula with stools or chairs. If you choose, you could add another on top of or behind that area as well. Another great place would be along one of your kitchen walls in order to maximize storage.