Are you planning a kitchen renovation project? Read these six tips first to learn how to design a kitchen that you’ll absolutely love to cook and spend time in.
Designing your dream kitchen is an exciting task. But, the tricky part with kitchen interior design is that it is more than meets the eyes. While it’s essential to choose colours and furniture that create a pleasant atmosphere in the room, it’s also crucial to get the flow of the space, the position of appliances, and work surfaces just right to ensure that your space is functional too.
So, when planning a kitchen renovation, how should you approach the “look” of your new kitchen? Here are six key tips to help you design a kitchen you and your family will absolutely adore!
1.Design just the right kitchen triangle
Have you ever heard about the kitchen triangle? If not, it is just about the time to learn more about it.
The kitchen triangle is essentially made by the sink, the stove, and the refrigerator in the kitchen. Interior designers call this area like this because it is the space that gets the greatest activity. So, that is why it’s essential to consider your own kitchen triangle when designing your kitchen if you want to make your life easier in the future.
You use the sink for various tasks, like washing dishes or vegetables. You then use the refrigerator to get food out or in. Lastly, you use the stove for cooking the meal you’ve prepared. It only makes sense to ensure that there is no obstruction in this area that will make access to the sink, stove, and refrigerator difficult for you.
What’s more, the size of this area also matters. Keep in mind that if it’s too large, preparing food is going to be a tiring task for you. Yet, if it is too small, you and your family members will only be tripping over each other all the time. So, make sure to get it right.
2.Choose the right colour for your kitchen cabinets
Why settle for the basic, predictable white kitchen when there are so many other cool options?
As the experts from KitchenWarehouseUK Ltd explain, “Kitchens are no longer rooms that you can ignore in your interior design plans. These days, they are the room where friends and families meet to spend quality time together. So, the atmosphere in the kitchen matters. It’s no longer just about functionality.”
Now, just as you would do for your bedroom or the living room, base the choice of your kitchen cabinet colours on how it will make the kitchen feel. You may be a fan of a specific colour, or you may like dramatic rooms with a dark vibe. Or, you may be a fan of luxurious spaces. Whatever design feature you like, there’s no need to keep it away from the kitchen.
Now, when choosing kitchen cabinets, there’s also plenty of room to play with textures to make the space more attractive. You can play with wood or stone texture, for example. What’s more, you can also choose a bold colour for your kitchen cabinet and make it the centrepiece of the room.
3.Get layered lighting
The kitchen is not the room where you wouldn’t mind having poor lighting. And, when it comes to the kitchen, it isn’t just a matter of design and vibe in the room. It is also a matter of functionality.
Think about it: the kitchen is the room where you complete various tasks that include sharp items like knives and other kitchen tools. So, good lighting is essential to ensure that you don’t hurt yourself. What’s more, proper lighting is also a good way to show off your design details.
Now, a great way to maintain the cosy atmosphere in the kitchen, especially if you also dine there but also have enough light to complete our tasks, is to use layered lighting.
Kitchens generally need three types of lighting: general lighting, task lighting and accent lighting. To get the lighting right in your kitchen, determine the work areas you have there and consider adding some task lighting above them. Use accent lighting to show off the design elements you’re proudest of.
4.Get the right kind of kitchen storage
Storage can either make you really happy about your kitchen or frustrated.
Think about it: kitchens contain lots of stuff, from pots to cutlery, kitchen utensils, cans, and so on. So, one of the biggest design mistakes you can make when renovating your kitchen is not planning enough storage. Sure, you may dream of a clean and minimalist kitchen. But is that even possible with so many things you need here? Plus, wouldn’t you get frustrated to have to travel to, say, your basement or other rooms to get what you need to start cooking? We’re guessing, probably yes.
So, consider installing enough cabinets to get enough storage room.
Pro tip: always install cabinets over the refrigerator because not utilizing this area is a huge waste of storage.
5. Make it fit for socializing
They say that the kitchen is the heart of the home. And, one reason for that is that it is the room where families and friends typically gather to spend some quality time together. So, go the extra mile in your design plans to make your kitchen fit for socializing as well, not just cooking and preparing meals. Here are some ideas to make your kitchen socializing-friendly:
- Consider a kitchen island and some seating spaces.
- Pick comfortable kitchen furniture so that guests are encouraged to linger.
- Create an open space kitchen that communicates with other rooms such as the dining or the living room.
You’d be amazed by how much these minor elements can make your kitchen the perfect socializing area and the impact it will have on the quality of your time spent together with friends and family.
6. Add some personal touch
When designing their kitchens, or really any room in their properties, homeowners tend to make one mistake: focusing more on resale value than their personal style. Obviously, this mistake leads to living or cooking in a space that just doesn’t feel like home. And it is often not practical at all.
So, don’t be afraid to add some personal touches to the room as well, whether that means displaying some family photos, hanging a painting on the wall, or even adding a design detail that you personally like.
