It’s stressful enough getting all your cooking co-ordinated and on time for a family meal. But when your kitchen layout leaves a lot to be desired, that stress may erupt in volcanic form. Ever felt like throwing the overcooked pasta on the floor and stamping on it? Well, if you have, here are a few design ideas guaranteed to bring peace and harmony to a kitchen war zone.
If you’re in a position to go for a major renovation, why not open things up? Instead of slaving away in a claustrophobic, overheated kitchen, consider an open plan design. Whatever style you go for – classic country kitchen, Shaker, modern-neutral, modern monochrome, French farmhouse, and so on – open plans keeps you in touch with the rest of the family instead of locked away. You can incorporate an in-kitchen breakfast/food prep island as well as a more elegant dining area in most open plan designs if you have the space. And you’ll abolish any feelings of claustrophobia at a stroke.
If you want your kitchen to be efficiently functional, design is everything. And it’s especially important in family homes. If your existing kitchen gives you heartburn rather than heart-warming pleasure, you probably already know what needs to change. A new kitchen designed around your own, experience-generated specifications will almost certainly make an enormous positive difference to family mealtimes. And to life in general: family cooks spend a large chunk of their lives in kitchens. If it’s transformed from a place of stress and misery into a haven of happiness, aesthetic pleasure and efficiency, your everyday life is going to feel appreciably better.
The most visibly striking feature of your kitchen is undoubtedly the style and design of the units you choose. Some of the most beautiful kitchens are designed around a “sleek” look – and it doesn’t matter whether your tastes are classic country cottage, French country cottage, Shaker, modern-neutral, modern minimalist or modern-monochrome. The sleek design involves integrating all your white goods into the generic design of the kitchen, so that a fridge-freezer looks like a cabinet, as does an integrated dishwasher or washing machine.
The key point here is that by blending in with the style of the kitchen units, these craftily disguised white goods not only create a sense of soothing uniformity, they create an illusion of airiness and space (especially important if your existing kitchen is somewhat cramped). Once you’ve seen them in the style of your choice, you’ll almost certainly never want a freestanding oven, fridge, washing machine or dishwasher again.
A seriously good option is to discuss your current kitchen annoyances and future hopes with a professional kitchen designer. Ideas like a rollout pantry will keep your kitchen neat and tidy, while an induction hob will be safe, efficient and fabulously easy to clean. Be clear about your budget from the start, but highlight the things that don’t currently work for you and what you’d like instead.
Be aware when setting your budget that appliances often cost more than the new cabinets you have in mind. But be realistic rather than “cheap” as far as you can: good quality white goods (such as a high-end integrated dishwasher) will do a fantastic, labour-saving job, live a long life and more than meet the test of time.
It is most common to a family kitchen to be designed by moms but it should not be. Designing or styling your kitchen from the concept of everyone in the family is better. And the design should be of quality and not expensive to a large family in particular.