In 2016, households in the US recouped almost 65% of the cost of their major kitchen remodel. This was due to the increase in the resale price of their home thanks to their new kitchen.
It’s one of the reasons why a kitchen remodel is the second most popular home improvement project, second only to the bathroom.
But designing a new kitchen isn’t all about adding value to your home. It also allows you to have the kitchen you’ve always dreamed of.
So read on as we take a look at 9 practical tips for how to design a kitchen.
1. Think About Your Typical Usage
If you’re designing your kitchen from scratch, this is the perfect opportunity to have a space that works for you.
So the first thing you should do is think about how you use your kitchen most often. When you cook, what equipment do you use most often? Make sure this is all within easy reach.
Do you spend a lot of time making coffee? Then consider having a dedicated area of your kitchen set up to make this as easy as possible.
2. Keep Kitchen Traffic in Mind
One of the classic rules of design is the kitchen triangle.
It states that the stove, sink, and refrigerator should be three points of a triangle that are all within easy reach of each other. Rules are made to be broken, but the principle still stands. Think about the journeys you make most often in the kitchen, and try to minimize these distances.
In addition, try to keep the flow of kitchen traffic away from the areas where you prepare and cook food. This is especially important if you have young children who might otherwise be running past pans of boiling water.
3. You Can Never Have Too Much Storage
It’s all too easy to underestimate how much storage you will need in your kitchen.
So make sure that you maximize your storage space as much as possible. You should take into account the types of items you will need to store too. A combination of drawers and vertical storage is usually the best way to ensure you can accommodate all the equipment that you will need.
4. Let There Be Light
For most rooms in the house, ceiling lights are more than sufficient to provide all the light that you will need.
But in the kitchen, you will be spending a lot of your time at the edges of the room. This means that you will be blocking the light from central ceiling lighting, throwing your work surfaces into shadow.
Under cabinet lighting is the perfect way to ensure that you always have the ideal lighting conditions for preparing food. And it always pays to make as much use of natural light as you can.
5. Consider Your Countertops
How much countertop space you need will depend on how you like to cook.
If you prefer simple cooking with just a few ingredients, then you won’t need huge amounts of preparation space. But if you like to cook complex meals which require a lot of preparation with multiple ingredients, then you’re going to need a lot of countertop space to make your life easier.
A breakfast island is also a popular choice as it can double up as preparation space when it’s not being used for breakfast.
6. Place Your Power
If you’re planning on using integrated appliances such as ovens, dishwashers, and refrigerators then you need to be sure that you have power in the right places.
And the same goes for your power outlets. Think about the items you will have in your kitchen, such as coffee machines, microwaves, toaster ovens, and blenders. Make sure there are power outlets near where you plan to place these, or you will have a kitchen full of unsightly cables.
7. Let off Steam
Cooking is one of the biggest sources of moisture in your home. Left unchecked, it can lead to serious damp problems.
So a good quality range hood is a must. You should opt for one that doesn’t make too much noise, isn’t too power hungry, and is vented to the outside of your home. Not only will it keep your home free from moisture, but will also keep your kitchen smelling fresh.
8. Make Room for Recycling
When you are thinking about how you use your kitchen, one of the most common journeys you will take is to the trash can.
If you want to make your life as simple as possible, make sure that you put your trash can somewhere as easy to get to as possible. The last thing you want to be doing is walking around the whole kitchen to get rid of any waste.
You could also consider built-in waste containers. This is the ideal opportunity to include separate containers for general waste as well as recycling. That’s one less job to do later.
9. Choose Colors Carefully
Choosing the color scheme for your kitchen can be one of the most difficult decisions.
If you only have a small kitchen, then light colors can make the room seem a little larger. Dark tones in a small kitchen will make it feel more cramped but can look really stunning in a larger space.
One of the best ways to help you decide is to use a virtual kitchen designer. This allows you to look at different combinations of colors and worktop materials until you find the perfect choice.
Deciding that you don’t like the color after the kitchen has been finished could turn out to be very expensive.
Have You Found These Tips on How to Design a Kitchen Useful?
If these tips on how to design a kitchen have been useful, then there’s plenty more where that came from.
We have a ton of great articles packed with interior design tips and inspiration. So whatever your next interior design project is, we’ve got you covered. We also have more great content on topics such as gardens and patios and general home advice.
Feel free to take a look around.