So you’re considering a kitchen renovation? Before you get started, stop and consider how you use your kitchen. Do you like to cook with others? Do you like to host dinner parties? Do you have a lot of pots, pans, and baking sheets?
Whether you have a small galley kitchen in the city or a large island open floor plan in the suburbs, with the right approach, you can create a beautiful and functional kitchen. Because around here we don’t believe function has to be utilitarian. We’re committed to seamlessly incorporating it into your lifestyle. Here are a few ways we do just that:
Open Up You Space
Walls do exactly what they are designed to do. They close off a space.
In some instances that’s good. Without walls (and a roof) we’d be sleeping in the elements. Walls give us security. They give us protection. They also can make our homes feel claustrophobic. This is particularly true in the kitchen.
Kitchens tend to be the gathering hub of the home. After all, that’s where the food is. But when you gather lots of bodies in a small space, suddenly the space goes from small to tiny.
By opening up your space and adopting a great room concept, you can create more storage space, more entertaining space, and the illusion of a bigger home.
A power outlet inside a drawer can save a lot of space and give you a safe place to charge your electronic devices while cooking.
Give Yourself Plenty of Outlets
Older kitchens tend to be slim on outlets. And, when you find yourself needing to unplug the toaster oven just to charge your phone, you might say enough is enough.
But, do you want row after row of electrical outlets running through your kitchen? Probably not. This can make your elegant space look more like an office than a home.
To provide extra outlets without the eyesore, we’re installed in a drawer. (Seen above.) There are two electrical outlets and a UBS outlet.
Placing the outlets in a drawer also has the added benefit of protecting your electronics. How often have you worried about grease and cooking liquid damaging your phone or computer? Now you don’t have to!
Make the Space Work for Your Tools
Cookie sheets, cutting boards, and muffin tins can all be difficult to store. Traditional kitchen designs don’t have logical places to store these common items. The cabinets are often to shallow for them to fit. Or they end up in a catawampus pile beneath the silverware drawer.
Here, we equipped the deep counters beneath the stove with vertical dividers. This allows for these tall, narrow kitchen tools to be stored easily.
Looking for more great kitchen designs? Check out our gallery.