The kitchen is one of my favorite areas in the house. It is where people socialize a lot, especially when people unintentionally gather in the kitchen area to cook, eat, or get some beverages. Because of this, you must consider designing their kitchen to be more relaxing, accommodating, and inviting.
Thus, whether you are building or remodeling your kitchen, the design must show your personality and the vibe that you want it to have. Here are some ideas and designs that you may add to your kitchen.
1. Install Lights and Fixtures
Homeowners mostly overlooked the kitchen, settling for only a functional area where people gather to cook food or get drinks, but the kitchen can be more than that. With lighting and fixtures, you can quickly switch the vibe from a dull and glooming area to an aesthetically inviting place.
Proper lighting also ensures safe cooking, food preparation, and cleanliness. It helps you quickly see dirt and debris that may mix with the food you are preparing. Also, it enables you to spot cracks you need to fix and areas you need to clean.
However, you need to install the lights in specific locations strategically. Placing them in particular areas in your kitchen ensures visibility, safety, and aesthetics; most importantly, they make your food look appetizing.
Aside from that, you can seamlessly secure and hide your duct system, HVAC system, and kitchen’s necessary wiring and components through duct access doors and panels.
2. Put a Kitchen Island
Homeowners may have learned the best kitchen ideas and designs on the internet. It could be through Pinterest, TikTok, Instagram, or YouTube. But whichever they get the inspiration from, building or remodeling their kitchen with a kitchen island is a win-win situation as it offers aesthetics and usability. With easy-to-access free kitchen designs online, homeowners can add endless personality and style options to the kitchen islands.
Gone are those days when kitchen islands’ only purpose is just a prep area for cooking. Today, you can utilize them as a kitchen table where you can enjoy breakfast while socializing with your family and friends or entertain guests while cooking and preparing meals.
Adding kitchen islands is perfect for people who have frequent visitors or those who love to throw parties. Add island seating, and it becomes the kitchen’s ideal spot to gather around and enjoy the moment on every occasion. So, make use of your kitchen space whether you have a smaller kitchen or not. Remodel it and add a kitchen island!
3. Set a Pet Space
Contrary to what most people believe, cats and dogs must not be in the kitchen. Interior designers made a way to ensure that the pets can freely roam around the area and drink water from their water station without worrying that they might have access to trash bins or food storage. Fortunately, there are technologically advanced bins that can keep dogs from sniffing and eating food waste and other harmful materials that may affect their well-being.
Regardless of your kitchen layout, making a pet-friendly kitchen is easy as it has a standard rule. In general, the pet’s watering station or designated area must be a couple of steps away from the busy kitchen areas to prevent them from reaching the food and simultaneously avoid any accidents.
Additionally, pet owners can add an aesthetically pleasing dog nook that matches and blends seamlessly with their kitchen design if the kitchen has extra space. However, pet owners must ensure that the kitchen area is always clean and that the cleaning solutions, pointy and sharp tools, utensils, and poisonous and toxic food and chemicals are out of the pet’s reach.
4. Invest in Organization's System
Organizing your kitchen is an underrated idea, but it can surely make it look clean, orderly, and pleasing. While the kitchen’s vibe is the product of its design, the organization system makes it attractive for guests.
But the primary advantage of organizing your kitchen is knowing when the food expires. The First In, First Out (FIFO) method, which requires you to label food and beverages, will help you track the spoilage date, which food you need to keep, and which you need to throw away. With this method, you can also keep track of your groceries, making it easier to identify and list what you need to buy.
5. Consider Installing Walk-in Pantries
You must consider adding customizable walk-in pantries to organize and stock multiple non-perishable items in your kitchen. By adding it, you can guarantee that you have enough space to keep food items that you need until the next grocery date.
Its capacity also serves as extra storage areas for appliances and supplies you do not usually use, freeing some space in your countertops and cabinets. Thus, if you have a family of five or more or someone who buys groceries in bulk, consider installing a walk-in pantry in your kitchen to store and organize your weekly or monthly stocks in one place.
Keep in mind that kitchen designs must address the area’s aesthetics, storage, cleanliness, and efficiency. May the five kitchen design ideas help you decide which kitchen design you will add to maximize its space and enhance its ambiance.
