The kitchen is the heart of any home. It’s where you spend a lot of time cooking and chatting with friends, family, or guests. It’s also where you tend to store most of your pots, pans, baking supplies, utensils, and other household items.
That’s why a well-designed kitchen should be easy to access and have everything you need at hand so that it feels like home whenever you sit down to relax and eat.
Because kitchens come in all different shapes and sizes, they tend to have a very specific layout that includes appliances and other necessities such as cabinets. If yours doesn’t quite have what it takes to function as an ideal kitchen, here are some ideas on how to make it feel more like one without breaking the bank.
Plan your kitchen layout before you build it.
Before you start constructing your kitchen, make sure it fits in with the rest of your home. There are a lot of things you can do to transform your home, but if it doesn’t feel like a whole, it’s not going to work. Make sure to keep the style and feel of your home in mind as you plan your layout so that you don’t end up with a kitchen that doesn’t fit in anywhere.
This may seem like common sense, but it’s something that a lot of homeowners forget when they’re building a new kitchen. The layout of your kitchen can completely change the look and feel of your home.
For example, a large island in the middle of a small house can completely alter the feel and look of the kitchen. If you want to keep the rest of your home feeling open and airy, you may want to consider installing a large sink in the middle of your island so that it creates a big hole in the wall.
Add a breakfast bar to your kitchen.
Breakfast bars can be a great way to create a little extra space in your kitchen if you don’t have any cabinets at all. Alternatively, if you do have a cabinet or two in place, you may want to consider installing a breakfast bar instead of an island. A breakfast bar is essentially an island with a countertop built on top of it.
You can use it for storing appliances or pots, pans, other cooking tools and utensils, drinking glasses, snacks, and anything else that you may have stored in cabinets. Since a breakfast bar takes up more space than a regular island, you may want to install one in place of an already-existing island.
Or, you may want to install two of them if your kitchen has limited space and you want to create some extra storage.
Install wall-mounted hand-held appliances.
If you have a large kitchen, you may want to consider installing a wall-mounted hand-held appliance such as a coffee machine or a smoothie blender so that you don’t have to take up valuable countertop space with the appliance itself.
These types of appliances are mounted to the wall so that they stay out of your way while providing you with the same functionality as a countertop appliance while taking up very little space. These appliances also tend to be quieter than countertop appliances, which can be incredibly helpful if you don’t want to distract your guests. A wall-mounted hand-held appliance can also be a great way to create more storage space in your kitchen.
Install upper cabinets with pull-out shelves.
Pull-out cabinets are a great way to create more storage space in your kitchen, especially if you have a limited countertop or storage space. These cabinets are installed on a track so that they can be rolled out from the wall when you need more storage space.
This can be helpful especially if you have limited cabinet space in your kitchen. Pull-out drawers are also available, which are essentially just horizontal cabinets on a track. They take up very little space on the wall and are great for storing smaller items that you don’t want to take up cabinet space.
Add a splash of colour to your kitchen.
If your kitchen is white or grey, you may want to consider painting it a bold colour to liven up the space. This is especially helpful if your kitchen is large and you don’t have a separate dining room or if it’s in a place where it gets a lot of sunlight.
Painting your kitchen a dark colour will help to keep it cooler while also making it less likely to get too hot while you’re cooking. Several kitchen paint options add a fun texture or pattern to your walls. If your kitchen is boring and drab, adding something like a patterned wallpaper or subway tile will help to liven up the space.
Add a vegetable/herb garden.
Gardening is a great hobby, but it can be difficult to fit into a busy schedule. That’s why it can be helpful to have a nearby garden when you’re pressed for time.
A vegetable or herb garden can help to liven up your kitchen and add some freshness and flavour to the air. If you don’t have much space available in your kitchen, you may want to consider installing a small garden on your patio. This will allow you to grow fresh herbs without taking up any space in your kitchen.
Install a wine rack or a pantry for storing glassware and alcohol.
If you love drinking wine or have a corked bottle in your cabinet, you may want to consider installing a wine rack or a wine cabinet in your kitchen. These types of appliances allow you to keep your favourite type of wine out and easily accessible while taking up very little space.
If you love cooking with wine, it will also be much easier to keep your wine rack stocked with the types of wines that you like to drink while cooking. If you don’t have a lot of space in your kitchen, you may want to consider installing a pantry instead of a full-sized wine rack. These appliances are designed to look like the back of a cabinet and can be installed on any wall in your kitchen.
Don’t forget the hood vent above the oven, especially if you cook with gas!
If you use a gas stove, you may want to consider installing a hood vent above the stove to prevent your kitchen from getting too warm. These types of appliances are designed to help to reduce the amount of heat that your home emits.
Since kitchens are generally warm and humid, this is especially helpful if you live by a body of water, like a lake or a bay. When installing a hood vent above your stove, make sure to consider the position and size of your stove. You may want to install the vent above the right side of your stove if you start from the left, or vice versa.
Wrapping up
No matter what type of kitchen you have, there are ways to make it feel more like home and create a better experience for you and your guests. These tips can help you transform your kitchen into a welcoming space that feels like a second home.
kitchens come in all different shapes and sizes, they tend to have a very specific layout that includes appliances and other necessities such as cabinets. If yours doesn’t quite have what it takes to function as an ideal kitchen, here are some ideas on how to make it feel more like one without breaking the bank.
