Kitchen Ideas and Design Tips

The Functional Kitchen

The kitchen is the heart of the home. It is where most people would spend their time preparing meals for their families and therefore where they spend a lot of quality family time. Realtors get many sales from houses that have a good house designs and a great kitchen design. There is almost a guarantee that if you fall in love with the kitchen you will fall in love with the house. Most designs are mainly successful due to good ergonomics provided in the house plans, cabinet and counter top finishes.  The planning will depend on several aspects you will take into a consideration:

• Size of the kitchen: design will be quite different if your space is small and if it spacious
• Budget: number of elements and materials to be used in the design will differ if you are on a budget or not.
• Family lifestyle: if your family life is connected and family spends lot of time together, preparing meals and eating together, then it will be a very important part of your home and you will have to invest a lot in the planning thereof.

If you want to avoid the stress, make sure to do all calculations and prepare your finances before you start a project.  While doing so, take into account your plans for the future. If you believe you will live in this home for at least another five years, invest without restrictions, making sure that your new kitchen satisfies all your wishes and needs. Money spent on things you don’t replace often is well spent! Don’t choose cheap hardware, because they will malfunction quickly and you will have to replace them, which means more work and in general, a waste of money.

Also make provision for unforeseen expenses and put some money aside “just in case”.

Functionality of a kitchen space is its major characteristics. Interior decoration is determined with numerous kitchen activities, such as sorting, preparing and cooling of food and drinks as well as cleaning. Planning the position of kitchen furniture and equipment will result in a functional space in which all actions are performed properly.

Functional division of the interior spaces to the so-called “functional triangle” enables you to avoid unnecessary circling during kitchen. Therefore, architects pay a lot of attention to appliance positioning and easy of access to all kitchen elements.

Working spaces such as counter tops is of extreme importance. It has to be as clear as possible and built of quality material that is water and scratch resistant. You can add additional working areas in a form of kitchen table(s) of various dimensions (including table on wheels). There is also a possibility to put a kitchen island, if your kitchen is spacious enough.

It is important to put all appliances you use regularly where you can easily reach them (11 13/16 to 55 1/8 inches from ground).

For lightning of kitchen counter halogen lamps are an ideal choice, because you can easily attach them everywhere.

Kitchen counter material should be easy to clean because this is the part of a home where hygiene is of primary importance.

Cabinets can be a deal breaker; however they can be the one thing you can customize if you are not happy with the overall design. Aesthetically pleasing cabinets will help the overall architecture. The color of your cabinets will ideally be reflected in the rest of your kitchen furniture. A comfortable and beautiful kitchen will make it easy and desirable for family members to want to spend a considerable amount of time there, other than just for eating.

Adding the personal touches is always a good. Depending on how your room is made up functionally, you can always separate the dining from the food preparation area. A bar and bar stools around the food preparation areas makes for an inviting gathering place, while you’re doing the cooking.

The breakfast nook portion of should also be a relaxed and comfortable area. Choices in your color of paint can enhance the ambiance.

Little pots for herbs can sit within your windows and add a home touch and provides you with ingredients for your cooking.  This will act as the right environment for a lively and comfortable family room.

These are a few items that can be included in your remodel or new home project.