Three Renovation Tips to Achieve an Inviting Kitchen
Everyone believes the kitchen is the heart of their home.
Whenever we speak with clients, the first things they ask are: Can you make this kitchen flow better? Can you provide more useable workspaces and storage? And especially, can you make it a more welcoming space for our family to gather in?
We always smile when we see one of Chrissy Teigen's Instagram photos of her crafting up something delicious with her daughter, Luna. Obviously, we aren’t all the caliber of cooks that Chrissy is, but even for us novice chefs, everyone wants to feel like their kitchen is warm and inviting. If you want to try some yummy dishes check out Chrissy’s cookbook Cravings: Recipes for All the Food You Want to Eat.
In order to start making your dream kitchen a reality, we outlined three tips that we highly suggest considering with any major remodel.
Image from My Domaine
Follow the triangle rule. Aesthetics are great, but the space needs to function. Make sure that your three main work areas, sink, stove and refrigerator, are easily accessible between each other. The rule of thumb is that the sum of all three sides of the triangle should be between 13 and 26 feet. Obviously, rules can be bent, but not completely broken!
Image from KitchenShack
2. A connection from the kitchen to the living area is one of the first requests a client makes. Connecting the kitchen to another space naturally allows family and guests to gather together. Sometimes it’s structurally feasible to remove the entire wall between the adjacent living area and kitchen, and other times we need to get creative to design a visual connection to the spaces. The idea is to allow some kind of connection that does not isolate the kitchen from the rest of the house. This also makes the kitchen feel more spacious.
Image from Pinterest
Image from Pinterest
3. Creating a functional and inviting seating space is the simplest way to establish a gathering spot in the kitchen. The cook can have family and friends comfortably close by allowing for the most natural of interactions. No matter the size of your space, there are many great ways to add a seating area. If you have a small gallery kitchen simply adding a small counter with 2 stools can work. An island is always a favorite, and they can never be too big as long as you allow adequate space between the cabinets, typically 48.” Islands, peninsulas, eating nooks or even a few stools along a counter can all work, and ultimately add to the goal of making the kitchen the heart of the home.
Image from Pinterest
Image from Pinterest
Having an optimal kitchen both aesthetically pleasing and with proper functionality makes for a great place for the family and friends to gather and enjoy.
Check out The Spruce for additional kitchen remodeling tips.