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The kitchen is generally considered as the heart of your home and the room where you would undoubtedly spend most of your time. When budgeting to furnish your new home, it is highly recommendable to reserve a comfortable budget for your kitchen.
Invest in your kitchen in order to have the right design and functionality, which will make your life much easier in the long run and also increase the value of your home. Here are a few suggestions to follow when choosing your design.
Add a subtle touch of colour
There are ways to add colour without being too adventurous or bold with your kitchen design. Choose one of your cupboards, preferably one that has glass doors, and fill it with your expensive glassware and dinner sets. Then, paint the inside of the cupboard to get the right attention to your preferred glassware as they contrast against the stark background. Not only does it add character to your kitchen, but it also adds some colour if you decide to go for a white or neutral coloured kitchen.
Make it Practical
Minimise unnecessary steps in the kitchen. This is where you will be cooking your lunch and dinners, preparing breakfast for the children and whipping up your favourite meals, sometimes under strict time limits. Avoid wasting time by choosing a practical layout that will make things as easy as possible on those busy days. The dishwasher should be located under your sink so as to avoid dripping water from rinsing the greasy dishes prior to placing them inside your dishwasher. Furthermore, install your storage cupboards close to the dishwasher, preferably on the same side, in order to unload the dishwasher as effectively and fast as possible. It is also useful to have the refrigerator close to a clear surface, in order to put them down somewhere when bringing multiple items out of the fridge.
Make washing dishes your favourite chore
Even if you have a dishwasher, there will be times when you opt to wash the dishes yourself, so why not try to make it a pleasant experience? Let’s face it, washing dishes can never be pleasant, but the least we can do is try to make it less of a nuisance! To do this, try to locate your sink in front of a window with a view if this is possible. Washing dishes would soon become your go-to chore to unwind and take a breather from your busy day!
Determine the use of your island
Sure, islands can look beautiful in a kitchen and can be very handy to use when preparing food…but is this the only use for your island? Do you plan to eat your dinners on it? Will the hob be located on the island too? If so, this will require much more space so it is imperative to determine the size of the island based on how you intend using it.
Minimise your kitchen utensils
Utensils and cookware can clutter your kitchen if you over stock on things for one-off occasions. Let’s be realistic; you will have that one pot and one saucepan that you will always reach out for when cooking your daily meals, while all the other pots, pans and cutlery take up all the space in your cupboards. Rather than filling up all your storage space with unnecessary items, increase the empty space in your cupboards where you can store items that would otherwise be kept visible on your kitchen counters. This leads us to our next point…
Keep your kitchen counters as clear as possible
If you are one that enjoys cooking and experimenting with different ingredients, then you need to have sufficient work space in the kitchen. It is recommended to have 80cm on either side of your cooker, space permitting. In order to maximise your working top, keep it as clear as possible and avoid placing appliances on the tops such as your coffee machine, toaster, sandwich toaster, kettle and maybe even a microwave, if it is not built in. Alternatively, plan your space to keep these appliances in one particular place to keep the rest clutter-free. The ones that are used less frequently can be stored away with easy access for when you decide to use them.
An interactive kitchen
Cooking for the family can seem like a burden if this is being done on a daily basis with a busy lifestyle. Cooking with the family however, is a completely different story. Try to incorporate ways and means of involving the family in the cooking process. Make it a kid-friendly kitchen by making different levelled counter tops and place the built-in microwave below counter top level for easy reach. In this way, with adult supervision, children can become accustomed to food preparation and this can also serve as excellent quality time with the family.
Designing your house can be such a rewarding experience if done correctly. Click on the link below for great tips on how to design your bedroom!
