Great kitchen design is more than just aesthetics. Kitchen designers spend hours and days designing kitchens that work with a homeowner’s space, budget, needs, and even personality. Good kitchens are a balance between function and style.
But, whether you’re planning to renovate, remodel, update, or build a whole new kitchen, there are a few core technicalities you should keep in mind.
Proper Kitchen Lighting Positively Affects Moods
Did you know that lighting can affect our emotions? They do, and in many different ways, for that matter.
If you’re an avid user of the blue light filter feature on your phone, you’re probably already aware that the blue light coming from your screen can make it harder for you to fall asleep. Though, in the daytime, blue light helps us feel more energetic.
The many different kitchen lighting styles and trends offer many different benefits.
For example, ample natural lighting makes for happier home dwellers. Floor-to-ceiling windows allow you to better see the amazing views outside your kitchen — be it your manicured lawn or the bustling cityscape. You can use a combination of natural, ambient, task, and accent lighting to make your kitchen more functional or more homey, whatever your goal is.
Lighting affects your appetite, too! Brighter lights are known to heighten both positive and negative emotions. But, in kitchens and dining rooms, they help us make healthier food choices.
Smart Kitchen Layouts Save Space
A big kitchen space is a luxury that not many of us can afford. So, what’s a smart homeowner got to do? Look for space-saving kitchen design ideas, of course!
Small kitchens call for smart use of space. So, instead of a kitchen island, you might want to opt for a multi-purpose kitchen cart. Instead of cabinets, you might want to use open shelves.
Photo by Idea Space Architecture + Design
Corners, fridge tops, cabinet tops, and stovetops aren’t just for kitchen decor. You can utilize these spaces without your kitchen feeling too cramped or cluttered. It’s just a matter of choosing what kitchen items you have in the open and what kitchen items go into storage.
And speaking of storage, you can consider investing in custom-made kitchen furniture and storage solutions if you have the money to spare. Customized solutions add a unique flair to your kitchen and increase its functionality. They typically won’t increase a home’s resale value, so you should only consider them if you have a large enough wiggle room in your budget.
Photo by Christine Nelson Design
Whether you’re working with a kitchen designer or you’re trying to wing it DIY-style, it’s a great idea to layout the kitchen and see just how much space you’re really working with. This should help you figure out your priorities regarding kitchen furniture, appliances, and other essentials.
Adequate Kitchen Ventilation Keeps You Healthy
Why do we need ventilation in the kitchen? It’s not just to keep the stink of a burnt dish away from your walls and furniture. It’s not just to prevent damage to your furniture paint and finishes.
Proper ventilation encourages good airflow and increases indoor air quality. As a result, there are lessened risks of triggering asthma, allergies, and other health conditions related to poor air quality. It also reduces humidity and condensation and thus prevents the growth of mold and mildew.
Photo by The Viking Craftsman, Inc
Ventilation is one of the most important technicalities to consider when designing your kitchen layout. You can have the most beautiful kitchen, complete with every kitchen appliance your heart could ever want. But, it’d be nothing but a spectacular failure without proper ventilation.
The proper use of range hoods, splatter screens, fans, and air purifiers could mean the difference between excellent and poor air quality. But, sometimes, an open window can also do the trick.
Sturdy Kitchen Floors Make Great Investments
Kitchens are high-traffic areas, and flooring for high-traffic areas needs to be safe, durable, and easy to clean.
Are there other reasons why you should invest in sturdy kitchen flooring?
Quality flooring is something you would benefit from for years or decades to come. Unlike paint jobs, people stick to their floor choices for almost all of the years that they live in a home. Not many people choose flooring materials thinking they’d do this again next year or the year after that. This is what makes investing in quality kitchen flooring a highly practical move.
Photo by GreenPoint Architecture
Kitchen floors should be able to take a beating. The foot traffic to the kitchen alone can easily wear substandard kitchen flooring. Imagine just how many pots and pans you drop to the floor every year. How many times will your youngster spill their apple juice on the kitchen floor? How many times over the years would you drag your heavy kitchen furniture across it?
Another reason why quality floors make great investments is that it adds value to your home. However, it’s all about choosing the right kitchen flooring material.
For many years, hardwood has been considered a poor choice for kitchen flooring because it doesn’t sit well with moisture. Thanks to modern surface finish options, many types of wood can now be used in kitchen flooring, walls, cabinetry, and even countertops.
Photo by Mackenzie Collier Interiors
Ceramic tiles, porcelain tiles, concrete, natural stone tiles, vinyl, and linoleum are other popular kitchen flooring options. Choose the right one that you can live with for a long time.
Conclusion
What are the four core technicalities to keep in mind when designing your kitchen layout? That would be proper lighting, smart layout, adequate ventilation, and sturdy flooring. And, whether you’re building from scratch or just moving things around, it’d be wise to keep these technicalities in mind.
Investing in your kitchen doesn’t mean going all out on kitchen furniture and spending thousands on high-end kitchen appliances. While it’s true that kitchens sell homes, it doesn’t necessarily mean that you get a good ROI on all your deluxe kitchen upgrades.
When it comes to kitchen design, you need to get just the right balance of aesthetics, functionality, and practicality. Just keep in mind the four core technicalities mentioned above, and the usually elusive balance should find its way to you.