13 Jun 5 Space-Saving Kitchen Design Tips
Think back to your childhood for a moment. You’re sitting on the edge of your seat, impatiently staring at a clock whose minute hand slowly inches its way toward the hour hand. The bell rings. You scamper out of your seat and make a beeline toward the door. School’s out.
Your race toward home, fly up the front steps, swing the door open, and experience a smell you’ve been aching for all day long. Homemade chocolate chip cookies. You round the corner and catch sight of your mom with a smile on her face and a plate of cookies gently resting on her hand. Home sweet home.
Whether or not you anxiously waited for the end-of-day bell to ring so you could race home and enjoy a homemade treat, you can probably still recall gathering in your kitchen with family and friends to relax, cook, and feast.
Your kitchen acts as your home’s main hub. It’s a gathering place for your family to make meals and memories. Many modern homes have large kitchens with plenty of space for crowd flow, but we’re offering five design tips for any-sized kitchen so you can clear away clutter and gift your kitchen space with plenty of smart storage-and extra space for enjoying homemade meals.
1. Utilize Your Walls
Whether your kitchen is big or small, your walls offer a large canvas you can transform into meaningful storage space. Consider mounting cabinets or shelves onto one or more of your walls to store pots, pans, and dishes.
If you don’t want to overdo it with too many bulky distractions, ditch cabinets and shelves and hang a few hooks instead. Hooks can house smaller items, like aprons, utensils, and dish towels.
2. Double Up on Dishwashers
Although it may seem like a preposterous preposition, doubling up on one appliance-a dishwasher-may guarantee you never have to set sight on a sink full of dirty dishes. Many homeowners now incorporate two dishwashers into their kitchen to avoid the messy, overcrowded look dirty dishes present.
Don’t have enough space for two dishwashers? Don’t fret. Keep a corner of your pantry open for “dish drying”-a hidden space where you can put hand-washed dishes while you wait for them to dry. This will free up counter space and make your kitchen appear bigger, cleaner, and more capable of hosting a family dinner.
3. Embrace an Island
Some homeowners forgo installing a kitchen island, fearing it may make their kitchen appear smaller. Our advice? Embrace an island. Islands offer an incredible amount of extra storage space. Ask your contractor or cabinet builder to make room for storage shelves in your kitchen island’s base.
4. Say Yes to Floor-to-Ceiling
Floor-to-ceiling cabinets and appliances, such as a refrigerator, will promote symmetry and verticality in your kitchen space. Many older homes stopped cabinets a foot or two from the ceiling, but homebuyers and builders in today’s market often embrace floor-to-ceiling cabinets to ensure enough storage space for dishes and small appliances.
Another way to make your kitchen appear bigger is through floor-to-ceiling windows. Windows open up any space and distract from tight corners and lots of clutter.
5. Hide Seating
If you plan to entertain in your kitchen, it’s important to have plenty of seating. Oftentimes, seating takes up a lot of space and may make your kitchen appear smaller than it actually is. Fortunately, there’s a solution. Tuck your seating under the table or keep a chair or two in open corners to ensure your kitchen looks neat and tidy, with plenty of seating for every hungry guest.
Whether your kitchen is large or small, these tips should help your kitchen space look cleaner, more organized, and bigger. If you need home design or construction advice, talk with your local builders to determine the best solution for your kitchen.