When it comes to kitchen design, we’re all down in the details! As our architects in Sydney, Australia says, a true gorgeous kitchen remodeling project is functional and organised. It’s always ergonomic and can stand the test of time.
With that, we always encourage homeowners like you to invest in the highest quality of kitchen cabinets and counters you can afford for your kitchen remodel. I understand how scary this is because this might max out your kitchen renovation project. If you end up a bit short, you can delay the purchase of your new kitchen appliances. A good set of kitchen cabinets and countertop will withstand the life of today’s appliances. In addition, it’s the kitchen built-ins that increase the value of the house — not the appliances, but if you do want to upgrade your kitchen appliances then you should check out some commercial kitchen equipment for some great options.
To help you out, we compiled the 13 best kitchen features you can put in your new kitchen:
Hidden outlets
Outlets are one of the most important elements of a kitchen. It’s so vital that some local building codes (depending on the country) states where the electrical outlet should be. A backup generator will keep the power to your home running in the event of a storm on natural disaster before you get yours, first read the champion generators reviews. This will maintain the power to your home security system to give you peace of mind.
In general, outlets are white. That’s a problem when the homeowner wants dark kitchen interiors. To hide the outlets, you can talk to the electrician at mzelectric.com/service-areas/lakewood/ and ask him to install an outlet case that’s color coordinated with the wall or the kitchen backsplash. Colored outlets and wall plates are available in local home improvement stores so it’s not too hard to purchase them. You can also visit home-proelectric.com/waterloo-electrical-panel-upgrades/ for more info.
Sockets that pop up out of your counters are also a thing. It’s sleek, modern, and a little bit expensive
Now if you want additional outlets to charge your electronic devices, you can hide it inside one of your kitchen drawers, like this one:
Tasklighting
Cabinets are very useful as they help avoid clutter in the kitchen, as well as making for a tidier kitchen overall. In certain cases you might find that your kitchen cabinets can cast a shadow in your counters, but thankfully you have many more options than being forced to take them down. You could try having undercabinet lighting, which would illuminate the countertop when you’re using it to prepare ingredients or just cooking in general. If you want to install under cabinet lighting on yours, station the light towards the front of the cabinet. If you position the light near the back wall the light will hit the backsplash, which would defeat the purpose of having task lights in the kitchen.
Conceal the dishwasher or microwave
If you can hide the dishwasher through panelling, please do so. This creates a cleaner, more harmonious kitchen look. Do the same with your small microwave. One of your upper cabinets should be the hideout of this small, useful kitchen appliance. If you can’t hide it, safely position your microwave like this:
Leave some space for the range hood
It’s not advisable to crowd the hood. When you have a chimney hood, allow two to three inches of space before the cabinets. This is to protect your cabinets from excessive heat and grease. If the hood isn’t cramped, you can keep the cabinets beside it clean.
Established kitchen zones
The kitchen is a busy place. To make it more ergonomic, you should establish both preparation and clean-up zones. This is where the two kitchen sink discussion comes in. Your prep sink should be in the island while your clean up sink should be somewhere in the counters.
Build a corner sink
Corner sinks are an efficient way to use the turning sides of U-shaped kitchens. Just don’t put the sink and the dishwasher beside each other. It’s best to have an intermediating cabinet between the two. This way, it’s easier to put the dishes in the dishwasher.
Maximize the kitchen island
Before settling your prep sink in the kitchen island, think of the space that will remain. If the kitchen island is long and wide enough, it’s okay to position the prep sink in the center. If not, keep the sink to the edge.
Toe kick cabinets
One of the hardest kitchen utilities to store are the lids. You need a flat storage for it. The worse part? You can’t just store them under everything else inside a drawer. It’s inefficient and too much of a hassle.
If you can, you can add toe kick drawers for these pot lids and other flat trays used for baking etc.
Pantry pullouts and rollouts
You can squeeze in a small pantry in your kitchen. If all you have is a vertical space, try pantry pullouts. Keep it from 9×12 or 9×15. Anything wider or bigger than that will be too heavy.
However, if you have a pantry space that’s wider than 15inches, you should try the rollouts. Unlike the pullout pantry, you only need to pull the shelves you need. It’s lighter and easier to use.
Put additional storage above or beside the refrigerator
For those who plan to fit their fridge in the cabinetry, you can always design an above or beside the fridge storage. You can store the items you don’t regularly need in cooking here. If you love wine, store them here.
Double cutlery storage
Your drawers are too big for several pieces of cutlery. To maximise the space inside the drawers, you should have a two tiered insert to double the storage.
Tall cabinets
Taller cabinets mean more depth and storage to your kitchen. This also eliminates the space in between the upper cabinets and the ceiling. Think about it — that pesky space that stores dust now holds more important things needed in the cooking. Keep in mind that all your cabinets should have similar reveals, edge, and configuration. Consistency is the key.
Flush countertops
Finally, not all countertops overhang the doors by a half-inch. Counters that flush with the cabinet doors and drawers creates a modern, streamlined kitchen design.
What other specific kitchen details would you like to see in your kitchen? Why do you think you need it? Share it with us in the comment section below!
Author bio: Charlene Ara Gonzales is a design writer from Superdraft Australia. Their team of architects are the leaders in residential design in the land down under. Follow them on Facebook and Instagram.
