It’s certainly true that kitchens have come a long way over the years when it comes to their “stability” in a home. It used to be that kitchens were only found at the back of the house, tucked more or less out of sight. Fortunately, this is no longer the case at all. Once people realized that most of the time when people get together casually in a house, be it a formal party or a casual gathering, the kitchen is usually the focal point. Because of this, kitchen design has evolved to include much larger spaces, as well as spaces that seamlessly transform into family and dining areas.
If you’re in the process of planning a new kitchen, there are a number of things you’ll want to consider when it comes to its design. For example, will your kitchen have an island? What kind of lighting do you plan to have? What kind of appliances? What about the general feeling; Will it be rustic, modern, or something completely unique you can think of? As you can see, there are many things you will need to decide when creating your own personal kitchen.
Due to this metamorphosis of the kitchen into a family room/great room, kitchen islands or, alternatively, “peninsulas”, are very useful. They allow the cook, chef, host/hostess or whoever is doing the work in the kitchen to have a surface to work from while still being able to easily participate in conversations and activities with everyone else. Without a kitchen island setup like this, the person in the kitchen would constantly have their back to everyone else. Certainly, this is not an ideal situation for either side of the coin.
The color of your kitchen cabinets will go a long way in setting the tone for the overall kitchen. Bright colors create a fun and modern atmosphere, while brushed steel or brushed steel creates a very modern but rather cold and septic feel. If you opted for natural wood, lighter woods such as birch, beech or ash will bring lightness to the kitchen while the mid-range ones could be chestnut or cherry. For something darker, you can simply apply darker stains instead of necessarily spending a lot more money on harder, darker woods. The call is yours.
Kitchen lighting plays a huge role in your kitchen design, yet it is often overlooked or the last thing to consider. This should not be the case. Remember, you will most likely spend a lot of time in the kitchen. There’s no reason to strain your eyes in low light or bright light when there are so many options that can bring a positive feel to a space. For example, if you have a smaller kitchen, you can use smaller bulbs to make it appear larger than it really is.
Of course, the countertop is a critical choice that you will need to make for your kitchen. Many people opt for natural stone materials like marble, granite, and limestone for countertops. Another option would be to bet on ceramic tiles. With Randy tiles, you’ll have a wide variety of sizes, colors, and patterns to choose from. In addition to ceramic tiles, you can also get solid acrylic surfaces with at least as many options when it comes to colors, patterns, etc.
My two favorite countertop materials are concrete and wood. I like concrete because it is durable and versatile and because I have installed numerous concrete countertops every time with great success and very happy homeowners. It would be… well, which is just beautiful, although it can get a little abused over time from water and household chemicals. Finally, stainless steel is yet another option. A very clinical and modern look. Completely different from the wooden countertop, but if done correctly, they can be at least as impressive, just in a different way. Just keep in mind that while they won’t absorb stains (hence the “stainless” part of the name), they do tend to scratch quite easily.
Speaking of scratching… this article has barely scratched the surface of the options you can consider when planning your new kitchen. But isn’t that the way to create your home? Each and every room, and each aspect of each row, has so many different facets to consider that you can tweak to create your own. And that, my friend, is the beauty of creating not just a house, but a home.