Kitchens are often regarded as the most important rooms of a household. For a family home, it is likely to be the room that brings together family members on a daily basis. Since the beginning of time, people have been eating together. Moments spent sharing food or drinks in your kitchen should be cherished.
As Jona Lewie sang in his 1980s cult classic hit, “You’ll Always Find Me in the Kitchen at Parties”. A kitchen is a place of bonding where we as humans naturally gather.
Most people start their day in the kitchen. Whether it’s for their breakfast or morning coffee, the kitchen is a place where they fuel up and gather their thoughts for the day ahead. Beginning each morning in a peaceful, beautifully designed kitchen can have a significant impact on your mood.
If you are an avid cook, the kitchen is where you create your favorite meal for you, your family, and your friends. It represents health and nourishment. Having a beautiful or well-equipt kitchen increases the likelihood that you will cook regularly. According to a Cambridge study, there is a link between longer lifespan and cooking at home frequently.
For some people, a kitchen represents a way of life. Chefs, cooks, and those who are involved in culinary professions rely on kitchens and food to provide for themselves and their families. Chefs not only provide amazing food for restaurant-goers, but they also bring artistic flair to food. Restaurants and eateries are social hubs that would be nothing without the kitchens behind them.
If you are building a new kitchen for your home, restaurant, or business, it is no easy task. From a construction perspective, it can be grueling, time-consuming, and stressful. There are so many things to consider, from the initial layout to the small appliances that finish the look. From a lifestyle standpoint, as mentioned, your kitchen can add pleasure and joy to your life.
Whether you’re renovating or building a kitchen for your home or workplace, here are ten great tips to help you along the way.
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Look for inspiration
Do your homework, research online, in-store, and on home-catalogs to inspire your kitchen design. There are endless resources online with amazing examples of kitchens of each size, style, and purpose. Ensure that you consider every detail to cover all bases.
When researching online, it can be a good idea to download examples of kitchens or aspects of kitchens that you like. Save images into categorized folders. This segmentation will help keep you organized, and decisions will be easier to make when the time comes.
Some homeware, hardware, or interior design websites have newsletter subscriptions for those who are planning or in the process of building or renovating. Subscribe to these for inspiration.
If you’re visiting a store, don’t be afraid to bring along samples of paint or materials that you are considering for the room.
When designing a professional kitchen, take inspiration from restaurants and kitchens that are relevant to you. There is no point in researching the kitchens of 200 seater restaurants when you are developing a cooking area for a small bakery.
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Choose a theme or style
When in the research stage, with the amount of choice available, things can get overwhelming. You may start looking for ways to eliminate some of the options that are in front of you. A great way to do this is to choose a particular style or theme.
Once you have decided on a certain color scheme or general look, you can automatically ignore a large number of choices. This will speed up the design process and make it far easier.
When deciding on a theme, consider what vibe you want your kitchen to have. Do you want a classy or fancy look? Is your space open to lots of natural light? Do you want to include stainless steel appliances or dark granite surfaces?
Choose your theme and run with it.
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Consider professional designers
It’s easy to overlook the skill and abilities of a professional interior designer. When researching beautiful designs, you might not realize that every aspect of the design is likely to have been carefully chosen.
A common misconception is that you can’t afford an interior designer. Although their services are not cheap, their experience and expertise can actually save you money. They can also save you a lot of time, which can ultimately translate to monetary savings.
Professional designers have contacts in the industry and can liaise on your behalf to broker the best deals.
Although you might be capable of handling the design yourself, you should consider a professional approach. This goes for a commercial or a home kitchen.
Photo by Dmitry Zvolskiy from Pexels.
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Seek advice
Seek advice and guidance from friends and family members. Sometimes it’s important to get someone’s fresh perspective on a design or choice. Other people who have built or renovated their kitchen may have some advice or guidance for you.
If you are visiting homeware stores, ask their workers for a professional take on an appliance or material. They could have some insight into the efficiency of an oven or the durability of a countertop.
When building a kitchen for a restaurant, it is crucial that you seek advice from restaurant owners or chefs. If you’re inexperienced in the field, you are likely to overlook several factors. Seek advice from those in the know before jumping into big decisions.
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Functionality and purpose
What is the main function of your kitchen? Do you cook for a large family every day? Will your kitchen have more of a hosting function? Choose the kitchen that best suits your needs.
If you eat out or order in for most of your needs, but regularly have friends over for weekend cocktails, you may value an island countertop over a state of the art stove. Likewise, if you are feeding a young family of seven every day, you need large cooking appliances and storage space.
For a restaurant or professional kitchen, your design and appliance choices should be optimal for the purpose of the business.
Although you should take advice on board, don’t design your dream space for someone else. Design the kitchen that you want.
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Health and safety
Health and safety precautions are essential for any kitchen. Ensure that adequate ventilation, plumbing, and electrical wiring is professionally installed by qualified specialists.
When it comes to a professional kitchen, it is essential that you are up to date on all health and safety protocols. There are much more stringent rules when it comes to the health and safety of a professional kitchen. Certain steps might be required that you didn’t realize. For example, you need to install trench drains if there is a risk of animals entering your kitchen. Swiftdrain supply a wide variety of drains that are suitable for different types of buildings.
Do your research and find out what health and safety measures are required for your kitchen.
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Storage and organization
Storage and organization for your kitchen stem from the layout. This should be factored in at the design stage. Where should the refrigerator be located in relation to the stove? Where are you going to store your pots and pans? Is there ample storage to organize all of your kitchen items?
Everyone organizes things differently, so design your kitchen to suit your personal preferences. Optimize your organization levels by deciding what amount of storage you need. There are ways to maximize your space, such as using pull-out cabinets or exposed shelving.
For a professional kitchen, you must find a balance between storage and workspace. A lot of financial planning needs to go into this so factor in all of these things.
Photo by Rene Asmussen from Pexels.
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Great appliances
Appliances are key to the functionality of your kitchen. The emergence of smart technology has made its way to kitchen gadgets. Modern appliances contain a significant amount of smart technology that can make your life easier.
For your dream kitchen, you should consider stand-alone and integrated appliances. These can utilize space in different ways, depending on the shape and design of your kitchen.
For any modern kitchen, efficiency should be a priority. When it comes to waste and energy usage, people have a responsibility to be as sustainable as possible. There are many highly efficient appliances currently on the market. Smart appliances can be very efficient.
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Don’t buy blindly
A common issue when building or designing a house, apartment, or room, occurs when people buy large items without physically seeing them. Products and appliances can look a lot different online or in a catalog than in person. What’s more, they can appear different when other aspects of the room are surrounding them.
For cheap or special offer items, it can be worth the risk to avail of a great bargain. However, this shouldn’t be your standard approach.
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It’s okay to change your mind
Ultimately, you have your whole life to completely furnish your house. The same goes for your kitchen. If you’re unhappy with how something looks, feels, or operates, don’t be afraid to change your mind.
When spending large amounts of money on items, it’s normal to feel guilty if you don’t like something. This is an unfortunate part of the process. It’s okay to change your mind and work toward re-designing your space.
From a commercial point-of-view, changing things around might be a little tricker. You may have to turn a profit before making wholesale changes. However, you should always be planning for the future. Don’t settle until you have the kitchen of your dreams.
Candy TaiCANDY TAI is a wife to David and mom of 5 with a degree in Communications. She's a native Texan (Hook 'Em Horns!) who's been making her home in the Kansas City metro area for nearly 15 years. She loves being able to shuffle her kids from their various sports activities, piano lessons, and school activities. She enjoys fashion, beauty, reality TV, and moviegoing.
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