Since the beginning of civilization, the kitchen has often been referred to as, “the heart of the home.”.And, with good reason. It’s where families gather to share meals and the day’s experiences; where friends chat over coffee; and where culinary creativity comes to life. It thus comes as no surprise that the place many homeowners first turn when looking to elevate their home’s aesthetics and improve its function, is the kitchen. But such a transformation requires making smart design choices. Being well-informed, you can create a space that not only fits your needs, but reflects the personality and lifestyle of all who live there. So here are some practical tips from my years of experience to help you make that dream transformation happen.
1. Open the Space
For years, the open concept has been a popular trend in interior design, and it’s not going away anytime soon. And with good reason. Today’s kitchens are far more dynamic than the ones of yesteryear. No longer just a small hidden nook reserved exclusively for preparing meals. Today’s kitchen wears many hats. The open concept serves that purpose. Guests often gather round to mingle and even help, while the host prepares the feast for the celebration. It’s where children often do homework while waiting for dinner. And with the ongoing disappearance of formal dining rooms, together with the open space of the adjoining rooms, has become the primary dining space for both formal and informal gatherings.
To create an open concept kitchen, however, takes a lot more thought than just breaking down a few walls. One needs to consider how traffic will flow through the space and how it will integrate with the “stove/oven-refrigerator-sink” triangle. Get it wrong, and you’ll be constantly having the pot-roast knocked out of your hand or running a 5K marathon just to get the milk. Get it right, and everything will happen effortlessly. Hence, great consideration needs to be given to proper island sizing and placement. It’s not always as easy as simply building the biggest thing in the center of the kitchen. Off-setting can provide a touch of interest while helping to maintain the 42”-48” walkway necessary for ideal kitchen function.
Making the new enlarged open-concept kitchen a pleasant and harmonious space, also requires careful thought and planning. It’s not just “matching the new stuff to the existing stuff.” In interior design, the word “match” is a bad word! One must carefully choose and coordinate all the materials, colors and finishes to present a cohesive vision. Pick your base color palette and work everything from there (i.e. kitchen cabinets, countertops, backsplash, flooring, hardware and lighting). Let the colors and style flow effortlessly from one element to the next. The better things coordinate, the larger the space will appear and the more aesthetically pleasing it will be to the eye.
2. Employ Sound Mitigation
One potential downfall of any open design concept is noise transfer. With fewer walls, unwanted sounds, like that of a dishwasher working, can more readily move throughout the remainder of the space and home.
The solution? Consider area rugs in the peripheral areas of the kitchen and adjoining open spaces. Soft window treatments, like Roman shades, drapes, cornices and valances can also add to the sound-softening qualities of the room while greatly enhancing its aesthetic. It’s akin to accessorizing that “little black dress” to couture perfection! Another simple idea? Try sound-absorbing room paint that can be professionally tinted to any color you desire. Or why not add some stylish sound absorbing wall art panels. They’re both stylish and add additional sound absorption to existing hard and noise-reflecting walls. They mount just like any ordinary wall art and can offer up to a .95 NRC with as little as 15% wall coverage. A truly decorative and low-profile means of noise reduction.
3. Add Floating Shelves
While stately kitchen cabinets will always be a main-stay in many homes, the benefits of floating shelves cannot be ignored. Shelves work wonderfully with the open kitchen concept, providing visual depth and a more open and larger feel to the space. And properly staged, open shelves are also excellent for making an aesthetic statement, serving as an ideal location for decorative china, cookbooks or other stylish, kitchen-related decor. One caveat however… Open shelves can also quickly become a place to collect clutter and unsightly junk. So, if you know yourself, and you know that you’re not necessarily the neatest or most organized type of person, you might just want to skip the open shelf idea.
4. Choose Colors Wisely
Given all the varied structural elements that comprise a kitchen, It can often be difficult choosing just the right colors for the space. While whites, grays and other light colors are safe choices and will always be with us, normal wear-and-tear, dirt and food stains can be a bit more noticeable. I encourage clients to think beyond just the basics. Consider making the lower cabinets a more impactful color while keeping the upper ones more reserved and understated. Choose a bold island countertop, while keeping the remaining counters more main-stream. Then jazz it all up with some really stylish cabinet hardware. But… always remember… everything must coordinate well and pull elements from each other. Otherwise you’ll regret every day, feeling like you’re living under the big top of a circus.
5. I Love Large Single-Basin Sinks
In theory, the double-basin sink seems like a good idea, as it provides a side for clean and a side for dirty. In reality however, it rarely gets used this way. Most times, what really ends up happening is that there is either never enough space for those really big pots you inherited from your grandmother or BOTH sides get stacked with dirty dishes.
Enter the big, deep, single-basin sink. In most any kitchen it’s the way to go. It’s both aesthetically more pleasing and significantly more functional. And, if you somehow manage to stack this behemoth full of dirty dishes, I’d be happy to recommend a good “kitchen therapist!”
6. Ensure Adequate Ventilation
Ventilation is essential for not only creating a comfortable interior environment but also for ensuring healthy indoor air quality. Rangehoods not only filter out aerosolized contaminants from cooking, like smoke, oil and water vapor, but, when vented outdoors, they also remove from the home the harmful combustion byproducts produced by both natural gas and propane cooktops. Your appliance supplier will ensure that your rangehood is properly sized for your cooktop.
One Final Thought… Let Common Sense Guide Your Renovation Ideas
Kitchen renovations are among the most exciting home improvement projects. However, avoid the temptation to get too cute or be too trendy. Cute things break and trendy things go quickly out of style. And nobody wants to be left with a dysfunctional kitchen that looks outdated. And don’t forget that the kitchen is just one room in your entire home. Don’t ever undertake a kitchen renovation without considering how your choices for the design will fit with the remainder of your home… open-concept, or not. And while you will most likely end up working with a “Kitchen Designer”, you may also want to consider involving an “Interior Designer”, like myself, at Sorell Interiors. With my skills and experience, I will ensure that your stunning new kitchen will coordinate flawlessly with the remainder of your home… truly bringing your dream vision to life!
So… what are you waiting for? Get started with any, or all, of the smart design choices noted above. And have fun!
Exclusively written for Sorell Interiors by Andrea Erickson
Andrea is a freelance writer who loves sharing her knowledge and expertise in renovation and Interior Design. She lives in her hometown of Austin, Texas where she enjoys spending time with her husband and children. Andrea’s work as a freelance writer can be found on Building Product Advisor, a construction industry resource site.