Kitchen & Bathroom Design Blog

Are you the go to person in your family for holiday dinners? Do you love hosting dinner parties for family and friends? Maybe you relish trying out new weekend meals with your loved ones or are the go-to person for holiday baking or special cakes. If you are someone who loves to spend time in the kitchen, then a kitchen design is the perfect opportunity to create a space that will let your creative juices flow!

By creating a custom kitchen designed to suit your needs, you can have your dream kitchen with perfect storage, workspaces, appliances, and a layout that allows you to store, cook, and serve with ease. If your current kitchen lacks these features, then you know how frustrating it can be trying to whip up a new dish without easy access to the tools you need.

More than just a luxury, a well-designed kitchen is a must-have for the avid home chef. A professional kitchen remodeling expert can help you identify exactly what you need and create a kitchen designed to cater to your requirements. Let’s explore the key things you need to consider when planning a kitchen designed to enhance your culinary creativity.

What Do You Need?

Every kitchen design is unique and should be created to suit your individual needs. Start by considering your household, who cooks and how many cook at one time, and what type of cooking and entertaining you like to do. Do you cook daily for a busy family home, or do you reserve your cooking endeavors for weekends and special occasions? Are you a casual cook creating big family meals, or do you go for gourmet cooking with fine dining style presentation? Is baking part of your repertoire and how often do you bake?

By looking at the type of cooking you do, how often you cook, and how many people cook, you can create customized zones in your new kitchen design to cater to these needs. Make sure you consider not just what your household looks like today but also the lifespan of this design. By futureproofing your kitchen design you will create a space where you can enjoy cooking and dining for years.

Which Layout Works for Your Space and Your Requirements?

A layout forms the foundation for any kitchen remodel and a kitchen designed for the home chef relies even more on an effective layout to support your culinary process. If you establish a layout that fits your space and your needs the rest of your design will fall into place.

The key to a layout that supports your inner chef is to ensure that you create an efficient work triangle at the heart of your design. This gives you easy access to key locations and appliances without interference so you can gather ingredients, wash and prepare food, and cook it with minimal movement throughout the kitchen. Typically this involves close proximity between the sink, stove, and refrigerator, though it may include other key appliances depending on your needs.

Today’s spacious, open-plan kitchen designs are also multi-functional rooms where you do more than just cook, so your layout also lets you designate zones for relaxation and dining that don’t get in the way of the real business of the kitchen – cooking! An island or peninsula can play a key role in separating these zones and dictating the flow of traffic throughout your space. You could even include a Galley Workstation in your kitchen island. This multi-functional kitchen tool is a chef’s dream as it transforms your kitchen sink into a space where you prep, serve, and clean up with ease.

If you have a particular love for baking, barbequing, or hosting brunch, why not include a special zone for each of these activities? Include storage for baking supplies, a mixer lift, and a section of marble countertop for rolling out pastry. Or create space to store your favorite serving dishes for a special brunch plus ingredients and glassware for your over-the-top, signature Bloody Marys.

What Storage Solutions Are Most Effective?

Once you know your layout you can start to choose products, materials, and accessories for your dream kitchen design. Your kitchen cabinet selection establishes the core of your layout and sets the tone for your room’s style with the door type, material, color, and finish. Cabinetry also holds essential storage, without which you would be lost when trying to create your favorite dishes.

With a custom cabinet design, you can tailor storage solutions to your space and needs, ensuring you have a well-organized, efficient kitchen. Include storage in key locations with pull-outs, drawers, built-in dividers and peg systems, blind corner swing-outs, knife blocks, and adjustable shelves. Not only is everything easily accessible but you can keep your countertop workspaces clear and ready for creating your favorite dishes!

Take special care when designing pantry storage for your new kitchen design since this is where you will keep key ingredients stocked and ready to use. Pantry storage can be part of your main cabinet design with pullouts to make everything accessible. It can be a reach-in pantry closet or a walk-in pantry with adjustable shelves or custom cabinetry. In a full butler’s pantry, you can include countertop space, an extra refrigerator, or a small sink where you can do additional food preparation, stage dishes for a dinner party, or stow dirty items during an event.

Which Countertop Workspaces Work Best for a Busy Chef’s Kitchen?

When you love to cook, countertops are where the magic happens. They are your essential workspaces where you gather ingredients, chop, dice, and prepare dishes for cooking. In a multifunctional kitchen design, countertops are also where you present food and sometimes where you dine. You must create sufficient, well-positioned countertop workspaces to have plenty of room in key locations. Think about the key places where you plan to work in your kitchen and incorporate workspaces in these areas. This could include perimeter work zones near your range or sink, island food prep or serving zones, or even a beverage bar countertop.

Take care when choosing materials for your countertops as this is especially important in a busy kitchen where you cook, dine, and entertain regularly. You must select a material that balances style and functionality to create the perfect space to prepare and enjoy your favorite dishes. Granite and quartz are always classic selections that enhance any kitchen’s style and are highly durable with moisture and heat resistance, plus strength to withstand sharp and heavy objects.

What Appliances Do You Need?

No kitchen is complete without appliances. If you love to cook then you know that your appliances are the tools you need to let your creativity flow. Start with the core appliances that make every kitchen run like clockwork, and then think about other appliances you will use to fit your cooking style. Here are several key appliances to consider:

• Refrigeration is an essential appliance required in any kitchen to keep your perishables fresh. Depending on your household and cooking style, choose a refrigerator that fits your space and is sizable enough to hold your essential ingredients. Choose a model with adjustable shelves and compartments to keep items crisp and fresh. You could even go for a smart refrigerator that lets you view items in your fridge, monitor supplies and use by dates, and even reorder items that need to be restocked from your smart device.

• Refrigerator or freezer drawers are another ideal choice that lets you position handy, easily accessible refrigeration in key locations. They let you see everything clearly from above, which is an added benefit when trying to find ingredients quickly.

• An undercounter beverage refrigerator is a top choice especially if you like to entertain. Include one in your beverage bar or at the end of an island so guests can easily access cold drinks while you cook.

• An ice maker lets you have a ready supply of ice cubes to create your favorite cocktails or chill sodas.

• The stove and oven are core elements of any kitchen’s appliance selections. Don’t let substandard appliances stand in the way of your culinary creativity! When it comes to your cooking appliances go for high-quality models with key features like precise temperature controls, different burners, a single large or multiple ovens, and even smart controls that let you start and manage cooking from your device.

• Induction cooktops have become a top choice for efficient cooking and easy maintenance.

• A pro-style range gives you the benefit of a professional kitchen in the comfort of your own home.

• Range hoods let you cook with your most exotic seasonings without worrying about steam and odors sticking around or wafting throughout your home. Best of all, many rage hoods are as stylish as they are high-performance.

How Important is Lighting in a Chef’s Kitchen?

Lighting is essential in a multi-functional kitchen design, where you do everything from reading recipes to using sharp knives, monitoring cooking, and dining and entertaining. This requires a multi-layered lighting design that meets all of these needs and can fit your requirements at all times of day or night. By including multiple light sources paired with a dimmer switch or even smart lighting controls you can create the perfect lighting for every setting.

Include task lighting for the essential work of the kitchen. This includes bright, focused light in key areas that lets you see clearly for precise work like measuring ingredients.  Softer, ambient light sources give your room the human element that lets you set the tone for dining and relaxing. Your lights can also double as decorative lighting fixtures that both provide light and accessorize your room’s style. Natural lighting plays a role in a kitchen’s lighting design as it brings in essential light during the daytime through large windows, glass doors, and skylights.

What Else Do You Need?

While you may be focused on the functional elements when designing your ultimate chef’s kitchen, don’t forget to give your kitchen a personal touch with decorative features that establish your style. Think about a color scheme, textures, and materials that fit your design aesthetic and make your kitchen a space where you will love to spend time and welcome guests. Include personal items like a selection of favorite cookbooks, a piece of artwork, or photographs to give your space a personal touch.

A kitchen design is the perfect opportunity to create a kitchen with the functionality and style you always wanted. If you are an avid home chef then why not create the ultimate kitchen to support your culinary endeavors? Include an efficient layout and work zones, customized storage, ample workspaces, appliances that support your cooking creativity, and lighting that lets you see clearly and set the mood for dining and entertaining. You will love your new kitchen where you can whip up your favorite dishes or experiment with new ones. Let’s get started on your ideal kitchen remodel today so you can start cooking up your perfect meals!