Kitchen & Bathroom Design Blog

Prioritize Your Kitchen Design Goals

A kitchen remodel should cater for your family’s needs and your personal style, with a layout, storage, and materials that work for you.  If you are going all out with a luxury kitchen design, your space can be specially customized to enhance your home and elevate your quality of life.

First, you must decide on the goals for your new kitchen and prioritize your requirements. How do you plan to use your space, who will use it, and how often? Are you an avid home chef who loves to whip up specialties for friends at the weekend? Or do you have a busy family with a constant stream of traffic looking for snacks and meals?  Are pets a key part of your household? Together with your kitchen design expert, identify what is important to your family and focus on these items to incorporate the best quality you can.

There are many ways to achieve a highly functional and luxurious kitchen design. Examine your available space, home style, family life, and personal tastes. Don’t install hardwood floors or granite countertops just because everyone in your neighborhood has them if they won’t suit your family’s needs. Your priorities for a luxury kitchen design may not be the same as others, so find what works for you.

Zone Your Kitchen Layout

The layout is the foundation of every kitchen design, and today’s multi-functional kitchens must allow for everything from food prep to cooking, clean up, studying, crafts, entertaining, and much more. To make sure these diverse functions can be accommodated in one space, kitchens are usually grouped according to zones.  This allows for different functions to be catered for in zones throughout the kitchen and organized in such a way that they can operate in tandem with each other. For example, an entertainment zone might include a beverage center and seating, located adjacent the food prep area but where it can be accessed without crossing paths with the cook.  This allows you to prepare tasty treats while chatting to guests, without tripping over each other.

Start by examining what works in your current kitchen design. Then look at what does not work and discuss with your kitchen remodeling expert how you could rectify these issues. If your current layout is not functional and effective for your needs, can you change the layout or even expand your kitchen design footprint by knocking down or moving a wall?  Look ahead to see what your family’s requirements will be for the foreseeable future before finalizing your plans.

Create an Island Oasis

An island is a must have for today’s kitchen design, and in a luxury kitchen remodel your island can truly become the style and functional focal point of life. If your kitchen is large, maximize your space with a large or multi-level island, or even more than one island. Islands come in all shapes and sizes so you can easily find the perfect one for your kitchen design, just be sure to pick one that is proportionate to your available space.  You don’t want to overwhelm your kitchen with too large an island, and likewise a small island will look out of place in an expansive, open kitchen design.

Once you determine the location and size of your island, then figure out how you want to use this space. Do you like to cook up dinners at the island while watching the kids do homework or interacting with guests? If, like many people, you prefer to have your sink in the island you could upgrade to the Galley Ideal Workstation.  The Galley is a multi-functional kitchen tool that will transform your island into an efficient space to prepare, clean up, and serve food with a customized size, style, and accessories to meet your needs.

The island also offers a chance to showcase your kitchen design style in a luxury kitchen remodel. Create a focal point with cabinetry and countertop materials that stand out in a contrasting finish, such as a dark island against white perimeter cabinets. Choose a luxury countertop material for your island to accent the cabinetry like granite or wood, or go for a beautiful, durable quartz for a hardworking island that is the center of activity.

Minimize Clutter with Effective Storage Solutions

Storage is essential to any kitchen design, and in a new kitchen remodel your goal should be to maximize available storage space to reduce clutter.  If you are creating a luxury kitchen design, then your high-quality kitchen cabinets should offer ample space to store all essentials when paired with customized storage accessories.  This means everything you need has a place in your kitchen and can be found easily, which lets your new cabinets and countertops take center stage without becoming cluttered. A few ideas for custom storage include:

• Corner storage solutions such as swing out shelves or pie cut corner drawers.

• Deep drawers for heavy pots, pans, and small appliances.

• Vertical storage like tray dividers for baking trays and cutting boards.

• Drawer inserts to keep everything organized including peg inserts for deep drawers and dividers for shallow drawers.

• Pull-out racks and trays, pull-down shelves, and roll-out shelves that make food supplies and cooking tools easily accessible.

Get started by clearing out your kitchen, then look at what is left to determine what you need to store on a regular basis. Allow some extra space for seasonal items, extra food for entertaining, and specialty gadgets. If you are a home baker, create a baking zone with a marble countertop for rolling out pastry and storage for baking trays and supplies.  Add a mixer lift in a lower cabinet to store your stand mixer so it can be easily accessed without straining your back.

Take It to the Next Level with a Walk in Pantry

Pantry storage must be a key component of your kitchen design, providing space to store food essentials.  In a spacious, luxury kitchen remodel, make room for a walk-in pantry that is purpose-built for all your needs. Or go to the next level with a butler’s pantry that also includes countertops for extra workspace, a sink to help with food prep and clean up and room for extra appliances. A large pantry is the perfect place to keep seasonal items like Christmas dishes and table linens, or your Halloween candy bowls. They are out of the way but still accessible when you need them.

…And a Beverage Bar

Any kitchen design can include a beverage center with a designated area for glasses, drink supplies, coffee maker, and perhaps even an undercounter beverage refrigerator. In a small kitchen, you could allocate a section of cabinetry and countertop space away from the main cooking area for beverage supplies and drink preparation.

A fully equipped, standalone beverage bar catered to your tastes, drink preferences, and entertainment style is ideal for a large, luxury kitchen remodel. Your spacious kitchen layout can accommodate enough room to incorporate storage for glassware and coffee cups including closed storage and open or glass front display cabinets. An undercounter beverage bar or even a second dishwasher turn your beverage bar into an all-in-one location to handle all your beverage needs. Make sure the bar is located away from your key work zones so that guests can access and refill drinks at their ease without interfering with the food preparation.

If coffee is your favorite drink, then include your pod coffee maker with storage for your favorite selection of coffee varieties. Better yet, install a built-in coffee maker to create a custom barista station. Whatever your favorite drinks are – from margaritas to wine – incorporate storage and display for everything you need.

Up Your Entertainment Game

Your deluxe beverage bar will be a perfect accompaniment to entertaining family and friends but why not take this one step further and create a custom entertainment space? Since the kitchen is always the focal point of parties, a luxury, open plan kitchen remodel allows you to create distinct zones for entertaining.  Keep these areas separate to the cooking, food preparation, and clean up zones so that work can continue in the kitchen while guests relax, eat, and get drinks nearby. 

The kitchen island is the ideal place to define these zones, with seating on one side or at one end of a T-shaped island. You could also incorporate an adjacent breakfast nook that converts to a quiet corner for guest to relax with a drink.  Don’t be afraid to add soft furnishings in a large kitchen design, like a couch or armchair, that offer a spot to take a breather from the action.

Cook Up a Storm with Pro Appliances

Appliances are your tools in the kitchen that allow you to store and prepare food, bake, clean up, and more.  Whether you just love to try out the latest recipes at the weekend, regularly entertain large crowds, or cook every night for a busy family, choose quality appliances that will transform your home cooking experience.

Up your game with the latest food storage like a smart refrigerator that monitors supply of key items, tracks expiration dates, and helps you with your shopping lists for items that have run out.  Connect it all to your smart device for easy management at your fingertips.  Let your favorite gourmet meals come to life with the help of a professional oven or add a specialty oven that simplifies healthy cooking for your family.  Find the appliances that will work for your family and enhance the way you live and work in your kitchen design.

Go for the Best Quality You Can Afford

There are so many materials available for a kitchen remodel, in a wide range of styles and budgets, that it can be difficult to choose the right ones for your home.  If you are creating your dream kitchen design and planning to stay in your home, it pays to use the best materials you can afford.  Better quality materials will last longer, create a more aesthetically pleasing style, and enhance your everyday life.

High quality wood cabinetry and hardwood or stone flooring create a stunning backdrop for your kitchen style. Custom kitchen cabinet designs with specialized storage accessories create a kitchen that is catered to your needs. Choose long-lasting and effortlessly stylish materials for countertops like granite or quartz or add a section of marble countertop for baking and accent it with a tile or slab backsplash. 

Finish in Style with Colors, Textures, and Accessories

Use your surfaces and accessories to bring color and texture to your kitchen design and transform it into a style icon in the center of your home.  Two-toned cabinetry with one shade for the perimeter and another for the island or different colors for top and bottom cabinets creates an eye-catching feature in a kitchen design. Bring in textures through your tiles and countertop, and add color with a dark countertop to contrast white cabinets or a wood top against blue cabinetry.  Accent everything with top quality hardware, plumbing fixtures, and lighting that bring in metallic tones to your design. 

Neutral shades are still very popular for kitchen design, including white, beige, brown, and gray.  If you prefer an all-neutral color palette, mix up the textures to add visual appeal. Consider accenting your neutral color scheme with an accent color through accessories like seat cushions, towels, or decorative items.  Small appliances like a stand mixer come in a wide array of shades and can even be part of your color accents.

Black and navy are more popular than ever in everything from cabinetry to backsplashes.  If you want to commit to a bold color scheme, jewel tones, turquoise, coral, and green have grown more popular.  Offset this with a classic countertop and understated accessories.

Are you planning to stay in your home and want to create your dream kitchen design? A luxury kitchen remodel creates a space at the heart of your home where you can relax, spend time with family, and entertain guests in style. Maximize your budget with an efficient layout, top quality materials, customized storage, and appliances that bring out your inner chef. You will love the results and enjoy your new kitchen design for years to come.  Contact our team to get started today!