Kitchen Is Both Aesthetically Pleasing As Well As Functional

Your kitchen is the heart of your home, and regardless of whether or not you have the culinary skills of Maggie Bear, it’s still the room that you and your family will spend most of your time in. It’s worth taking the time to invest in it, so that it’s both aesthetically pleasing as well as functional.

If you’re renovating, organise the kitchen into three zones; food storage (fridge), clean up (sink) and cooking area (stove). Make sure there is a clear pathway between each zone, making the space flow. Also consider having a dedicated area for food prep between each zone. This layout is ideal for making light of all kitchen related work!

An open floor plan between the kitchen and meals room is really important for entertaining. The last thing you want is to be stuck stirring the risotto while your guests are catching up on all the latest in the other room. If you have the space, an island is the perfect solution – you can keep an eye on dinner, while your guests pull up a stool to fill you in on what’s happening!

Storage is always an issue in the kitchen – between food, appliances and cutlery; you never have enough space. Consider including a pantry, where you can close the door to the mess while guests are there! If you don’t have the space for a pantry, you just need to get a little inventive. Extend your cupboards to the ceiling for extra storage options, hang pots and pans from a rack over the island (it will give it a slight industrial feel), create a beverage bar that houses cups/saucers/glasses in the meals area (away from the main activity in the kitchen). If you have a lot of appliances cluttering up the counter and eating into valuable food preparation space then consider an ‘appliance garage’. This is basically an area that will house your appliances together, that you can hide behind a sliding door/drawer – just make sure you have some sockets so that you don’t have to keep moving them every time you want to use them!

If you don’t have the time (or money) to hire an architect to redesign your floor plan, then don’t worry – there are a few quick fixes to create a more entertaining and welcoming kitchen and meals area. An easy way to lift a kitchen and give it a quick makeover is to replace the splash back. In a small kitchen, a mirrored splash back will make the area feel bigger than it is. To avoid having to re-tile, install a wall graphic as a feature piece. If you have a spare wall, a wall mural is an effective way of lifting the room and creating a talking point – without having to go to too much effort!

Lighting is really important if you want to set the mood. Dimmed lighting is a good option – suitable for both dinner parties and mid-week family meals. A pendant light over the island illuminates the space, drawing people to it. Recessed lighting under the cabinetry brightens up an ordinarily darker space. Large, bold lighting over the table creates an inviting meals area and highlights your culinary creations for all to see!

With all that in place, all that’s left to do is to prepare a Michelin star worthy dinner menu and invite all your loved ones round for an enjoyable evening… too easy!