Blending in — creating a pleasant but practical kitchen
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| Julia Child's kitchen |
It’s said that the heart of the home is in the kitchen, and that’s certainly true. The focal point of many family gatherings, the kitchen is often just a buzz of activity. Especially if you've got to cater for a large family, making sure your kitchen is well-planned out can prove a real time saver when it comes to maintaining a clean and hygienic atmosphere. Even if you’re just cooking for one, you really can’t underestimate the relaxation a few enjoyable hours in a neat kitchen can provide.
Kitchens should be designed, keeping not only aesthetics in mind, but also efficiency. Ensure that appliances are sensibly located – especially the main essentials like electric cookers, refrigerators, etc. — and workflow will be so much smoother. In fact, this is probably the most important factor while designing a kitchen.
Aesthetics are important, too. Taking the time to reflect on how you’d like your kitchen decorated is certainly worthwhile. Your kitchen has to be somewhere you enjoy spending time, and if you've got kids, making sure it’s attractive for them, too, is a neat little trick to encourage them to help with the washing up! The counter tops, the colors of the appliances, the color of the backsplash — coordinate them all to make your kitchen a pleasant room to spend time in.
Making sure the kitchen is easy to clean will help hugely, too. Alright, that carpet might look great in the shop, but when it comes to mopping up spilled sauces and wine, you’ll definitely be thankful for easy-wipe surfaces! Tiles come in such a variety of designs and colors that the hardest part of your job will be choosing what you want. Tiled floors, once laid correctly, can last a lifetime, so it’s really essential to think carefully about how you want your kitchen to look today.
The appliances in the kitchen should also be coordinated with each other. If space is at a premium, buying an electric cooker with an oven makes sense. Preferably, choose appliances of the same brand, since it makes servicing them easier and you can often get good discounts when you buy more from one company.
Keep enough space to move around the room. Try to make a small eating space in the kitchen by putting an island with stools or a small table. Put up some colorful accessories such as pictures and plants to enliven the atmosphere.
These are but a few of the many ways in which you can make your kitchen the happiest place in your home. Apply them and you’ll feel less like you’re slaving away at a stove, and more like you’re improving your quality of life.