The Kitchen Room is the Heart of the Home

Kitchens are where family and friends come together for meals at home, or ‘takeaway’ (US takeout). It’s the soul of every house and a place where cooks can show off their skills.

Your kitchen doesn’t have to be so boring because of very basic strategies like colour, divider and furniture placement. If you can set up zones in an open space using these few tricks you are already one step closer to designing a delicious kitchen!

Layout
It is one of the most active rooms in any house as kitchen rooms are the central location. For that reason, they need a lot of work spaces and storage space.

L-shaped is the standard kitchen layout because of traffic. Add an L-shaped island, breakfast nook or walk-in pantry for additional storage and workspace if you’d like.

Galley kitchens — or walk-through kitchens — are a great fit for smaller kitchens, as they mount cabinets and appliances on two parallel walls and an open corridor between them for a single-cook setup with less trouble in corner cabinets.

U shaped kitchens have enough space for counter and storage. Add a peninsula to this plan for additional work space, seating or both – and it makes your kitchen and dining room in an open design look different.

Lighting
Your kitchen has more lighting design to think about than any other room. Since just one light fixture isn’t going to cut it, think ambient, task and accent lighting fixtures for the most efficient lighting in this packed space.

In the first instance, general lighting requires flush mounts and pendants — bright, uniform light that focuses islands or peninsulas on the view, by giving them focal points with prominent height.

Under-cabinet lighting is another way to light up dark counters and get a glimpse into glass front cabinets. Moreover, under-cabinet lights are a good way to highlight your décor pieces and give a character to otherwise indigestible areas of a room.

Storage
A messy kitchen can quickly become a catastrophe so the trick to a clutter-free kitchen is smart storage so everything is accessible and visible.

Try moving barware and entertainment items out of your kitchen cabinets into custom cabinets in the living room so you can take up more cabinet space for pots, pans, dishes and glasses you use regularly. This will save you storage space.

Use inexpensive drawer organisers to transform an unorganized drawer into one for your cutting boards and cooking pots. Locking drawer dividers for easy separating and storage of smaller items Wall file near the refrigerator keeps plastic container lids organized by size for easier access when needed.

Hook up a pantry door opening to a mudroom or front door for keys, hats and umbrellas; cover open shelving with daily supplies such as coffee cups, water bottles and kitchen tools for an attractive, yet practical design.

Design
The heart of every home is the kitchen – where we eat at midnight, make coffee in the morning, and so much else. You want to make sure they will function well for you and your life so you’ll want to plan the appliances and storage as well as the colors and finishes very well.

Design a kitchen well so you don’t feel crowded and cramped when cooking, make the most of interior shelving, drawers and pullouts to keep utensils handy and accessible.

You should also put in lighting that blends to make your kitchen a pleasant place for eating and sleeping anytime. Ambient lighting – recessed ceiling lights or evenly spaced wall-mounted fixtures – illuminates the space; task lighting (such as spotlights with switches) highlights counters, sinks and cupboards. At last decorative pendants or table lamps, a open plan kitchen and living spaces.