5 Tips for Making Your Kitchen More Functional for Everyday Life

If you’re dreaming of a kitchen remodel, you probably have some ideas in mind for how you want your kitchen to look.  You are obsessing over a certain backsplash tile, or perhaps you know for sure that you want white cabinets and a farmhouse sink.

But there’s one thing you should never underestimate: the power of a great kitchen layout. The most gorgeous kitchen in the world will frustrate you every single day if the layout isn’t functional for your lifestyle. So, here are 5 tips for making your kitchen more functional when cooking meals and living your life at home!

1. Don’t Be Afraid to Rearrange

Make sure you have a simple, clear path throughout your kitchen. The stove, the refrigerator, and the sink should be easily accessible: there should not be any obstructions getting in the way. Do you usually have 2 or more people cooking in the kitchen? Make sure there’s room to maneuver. And if there are any obstacles – like an ill-placed window or a dishwasher in a bad spot – one of the best things you can do is make room in the budget to rearrange for a functional layout. It is possible to move just about anything: windows, appliances, doors, sometimes even walls.

2. Task Lighting is Key

Your kitchen won’t be functional if you can’t see what you’re cooking! If you just have overhead lights, you may be blocking the counter or stove top with your own shadow while cooking. Consider all the places where you need task lighting. Under cabinet lights are hidden and functional. Pendants over the island or sink are popular choices, and you can choose rustic farmhouse style pendants, or sleek modern ones to make your preferred design style. Wall sconces are very decorative if you don’t have upper cabinets on a wall. Your beautiful new light fixtures might just end up being your favorite part of your kitchen remodel!

3. What’s Your Preferred Storage?

Lately, there has been a trend towards incorporating more drawers, not doors, into lower cabinetry. You know how it’s easy to lose things in the dark depths of lower cabinets? Drawers are so much simpler to access and organize, since you can pull them out and see every corner with ease. Many people have found that they love having everything in drawers: flatware, dishware, utensils, spices, even pots and pans!

4. Think About Smart Seating

Whether it is a kitchen table or bar stools at an island, seating is a great way to add more life to the heart of your home. Do you have kids who like to sit in the kitchen while you cook? Do you like to have friends and family over for dinner? If so, it is important that you have seating in a place where people won’t get in the way of your path between the sink and the refrigerator, or even worse, where you risk burning someone.

5. Incorporate Functional Decor

In the kitchen, filling open shelves, walls, and countertops with purely decorative objects is wasted space Instead, display beautiful cutting boards, mixing bowls, salt and pepper shakers, pretty linens, or any other items that you use on a regular basis. It will keep your drawers and cabinets free for other things, makes frequently used items easy to access, and it looks beautiful!

Thinking of these functional elements now, will help your architectural design evolve from plans on paper to the gorgeous kitchen of your dreams.