|
Getting your Trinity Audio player ready...
|
Whether you enjoy baking, entertaining, cooking gourmet meals or are a “heat-and-eat” family, every home needs a functional, beautiful kitchen.
Kitchens are the heart of the home. It’s where families gather and connect. Food has a way of bringing people together, and it’s much more enjoyable to create delicious dishes when a kitchen is designed in a creative, organized manner.
Harrell Design + Build designer Margarita Panchenko said a kitchen’s creative possibilities are endless and can be designed to fit how a homeowner lives and works in the space.
When digging into the details with clients, one of Panchenko’s favorite questions is: “What do you hate most about your kitchen?”
When it comes to remodeling the space, she says homeowners shouldn’t worry about designing it purely for resale value: “Design it for you,” she recommends.
Panchenko offered these creative kitchen ideas to get your culinary juices flowing.
Think beyond ‘standard’ storage
Understanding how a family uses their kitchen is paramount to guiding a designer toward flow and function that fits their lifestyle.
“I’ve been in many kitchens and have realized that most standard cabinets don’t allow for truly functional organization,” Panchenko said. Among the things that don’t work are cooking oils and sauces stored in high, hard-to-reach cabinets, frequently used cooking utensils in a cluttered drawer in the opposite side of the kitchen’s cooking area, and spices in yet another far-reaching corner.
Thoughtfully thinking through what items are used when cooking on the range (or cooktop) allows for creating “functional focal points” — easily accessible, nearby storage designed for a specific use.
She suggests flanking the cooktop with drawers of varying depths. Plan for shallow drawers on top for commonly used spatulas, tongs and other utensils, and deeper drawers for oils, vinegar, and nonperishable sauces, along with a dedicated drawer for organizing spices.
“Everything is at hand, which minimizes the need to reach up high in one cabinet, dig through a drawer in another area of the kitchen and rifle through a sea of spices in yet another cabinet,” Panchenko said.
Some common cabinet storage solutions include drawer utensil organizers, built-in knife blocks,built-in dispensers for plastic wrap and foil, hidden paper-towel spools, rollouts for recycling, compost and garbage, spice drawers, docking drawers for your recharging needs, dish drawer pegs and “magic” corners (pullout storage that provides easy access to blind corners under the kitchen counter).
Free up counter space with appliance lifts, garages
There is an appliance for every culinary need, but who wants their counter cluttered with them? That’s where appliance garages and lifts come to the rescue.
The appliance lift is ideal for heavy machines such as stand mixers. The hinged lift mechanism is installed in a base cabinet. The mixer sits on a platform in the cabinet and, when needed, can be pulled out and up to counter height, creating a mini-workspace.
The lift and mixer require dedicated cabinet space, but it’s a worthwhile investment for bakers and cooks who use their stand mixer frequently.
An appliance garage, on the other hand, is a countertop storage center with doors that can either be opened or rolled upward or retracted as a pocket door when in use, providing quick and easy access to frequently used devices, such as toasters, coffee makers and air fryers. Electrical outlets are incorporated in the back of the garage so the appliance can easily be used in place. When not in use, the appliances are out of sight, and the doors blend seamlessly with the rest of the cabinetry.
Use a pantry pullout for ‘as-needed’ countertop workspace
For kitchens with a compact and cozy footprint, a pantry cabinet can be reimagined to function as an “as-needed” countertop.
Rather than having the typical pullout shelf with sides, install a flat and sturdy sideless surface that can roll out about 3 to 4 feet at typical countertop height. Panchenko said it’s also crucial to have pocket-style pantry doors that can open out and then retract into the cabinet to create an unobscured workspace.
In addition, the cabinet must be deep enough to conceal the retractable doors, although bifold doors are an option for shallower pantries, Panchenko added.
This makeshift countertop isn’t for daily use but saves the day when multiple cooks are in the kitchen.
“It’s also a fantastic space for mixing and serving cocktails,” Panchenko said.
Making the inside of the cabinet and the pullout “counter” visually appealing and installing electrical outlets adds functionality and design to the room.
Conceal your microwave
Microwaves are high-use appliances, which means they should be close at hand, but having them take up valuable countertop real estate is less than desirable. Having a microwave above the range also isn’t a prime location as steam and heat lessen the appliance’s lifespan. Plus, items can be hard to move in and out, and it’s simply not the most attractive option.
There is a myriad of ways to conceal microwaves while still ensuring they remain accessible. To free up counter space, consider installing a built-in microwave drawer under your counter or place your microwave on a freestanding open shelf hidden in a cabinet or tucked away in a built-in pantry.
Add top-to-bottom bakeware storage
There’s nothing more cumbersome than digging through stacked cookware in a cabinet or drawer to locate a mixing bowl, baking tin, frying pan or stockpot.
Installing a tall, narrow pullout cabinet next to, or nearby, your oven or range offers multiple “easy to see” shelves for pots, pans, tins and colanders.
For those who prefer deep drawers below their cooktop, don’t forget to add a shallow drawer for organizing your cookware lids.
Consider a pullout or secret pantry
Pullout pantries next to the stove or oven provide quick and easy access to pastas, grains and canned goods. Roll-out drawers allow an easy view of necessary ingredients.
Pullout-style pantries can be segmented into specific storage areas. Panchenko suggests having a tall pantry cabinet with multiple cabinet doors that each have a combination of different-sized drawers intermixed with shelves.
“This creates intentional, organized storage for cans, bottles, boxes, and containers,” she said.
Additionally, adding a secret walk-in pantry (or butler’s pantry) that’s “hidden” behind a door or paneling to blend in with the surrounding kitchen is a fun option to conceal stored goods.
Use open shelving for ‘artistic’ storage
Open shelving is another convenient and artistic storage option that works well for dishes and glassware. This type of shelving looks stunning surrounding sinks and interspersed with upper and lower cabinets, and in walk-in pantries. Shelves also open the view to a countertop-to-ceiling backsplash.
Shelving should be thick, sturdy and easy to clean. Recessed and built-in lighting can be used to showcase attractive plates, mugs and stemware.
Extend your island
Islands are blank slates for creative functionality. You can overhang the countertop to create an informal eating area, curve it for unique and organic flair or extend the countertop material down the sides to create “waterfall” edges for support. If you drop the island’s height, you have a dining table.
For wine lovers with a small space and limited storage, the vertical area below an island or peninsula can become an artsy wine rack by installing wine rack pegs that allow bottles to be displayed horizontally.
Looking for more design ideas? Visit our portfolio page for inspiration, or contact us for a complimentary consultation with one of our designers.
Harrell Design + Build is a woman-founded and employee-owned full-service residential remodeling company based in Mountain View. The company is a regular contributor of monthly design columns for Embarcadero Media.