Through all the ups and downs of life, the economy and style trends, kitchens always remain the heart of a home. A few years ago most homeowners wanted to add to the kitchen with more space, more cabinets, more, more, more. But today we see that people want to utilize their existing space better, and update to make the space they do have more functional and appealing.Here are some tips for how we can design & utilize space better.
1. Think about what your daily habits. Contrast those with your wish list for your kitchen. What could you do without, or design differently to be just as effective?
2. Instead of adding a whole breakfast nook, why not add an island, or snack bar?
3. How can we organize the space to be the most effective? If most of your meals are just 2 people, could you just have your daily dishes & silverware in the kitchen and store the extra dishes in another area?
4. Take advantage of space near the kitchen. Can we build a pantry, or recessed unit? Can we utilize existing or new furniture to store items we don’t use all the time?
5. Consider what size appliances you really need. This could help not only to conserve space but also energy. If you don’t have a house full of people do you really need an oversized refrigerator? There are a lot of options available these days from 18” wide full height refrigerators to 24” wide high performance ranges and 18” wide or single drawer dishwashers. Again, this is where considering your normal daily habits can really save you space and energy.
6. To get the most out of your cabinets take advantage of the wide variety of kitchen accessory options like pullouts, spice rack fillers, drawers, backsplash storage areas, drop downs, etc. Consider:
a. Pullouts, also called rollout trays. They allow you to reach all items, especially those stuck in the back of the cabinet. With our Huntwood cabinets we can customize the units
for pots & lids, or food.b. Our Huntwood Kitchenware Organizers are a great addition to a deep drawer, with a beech base plate and 4 square posts. The pegs can be rearranged to accommodate various sizes and shapes of dishes. And what’s great about this is that they prevent dishes from shifting and getting damaged when you open and close the drawer!
c. Spice drawer inserts can maximize the visibility of spices, and can help keep small cans/jars in sight.
d. We can hang racks (wood or chrome) on the inside of cabinet doors for easy access to other small items.
e. For hard to reach spots, we can install tip down cookbook holders, or knife blocks.
f. A breadboard built into the cabinet units is great for extra workspace.
g. Backsplash mounts are perfect for storing all those small everyday items. Or consider a “rail system”. It consist of a metal rail that runs along the back splash with various baskets, racks, and hooks. Providing storage for everything from spices to paper towels & utensils.
There are so many great options available now, these are just a few we’d consider as you get ready to renovate your kitchen. We could talk for hours about drawers designs, pot racks, pantries, wine racks etc…
If you have specific questions or ideas about your kitchen please give us a call 781-826-2577 Craig@almarbuilding.com
