The days of our kitchen being just a room in our home that we use for meal preparation purposes only are a thing of the past. Our kitchen has evolved to a point that it is now considered the epicenter of our home. It is in our kitchen that our homework gets done on our countertops, our guests automatically gravitate towards our kitchen with a glass of wine in hand, and our families get a chance to spend time with one another at the end of the day. It is not, however, just a matter of having top-of-the-line appliances and countertops installed in our kitchen. Instead, it is a matter of thoughtfully designing this room in our home that will bring everyone together.
Remove the Physical Barriers
One of the better ways that we can ensure that our guests gravitate towards our kitchen is by removing the physical barriers that separate our kitchen from the rest of our home. If our kitchen is a cramped room that is also separated from the rest of our home, then an open concept design is something that we should definitely consider, and professional kitchen remodeling services in Houston thrive in these sorts of changes.
By removing one of our non-bearing walls, we will instantly feel that our kitchen is a room with a lot more space, thanks to this type of architectural style that we will be utilizing for our home improvement project. Not only will we be able to feel that we have a lot more space in our kitchen, we will also be able to spend time with our guests and not be relegated to our kitchen while everyone else gets to enjoy our living room.
Thus, if an open concept design is not something that will work well with our renovation design, then another way that we could have an open concept design in our home is by making our doorway openings wider. It is not quite as effective, but it is still another design element that tricks our minds into thinking that our kitchen and our living area are one large open area. The visual look of our floors tricks our minds into thinking that our home is not segmented into different areas.
Layer Lighting for Mood and Function
The lighting in a room has a great deal to do with the mood of that room, including our kitchen. Having one light fixture in our kitchen will make our kitchen look cold, uninviting, and even like a commercial kitchen, rather than a warm and homey kitchen that we wish our home to look like. Thus, if we wish our kitchen to look like a warm and homey kitchen, then we will have to develop a “layer” of lighting. First of all, we will have to develop some task lighting that will make a light source on our surfaces.
The next “layer” of lighting that we will need will be some pendant lighting that we will be able to hang over our island or our table, which will provide us with a soft light source in our kitchen. The single most important piece of equipment that we will need to create our kitchen into a “gathering place” will be a dimmer switch, which will allow us to lower our level of lighting in our kitchen after we finish cooking our meals, creating a home that is warm, homey, and inviting to us to lounge in on a cold wintry evening with a cup of coffee or wine with our friends.
Prioritize Comfortable Seating
Another important factor that will determine how long someone wants to linger in the room will be how comfortable they are in the room. Although a wooden chair will provide a sleek and modern look to the room, it will also provide an unfriendly and uncomfortable room that will not invite anyone to linger and have a cup of coffee or tea. If the intent is to provide a kitchen that will be a gathering place, then comfortable seating, such as bar stools, will need to be added in front of the island in the kitchen.
If there is a corner in the kitchen, then a breakfast nook with a bench will provide a cozy spot to have a quiet cup of coffee in the mornings or family dinner in the evenings. The ultimate design goal should be to provide comfortable seating that rivals the seating in the living room. If people are comfortable, then they will linger and visit and keep the cook company.
Think Carefully About Materials
The kitchen could also be sterile due to the many hard surfaces, which include stone, tile, and stainless steel. Bringing personal decor items into the kitchen will help to alleviate this problem. Open shelving is good to incorporate into the kitchen, as it can be used to display personal items, such as books, plants, and handmade crafts.
The other area of the kitchen that may not be well-designed is the rugs. Bringing in a decorative rug, or even an old rug, in front of the sink will not only make the kitchen more visually appealing, it will also make it more comfortable to walk on. By making the kitchen look like the rest of the decor in the home, you are telling all who enter that this is not just a kitchen, it is a room that is lived in.
Designing for Connection
When you design your kitchen as the heart of your home, you are not just making cosmetic changes. You are making changes that will change the way you connect with the people around you. By making these important changes, you are creating a kitchen that is a sanctuary that everyone wants to be a part of.