Designing with the Future in Mind

In prioritizing your kitchen design details and specifications, you should always keep one eye on the future and ask yourself some questions before starting your design.
Is my family likely to grow in number over the years? Are we likely to get more interested in cooking than we already are? Are we going to be entertaining more? Are we going to sell the house at some point?

Asking yourselves these questions is likely to cause you to adjust your priorities. A well-planned kitchen design is also likely to add to the value of your home if you ever decide to sell it.

Functionality over Frills

There will always be the next ‘big thing’ in kitchen appliances and cooking fads. You should never design your kitchen to accommodate trendy appliances or the hottest ‘must-have’ kitchen tool at the moment. Forget about them during the planning stage.

Just make your kitchen as functional as possible. This will pay off for you as you begin to use your new kitchen on a daily basis.

Pay attention to likely traffic patterns during the preparation of a normal meal. Look closely at how your refrigerator, oven and cabinet doors open and make sure they won’t impede on your ability to move around the kitchen or block other doors from opening.

One of the most important assets in planning your kitchen is simply to be aware of how much actual space you have to work with.

You Can Never Have Too Much Counter Space

Remember, all those gimmicky kitchen tools and appliances? If you plan for as much counter space as you can possibly fit in your kitchen design, you will have the room to indulge in whatever comes along as the next ‘big thing’ in cooking.

Counter space is always at a premium, especially if your family entertains a lot or if you have a large family. If you think you have enough, add a little bit more, just to be sure.
Crockpots, mixers, microwaves and whatever else may be invented in the future are all designed to take valuable up counter space.

Styles Come and Go, Quality is Forever

Your priorities should also be based on your budget. Instead of splashing out on the latest appliances, go for the highest quality cabinets, countertops, stove, oven and sink you can afford.

These are the items you will be using day in and day out. They will suffer the most wear and tear through the years and be the most expensive items to replace if they ever do wear out. You will not be saving money in the long run if you economize on these items to start with.

If you buy high-quality items, they will likely outlive you and will add a lot of resale value to your home. Being smart when allocating your budget will make your life easier in years to come.