Look around at the new kitchens being built in homes today and you will see that they are not built the way they used to be, in a good way. Today’s kitchen is a main, if not the main room in the home and as such should be designed as an invigorating area around which activity flourishes. Gone are the days when kitchens were sequestered in the back of the house, designed simply as a space outside the dining room, or even gasp! – closed with doors. If you are considering a new kitchen or kitchen remodel, plan to show it off and make the new space a key feature of your home. The activity that takes place in and around this room will be essential for your home life.

Planning

For today’s homeowners, the kitchen is not a private room where daily activities are kept separate from the rest of the house, so don’t turn it off! When planning your kitchen, try to maintain or create sight lines to adjacent areas such as dining rooms, living rooms, and the outdoors. If your budget allows, consider replacing entire walls with half walls or peninsulas. For a less extreme change, convert doors or entrances to wider openings. To create a visual division between adjacent spaces rather than a physical one, during lighting or floor changes are just a few of the options. Where walls are needed for load capacity reasons or cabinet storage, walk-ins can provide a good visual connection and prevent the kitchen from feeling blocked.

Seating

The dining room is a malleable concept these days and its incorporation into the surrounding environments is a matter of space availability and personal preference. In a small kitchen, if there is a dining room nearby, consider ditching a breakfast area, which can take up space and expand your cabinets. On the other hand, if you’re comfortable with it, ditch a full dining room table entirely and opt for cheaper seating in the kitchen. A smaller breakfast area with bench-style seating around a compact table is a unique alternative to the dining room. You can also choose to incorporate seating on an island or peninsula. The storage space under the bar area can be used to store lightly used items. Even if you have a large floor plan where a separate dining room is available, consider adding bar seating on an island or peninsula. This additional function area can become a great place to sit for a few minutes or an extended work session, especially for children.

Decorate

In addition to physically opening up the space, various details will also help make your kitchen feel airy and inviting. If you’ve just built a wonderful trophy kitchen, remember to provide the right lighting to show off the new space and create ambience. Fixtures under cabinets, cove lighting over cabinets, and pendants over islands will provide visual interest. Recessed cans are ideal for general lighting; use them just enough to make the space feel bright rather than dark and cramped. Light colored walls and cabinets will also make a small space feel bigger. Add personality with accent colors or a backsplash. If a large number of cabinets make your kitchen feel closed off, remove some of the doors to create open cabinets or replace some solid doors with glass ones for a more open feel. The interior of these shelves can also receive a different paint treatment for interest.

As your kitchen comes together, remember that it will be a family gathering and entertaining space, just like other rooms in your home. Keep it integrated with your surrounding areas and provide adequate space for all the functions it will come to serve. A kitchen shouldn’t feel like a utility room; It should act as a hub, a place to display personality, and of course a space to do household activities while interacting and enjoying time with others.