kitchen
Wire your drawers. Do you need your technology while you cook, perhaps to look up recipes or cooking hints, make cooking notes, play music or make diary entries? A powered drawer can keep your electronics off the counter and away from cooking mess and moisture and can charge them at the same time.
A drawer insert with holes cut to fit metal or plastic buckets (very cheap) will help you get a handle on cooking clutter. Tip: Separate utensils by material — wood, plastic and metal — so you can grab something quickly.
Don’t waste an inch of space — fit a removable chopping board over a shallow drawer
Keep cups at the ready. You’ll never regret a cup drawer — it’s so much easier than digging in an overhead cupboard. Make sure it is deep enough for your tallest mugs, about 7 or 8 inches, storing them upside down to protect their rims. Cups have a habit of multiplying, so estimate how many you really need and donate or store the rest for emergencies. A side compartment for tea, coffee, spoons and sugar completes a tidy and convenient coffee station.
Fewer white or stainless-steel sinks. White and stainless steel sinks have had their day, says designer Ott. Expect more concrete, stone, copper and granite composite sinks in darker hues of gray, bronze or black.
Table-height kitchen seating. Traditional kitchen island seating can be too difficult to use as we age — and the fall from a higher seat is also more dangerous. Look for a kitchen with some table-height seating, or room to place a kitchen table.
Bar counter. As soon as you walk through the door, poured concrete countertops and vintage industrial stools clue you in to the overall style. Note the black window frames, the metal chair bases and the support for the countertop, which wraps the wall from the kitchen into the family room.
Below the microwave is a walnut organizer for tea and coffee.
A custom walnut-fronted pullout stores cooking oils near the range and prep station.
What’s the most common mistake people make? Poor workflow. When you consider how much time you spend in the kitchen, it makes sense to be sure that essentials are properly positioned. Make sure that frequently used items are within easy reach. This means that pots and pans should be stored near the oven and stovetop, glasses should be stored near the fridge, the rubbish bin should be positioned near the sink, and your chopping boards and knives should be near the prep [counter].
Blond butcher block. Warmth is something any mostly white kitchen can use more of. And the best way to deliver that is with natural wood. But if you’re hesitant to push things in too warm a direction, avoid darker woods, such as walnut, and stick to lighter tones, such as the blond countertop shown in this midcentury kitchen.
Tall cabinet with roll-out shelves. One of my favorite ways to add storage is a tall cabinet with adjustable roll-outs that matches the new cabinetry. You don’t have to guess what’s behind the first row of supplies — simply roll out the shelf to see.
A concealed range hood can work in any style of kitchen and is especially appropriate when planning a contemporary streamlined kitchen. Concealing the hood helps maintain clean lines and avoids disrupting the continuous flow of upper cabinets, creating a sleek look.
A concealed or built-in range hood is integrated into the kitchen and out of sight. Hiding a hood, or any appliance for that matter, helps focus the attention on the kitchen cabinetry and other design elements, rather than on the appliance itself. Concealed hoods are especially beneficial in a small kitchen, which can get visually cluttered when lots of appliances are out in the open.
Island sink with light countertop. Stainless steel had been my go-to finish for sinks for many reasons, including its durability and availability at many price points. Then I realized it’s not always the best option, depending on the countertop’s finish, as well as the look you are trying to achieve. With a lighter countertop, a stainless steel sink may look like a dark hole in the island. A white sink, though, will not.
For years I specified a single-layer cutlery holder for my clients. Now, I include a two-tiered insert to double their amount of cutlery storage.
Lack of trays. Not everyone needs an abundance of tray storage. For those clients, I will add a partition to the cabinet and adjustable shelves to the other side.
Oils and sauces. Kitchens are all about function. I always try to put at least one pullout for frequently used oils and sauces next to the range. Although some worry that the heat from the range may turn the oils, most ranges have great insulation. That, coupled with the thickness of the cabinet’s sides, means sauces and oils rarely spoil.
Pantry with rollouts. For pantry cabinets wider than 15 inches, I prefer rollouts. That means you’re pulling out only the shelf you need, not the whole pantry. Also, consider the projection of the hardware of any cabinet next to the wall. Make the filler (a matching strip of wood that fills the gap between the cabinet and wall) at least 1½ inches wide to keep the hardware from hitting the wall and possibly restricting the usability of a cabinet with a rollout.
Odor control. One major concern that people often have with waste bins is the odors that can linger in the kitchen. There are several possible ways to combat this issue, and one is by using compartments with individual lids for organic waste.
Depending on the system you use, you can easily have space for two sizable bins, or many smaller ones, configured with one tucked behind the other in a full-depth cabinet, or side by side, or many other configurations to suit your typical needs.
Ease of use. If you cook often, one of the trickiest and yet most common tasks is sweeping away the remnants from chopping. You can carefully carry a chopping board to the bin, or you can bring the bin to the chopping board. Locating your garbage or compost pullout below a chopping zone means you can sweep waste directly into the bin with ease.
Seamless integration. Because a waste pullout is essentially just a very deep drawer, it can easily be integrated into the look of your cabinetry, bringing some great contemporary functionality to very traditional or transitional style.
Float away. To create the illusion of space, it’s a good idea to keep furniture off the floor. The countertop here is extended from the kitchen cabinets to form a floating peninsula breakfast bar. The lack of base cabinets gives the room a feeling of flow. The designers also have thought carefully about the bar stools, choosing white tops to “melt” into the surface and wooden legs to blend into the floor.
Herb wall. This artistic wall combines cute wooden racks, nice matching herb and spice containers and chalkboard paint. Writing the names in chalk on the wall adds to the charm
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