Your Kitchen: Knowing When You Have it Right

By Matthew Kerridge

Feeling comfortable in your kitchen requires more than just being happy with how your kitchen space looks or how well it functions when cooking your meals. Sometimes it requires a certain combination of form, function, and a personal touch that only you can add. In creating a space in which you, your family, and your guests feel at ease, it is important to understand exactly how your kitchen will be used, how often, and in what capacity.

In order to feel at home in your kitchen, you must consider its purpose. If you plan to use the space purely for cooking, then function will play a major role. If you expect to do more entertaining and less formal cooking, then looks and layout may be determining factors. While knowing how your kitchen will be used won't immediately mean your design work is done, it does give you a starting point with which to begin your work.

No matter how much time you spend in the kitchen, you still want it to be an inviting area in which to be. By adding your own unique style to the space, you can create a kitchen that you enjoy and in which you may want to spend more time. Deciding whether you would be more content in a cosy, rustic kitchen, or a modern kitchen with the most updated appliances and features, can determine how you move forward making other decisions that affect your kitchen space.

Once you have analyzed your kitchen space, it is time to get started on style. Are you looking for a more modern or contemporary kitchen with a sleek design and fashionable appliances? Maybe you are seeking a more traditional or rustic feel in which elegantly crafted cabinets and countertops replace luxury with cosiness and security. Determining your personal style is necessary to feel comfortable in your kitchen.

A determining factor in making your kitchen a special place for you to enjoy and spend time will often come down to space. While a large kitchen space can give you room to spread out, entertain, and cook freely, a small space, while at times restrictive, can provide that cosy, homey feel. If you are looking to make a large space small, consider using darker paint colours, adding more accessories and furniture, or placing curtains over windows. Conversely, you can make a smaller space seem larger by utilizing mirrors, removing clutter, and adding lighting.

You can't always control how much space your kitchen has. De-cluttering, removing extra furniture, sometimes knocking out a wall or opening up a wall to create a pass through, even changing a kitchen's paint color can add space or at least the appearance of space to your kitchen. Opening up a kitchen can add to a relaxed atmosphere and make it more conducive to cooking and entertaining while closing in a space can add atmosphere and cosiness.

If you decide you would like to restructure your kitchen, there are several things you might want to consider. Taking down a wall, creating a pass through, adding or removing a centre island, and moving appliances or furniture, are often quick, and relatively easy layout changes that can significantly alter the overall appearance of your kitchen. These changes can quickly make your kitchen more functional and/or appealing without necessarily requiring a complete kitchen overhaul. - 29956

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