"In the childhood memories of every good cook, there's a large kitchen, a warm stove, a simmering pot, and a mom." – Barbara Costikyan
I couldn't say it any better, myself! And, well, since we ladies spend much of our time in the kitchen, we should create a space that is not only beautiful but also functional.
Today I'm sharing a few ideas to elevate your kitchen.
Five Ways to Upgrade Your Kitchen
Function Comes First
Think about what you spend the most time doing in your kitchen and where you do it. I created spaces in my kitchen to improve the function and way of life. You want to make sure that each space you will actually use!
My kitchen is designed into these categories: coffee, baking, preparing, Cam's bar, and a place for decor (and when entertaining, this area is used for drink dispensers).
I have all the items I need in each of these areas. For example, the baking section has my mixer, measuring cups, cake decorating materials, baking pans, cookie cutters, etc... Therefore, I know I don't have to dig to find anything when I'm baking. The same goes for each area. Such as Cam's bar area. Here I store his drinking glasses, bitters, mixing spoons, cherries, etc... It's all ready for when he wants to make a drink.
Also, most of my cabinetry consists of drawers. Since this is our forever home, I knew drawers would be more functional than having to bend down and dig through cabinets.
Reflect On How You Use Your Kitchen
Often, we just think about using our kitchen on a day-to-day basis; but when remodeling or designing a kitchen, you also need to think about entertaining. For example, I love to host parties, so I thought about cleaning up and food prep for these events. Therefore, we decided to add two dishwashers and three ovens with a microwave that can be used as an oven to make entertaining much more manageable. Do I use my three ovens every day? Nope! However, am I extremely grateful for them during parties and family get-togethers? Absolutely!
Lighting
Our kitchen has a ton of lights! We have can lights, pendants, and cabinetry lighting. When cooking, all the lights are on, but when relaxing, we only turn on the cabinet lights at night. The warm glow is peaceful and calming. If you don't want to add cabinet lighting, adding a lamp is another great way to create a warm glow in the room.
Disguise Your Appliances and Trash Cans
We designed our refrigerator and dishwashers to have a cabinet cover. Disguising our appliances in this matter gives our kitchen a seamless look. We also have pull-out drawers for our trash cans. We add these drawers to both sides of the island. Our island is large, so it makes it easier to not have to walk around every time you want to throw something away.
Incorporate Texture
I know people are saying white kitchens are out for 2022, but I think white kitchens are timeless. You can give your white kitchen warmth and character by adding layers of texture.
You can add cutting boards, vintage crocks, artwork, a runner, fruit, and greenery to the decor to give your kitchen personality and texture. I also have a cabinet that showcases all my treasured kitchen items. The cabinet isn't for beautiful kitchen decorations, but a place to see bowls my mom gave me from my childhood home, pieces passed down from my mother-in-law and great aunts. Is it decorated like a magazine? No, but every time I look at it, it makes my heart filled with joy and pride for my family heirlooms.
Finally, if you don't want to paint your entire kitchen, I suggest painting your island. I recently painted my island, Iron Ore by Sherwin Williams. It was a simple change that added a significant impact!
Heighten the Details
You know the saying, It's All in the Details, and well, the kitchen is a great space to showcase.
Cam and I wanted the cabinetry to look more like furniture when designing the kitchen. So, we installed these decorative legs. Complete honesty, it is a pain to clean underneath, but their beauty is worth it and upgrades the look.
Also, none of my hardware matches in my kitchen. The white cabinets have black matte Pottery Barn pulls. I spray-painted the hardware on the island brass to make them pop, and my faucet and pot filler are brushed nickel. I know this is probably a little too much. However, all the faucets used often (the kitchen, utility room, and our individual bathrooms) have brushed nickel faucets. We had black ones a few years ago, and they always looked dirty. So, due to my laziness, I went with nickel to make it look cleaner without wiping them down all the time.
I hope you were able to take away a few ideas for decorating your kitchen.
Happy Decorating,
amber :)