Kitchen Details That will Make You Love or Hate Your Space
Someone, somewhere once coined the phrase, “the devil’s in the details.” In the matter of home design, this phrase rings true in the form of a poorly created design. A poor design often has the potential to be good but lacks thought to the minute details that can make or break a space, especially when it comes to kitchens. Small annoyances like poor lighting or lack of proper storage in a kitchen can drive a homeowner straight to the realtor’s office.
Take a look at these small but important kitchen design details that will make you absolutely love the room or hate it forever.
Outlets
One never understands the true value of the appearance of an electrical outlet until the traditional, rectangular white wall outlet cover becomes a garish blot in your otherwise perfect backsplash. Luckily, we live in 2018 where creative minds and technology have given interior designers more options than ever before on the outlet front.
Pop-up electrical outlet, photo courtesy of Houzz/Harrell Remodeling, Inc. / Design + Build
Nowadays, you can find a wall outlet cover in just about every color you could imagine or you could just buy paintable outlet covers to ensure a perfect match. You can also hide outlets by way of under cabinet plug molding or pop-up outlets that rise magically from your countertops with the push of a button. We recommend a solid mix of all outlet types for the most functionality. You’ll also want to consider details like if small appliances such as a coffee maker will “live” on your countertop. If so, you’ll want to add the appliance’s “home” into your design plan including the placement of an outlet nearby.
Under-cabinet plug molding, photo courtesy of Houzz/Showplace Wood Products
Lighting
Lighting in every room is important but have you attempted to cook in a kitchen with poor lighting? The results can be as frightening as attempting to apply makeup without a mirror. The thing to remember about kitchen lighting is that every zone of the kitchen needs a different type of light. For instance, task lighting (under cabinet lighting) lights up counter space shadowed by wall cabinets which makes food prep easier and hopefully means you won’t over-sage the dressing at Thanksgiving.
Under cabinet and interior cabinet lighting, photo courtesy of Houzz/Santa I Contracting Corp
Zoning
A well-designed kitchen clearly defines each zone of the room. The three main zones of a kitchen are preparation, cooking, and cleaning. If you have dine-in kitchen, you’ll also need a well-defined dining zone.
The task zones in this kitchen are clearly defined with the island dueling as a dining and prep zone including a prep sink. Another sink for cleaning is present across from the island. The cooking zone also has its own space. Photo courtesy of Houzz/Neal's Design Remodel
Ask any professional chef and they’ll agree that you don’t want to mix your preparation and cleaning zones if possible. That means if you decide to include a sink on your kitchen island but also intend to use the island as prep space, you’ll probably want the sink to be used strictly for preparing food and have second sink for cleaning in another area. You’ll also want to keep your cooking appliances like your oven, range top and microwave near each other instead of spread out across the room.
Appliances
Much like outlets ugly, outdated or mismatched appliances can destroy an otherwise beautiful design. The best way to ensure your appliances don’t ruin your design is by hiding them behind a cabinet or covering them up with a panel.
The oven doors give their hiding spot away but can you spot the fridge? Photo courtesy: Houzz/ LG House, Edmonton Design :: thirdstone inc. [^] Photography :: Merle Prosofsky
Don’t let the small but forgettable details in your kitchen design ruin your dream space. The profesisonals at McCarley Cabinets understand that every detail of your kitchen matters and we can ensure those details enhance every area of your space. Call us to request a free estimate on your kitchen renovation now.
