For many of us, our kitchens are the epicenter of our home. It’s where we prepare indulgent meals for our family, where we gather to entertain with friends, where we enjoy a cup of coffee on peaceful mornings, and a cup of tea as we wrap up our evenings. With so much of our home-lives happening in our kitchens, we believe it is always worth the investment to design your kitchen with maximum potential, function, and appeal in mind. However, we also know it can be overwhelming to begin the design process of an outdated kitchen—with so many trends flooding our Pinterest feeds, it’s difficult to know where to start.
Below, the kitchen remodeling experts at Lynch Design | Build offer five simple yet transformative remodels that will make time spent in your kitchen much more enjoyable.
Know Your Work Triangle
An experienced home cook knows the vitality of a “work triangle”—the sweet spot where your sink, oven, and refrigerator are perfectly distanced in a triangle for ultimate functionality and appeal. While many feel this is an outdated concept, we believe it’s the little details—like the work triangle—that make or break your experience in the kitchen. If your stove is a few strides too far from your fridge, and your sink is off on an island by itself, it’s going to make your cooking flow clunky and inefficient. Simply knowing where you want the trifecta of appliances to be located will help the rest of your kitchen setup fall right into place.
Cater Your Kitchen to Your Needs (and Cooking Skills!)
Each homeowner utilizes their kitchen to varying degrees. Are you a moderate home cook with an affinity for meal prepping? Or are you a full-blown connoisseur with dreams of a chef’s kitchen and built-ins plastered with cookbooks? Even if you’re a takeout-every-night kind of person, a well-functioning kitchen ensures you have a gathering place in your home that causes serenity over stress. Who knows, upgrading your kitchen as a non-cook may even be the push you need to ditch the mobile ordering apps and get your hands dirty!
When beginning your kitchen remodeling endeavor, consider your list of must-haves and be honest about how you need your kitchen to work for you. The more advanced home chef may get value out of a double kitchen island with multiple sinks and a gold-standard oven. Ultimately, ample kitchen space and appliances can make or break the experienced home chef’s love of cooking at home.
All in all, don’t skimp on the upgrades if you know they’ll be worth the upfront investment. If you’re overwhelmed with where to start in your kitchen remodel, get out a handy notepad and write down your must-haves based on your needs, keeping the list brief but precise. The simple act of knowing your “A-Team” items before going into a consultation will make a big impact.
Classic, Not Trendy
We’ve said this before, and we’ll say it again. If you’re looking to invest in a kitchen remodel that you won’t hate the sight of in five years, go for classics over trends. Yes, the fashionable 2021 kitchen remodels that plaster Pinterest may be appealing to the eye, but we guarantee many of those flashy features will be old news within a few years. Choosing timeless materials such as wood, granite, and marble, a neutral palette and an open layout will stand the test of time over trends that are fed to us through our Instagram feeds. Having a new and timeless kitchen remodel can up your chances of selling your home for a greater value as well, if you so choose to move within a few years.
Add Unique Finishes to Give Your Kitchen Character and Charm
As we’ve mentioned above, designing a classic kitchen is the best way to prevent your space from falling out of style within a few years. But of course, it is the statement pieces we choose that add character and make our home feel uniquely ours—adding a pop of color to an otherwise neutral kitchen, painting your cabinets two tones, or even choosing a funky backsplash can give your kitchen the charm you crave while also keeping it classic. Not to mention, those unique touches can be easily replaced or upgraded as the years go by, without the need to remodel your entire kitchen over again.
Our advice? When kickstarting your kitchen remodel, choose timeless styles over trends but add a few unique details that make your kitchen truly feel yours. Classic does not have to equal utilitarian or minimal!
Above All, Choose Storage
Something you’ll never regret about a kitchen remodel? Having too much storage. A bane of many homeowners’ kitchens is that the storage is less than optimal, leading to clutter and misplaced items. When starting your kitchen remodel, consider placing storage at the top of your must-have list if it has been an issue in your current space. Also, consider how to maximize the space you have for the most optimal storage solution. If you have high ceilings, install vertical cabinetry that spans your entire wall and removes the risk of unusable wall space. If you have a blank wall that you’re not sure what to do with, built-ins for storing your fine china or pottery is the perfect solution! When it comes to storage, there is wiggle room to be practical and creative at the same time.
Hit the Ground Running On Your Kitchen Remodel with Lynch Design | Build of Harford County!
We at Lynch Design | Build know all of the tips and tricks when it comes to bringing a dream kitchen to life, but we’re also privy to the anxieties many homeowners feel when they don’t know where to start. Even if all you know is that your kitchen is outdated, cramped and needs some love, our skilled team can offer you a free consultation to evaluate what your next steps should be. Remodeling your kitchen is an investment, but it should also be fun and rewarding for years to come! Contact our Harford County office by clicking here or calling today at 401-879-5510 to schedule a free consultation.
