Designing Your Kitchen? 3 Options to Consider during Your Kitchen Remodel
Whether you are building a house or simply remodeling, choosing the layout, color, and other features for your kitchen can be challenging and time consuming. From selecting drawer and cabinet knobs to the color of your pantry doors, the various decisions can be overwhelming. Of course, taking adequate time to research your choices is essential to a successful kitchen design. To ensure your kitchen will be attractive, functional, valuable, and efficient, consider these design aspects:
Cabinetry
A large portion of your kitchen design budget will go toward the cabinets, which is smart considering they are functional and take up a lot of space in the room. While your floor plan will designate the majority of the cabinet's layout, you can customize the shelves, cabinets, and drawers.
Make sure your cabinets and drawers feature specialized storage for your family's needs. For example, if you have a collection of ceramics or decorative plates, include open shelving or cabinets with glass doors. This allows you to display your collection.
If your family enjoys baking and cooking, include drawers and shelves that can store longer cookie sheets and numerous cake pans. Also, opt for pull-out baskets or drawers for an attractive method of storing fresh vegetables and fruits.
Make sure to place drawers that will store trash and recycling bins, as well. Hiding the waste bins in your cabinet design improves the look and function of your kitchen. Speak with a representative from an establishment like Sierra Remodeling & Home Builders Inc for further ideas.
Lighting
Lighting is not only necessary for your visibility while cooking, prepping, and cleaning, but it also enhances the mood of the space while entertaining friends and family. When designing your kitchen, be sure to include fixtures in different locations of your kitchen.
Task lighting is imperative, so include can lights in the ceiling around the kitchen. Be sure you have adequate light above your stove and over a large section of your countertops, which will increase visibility while you cook and prep meals. Installing under-the-cabinet lights is not a new trend in kitchen design, but it is a great addition for appeal and function.
If your kitchen design includes an island, pendant lights should be installed over this surface. Adding chandeliers over the breakfast nook or dining area of your kitchen is also important.
When choosing your light fixtures, opt for Energy Star-qualified LED lighting. Energy Star LED lighting offers a longer lifespan compared to incandescent and fluorescent lighting, but the 75 percent reduction in energy usage is the main benefit of using LED.
Conserving energy with attractive light fixtures is a smart option for your kitchen, but this is not the only eco-friendly addition to include in your design.
Plumbing
The average household spends an estimated $500 per year on water and sewer charges, which can be decreased dramatically by installing water-efficient plumbing fixtures in the home. Thankfully, you can reduce your household's water usage by installing a water-conserving faucet and dishwasher.
Installing faucets with the Watersense label in your home can save up to 700 gallons of water each year. Of course, reaching this amount of conservation will require installing Watersense faucets and showerheads all through your home, not just in the kitchen, but when selecting the faucet for your kitchen sink, opt for this water-conserving addition in a modern finish, such as oil-rubbed bronze.
To reduce your water usage even further, opt for an Energy Star, water-conserving dishwasher. With efficient jets, food sensors, temperature controls, and innovative rack designs, these dishwashers are able to effectively clean and sanitize dishes, pots, and glassware without using extra energy or water.
Your kitchen is an imperative part of your home's value and functionality, so designing the space should take time and research. With the above design options, you can enhance your kitchen's appeal, function, and efficiency.