How to Increase Your Kitchen's Functionality With a Designer

Remodeling an older kitchen transforms the space into a fabulous new feature of your home. Working with a professional designer and kitchen remodeler is a great idea, especially if the old kitchen has started to fall apart. In fact, according to Statista, nearly 30% of homeowners who are remodeling included their kitchen because their old one was old and elements of it were breaking down. If you're in this group, sit down with a designer to create a functional, up-to-date space. Here are some tips to consider during the kitchen remodeling process.

Find the Right Layout for You

You don't have to stick with a traditional kitchen layout if you don't want to. For example, the triangle is a classic kitchen design that involves the stove/oven, refrigerator, and sink forming a triangle when you look at their locations on a design plan. While this is an efficient formation, talk to your designer about other options you'd like to explore. You don't need to stick to the status quo, and your designer can help you think outside of the box.

Consider Efficiency

The larger the kitchen, the more functional you can make it by adding features that reduce the number of steps you have to take to reach an appliance. In a small kitchen, the sink, oven, fridge, and food prep areas may be very close to each other; it doesn't take much movement to get from one appliance to another. But in a large kitchen, you could have to walk quite a few steps to get from the sink to the stove.

You and your kitchen remodeler need to decide how to create an efficient space. A simple solution would be to add a smaller sink on a kitchen island across from the stove. Or, maybe most of the cooking utensil storage should be on a central island rather than spread out among the wall cabinets.

Add Hideaway Features

Kitchens inherently have bizarre spaces and corners that are hard to reach if you don't design them carefully. Today's kitchen designers are now creating useful features out of those awkward spaces.

For example, now you can get pull-out racks and a Lazy-Susan for use in a bottom cabinet. Instead of avoiding the back sections of those lower cabinets because it's so hard to retrieve things from there, you can install these racks and pull them -- and their contents -- out when needed. Narrow spaces between appliances can hold sideways spice racks. Another nifty invention is a folding step stool that you pull out of a bank of lower cabinets.

Making your kitchen more functional with the help of a designer involves a level of practicality and creativity. Kitchen remodelers can show you your options and create a space where every inch is useful. To get started on a kitchen remodel, contact Creekstone Design Build today!