Transform Your Cooking Experience: Kitchens of the Future
The kitchen serves as the center of the home. It’s where you spend most of the family time, hang out, prepare your meals and relax. But is it working for you?
You’ve just come home after a full day of work and a long commute. Your partner and children of various ages have different needs: a quick dinner, a snack, a prepared lunch for the next day's school trip. Half the dishes are in the sink, the bread is not where it belongs and it’s hard to find the mayo in the refrigerator.
Sound familiar? Is your kitchen working for you? Check out how the designs of the future will transform your kitchen from a cramped mess to an organized, spacious area perfect for family and friends to eat and work together. Learn about the designs, tools, appliances, and materials that enhance the kitchen as the center of your home.
Kitchen Work Station
Workstations organize your life based on an activity or function. For example, a prepping station near a large sink is a cook’s best friend. We put the chopping board, colander, knives, and all utilities within easy reach for convenient preparation, storage, and cleanup in one area. All these tools can be stored inside the sink workstation, moved around, and washed as needed.
A baking station has all the trays, rollers, and baking goods stored in one location. If you have narrow cabinets, a tray organizer and pullout spice organizer will make the best use of the space. Place the flour, sugar, and other baking goods nearby so that you have all the goods in one place.
Another useful trend is recycling stations with multiple trash storage options. As we recycle more and more of our trash, we’re starting to use multiple cabinets in a kitchen: one for organic substances, the other for disposal, and a third for plastic bottles. Trash separation makes disposal and recycling much easier and more convenient.
Improve Your Storage Options
Rather than using a “Lazy Susan" to store pots and food, the new trend is a different kind of storage that can be pulled out of the cabinet and pushed back when done. More and more, drawers in cabinets, refrigerators, and pantries are useful as well. Drawers are easier to reach and can be lit when opened.
For a more modern feel in large kitchens, open shelving is a good solution for storing dishes or baskets containing cutlery, some fruit, or vegetables not needing refrigeration. This reduces the amount of top cabinetry while providing the visual appeal of open space.
Rethinking Appliances
People are also doing away with large refrigerators in favor of a more modular solution. Specific refrigeration units, such as a beverage center, now streamline the kitchen experience. Separate drawers for vegetables or fruit also save time and cut down on that inconvenient refrigerator rummaging we all love.
Ovens now feature a steam option. Some of my clients now enjoy healthy cooking options, combined with the benefits of a convection oven. The induction cooktop is another modern solution. It is safer than other cooktop solutions, more convenient, and easier to clean, with faster cook times. However, it does require special pots.
Lighting
Lighting is now easier to install at specific work areas. In addition to under-cabinet lighting, LED lighting can be installed to illuminate drawers as they open, automatically turning off as they close. Since LED bulbs last a long time, my clients are happy about not changing those bulbs so often.
For countertop material, quartz is the winner, as the most versatile and useful choice. Newer, more modern styles are available, with great colors and durable components. I also get lots of requests for stainless steel, as homeowners appreciate its durability and easy cleaning.
Are you ready for the kitchen of the future? Let us know what you think. What would you love to change, and what would you want to stay the same in your kitchen?
Interiors by Dafna Adler is here for your kitchen transformation, modernization, or restoration needs. Call us today to bring your vision to life. 516 234 5425
