Key Elements That Make a Beautiful Kitchen

The goal of kitchen design is to create a functional, aesthetically beautiful room that meets the individual demands of the owner. It’s critical to consider how you intend to use the area. 

Do you have an incredible spice collection and a passion for cooking? Do you have a growing family or only need space for one? Is the kitchen an area where food is prepared as well as shared meals?

Making a list of your kitchen preferences and likes, frustrations, and dreams is the first step towards creating a kitchen that precisely fits your lifestyle. Here are some of the key kitchen features to write down during the planning stage.

Appliances That Fit Your Area

The equipment you select for your kitchen is influenced by the design and general layout of the space. If you’re constructing or remodeling a new kitchen, you’ll need to figure out what appliances you’ll need and what size they’ll need to fit in the areas you’ve constructed.

When it comes to choosing those appliances, you have many options: varied sizes, usefulness, colors, and technology. Traditional appliance colors include black and stainless steel, although neutral grey and white are becoming popular as clean, modern options. Even powerful industrial-style and quirky retro appliances have found a home in kitchens created just for them.

In addition, far more technology is being integrated. The quantity of innovation is astounding, from refrigerators featuring touch screens that allow you to play music, look inside your fridge, or stream TV, to Bluetooth-connected stovetops, ovens, and microwaves that allow you to synchronize the cook times of all your dishes.

Various Light Sources

The most important thing about kitchen lighting is that it doesn’t need to originate from a single source. Having a single bright light might result in significant glare and shadows, which are not ideal for food preparation or entertaining. This means that a functional and well-lit and kitchen requires a variety of light sources.

Task lights, such as those found beneath kitchen cupboards or in a pantry, are essential for performing fundamental kitchen tasks such as cooking and food preparation. Both ambient lighting and accent lighting create a welcoming atmosphere in which people desire to spend time. 

Accent lighting can be recessed lighting that draws attention to a specific area or feature inside the kitchen. In contrast, ambient lighting can fill in gaps between the tops of cabinets and the ceiling. Decorative lighting may give your kitchen a distinct appeal.

Bench Space

Not only do you need the correct amount of bench space, but you also need it to be in the right place. For easy dinner preparation and grocery unloading, consider having a bench space adjacent to or across your refrigerator. The bench area next to your oven is particularly critical to avoid carrying hot food throughout your kitchen from a safety standpoint.

Clean, Modern Cabinetry

Year after year, cabinet design trends vary and evolve, but nothing beats a set of clean, modern white cabinets. They have the effect of making a kitchen appear larger and brighter, and they are appealing to potential house buyers. When matched with darker colors on appliances or countertops or with flashes of color throughout the kitchen, they’re very effective at generating contrast.

On the other hand, gray cabinets are gaining popularity, as they’re trendy and modern. They can provide a neutral look that can be readily coupled with a variety of finishes — they can provide contrast or be a component of a monochromatic aesthetic. They’re a good mix of blacks and whites, and they’ll probably be in style for a long time.

Traditional wood cabinets are still fashionable in good kitchens, and bold or dark hues are cutting-edge modern designs.

Finishes Complementing the Kitchen

The finishes you pick for your kitchen may create a design statement while also tying the space together. You can choose industrial, architectural lines for your faucets, specific types of ceiling textures, stainless or satin nickel door pulls for neatness on your cabinets, and various compositions and colors for your countertops, or make a statement with a large farmhouse sink.

Sinks & Countertops

There are many different types of countertops, and you’ll have lots of choices when it comes to selecting a color or style that suits your kitchen best. Granite has long been a favorite high-end option for many homes, and it remains so due to its beauty, durability, and range of colors. Granite can also increase the value of your property, making it an ideal investment for your kitchen.

On the other hand, Quartz is gaining popularity due to its heat/scratch/stain resistance and ease of maintenance. On the most expensive end of the scale, there’s laminate, butcher block tops, tile, soapstone, composite tops, soapstone, and marble.

Sinks come in various shapes and sizes, with huge farmhouse-style sinks becoming increasingly popular in many kitchens. Some homeowners embrace ultra-modern with these sinks, opting for bright, vibrant hues to create a striking contrast with the rest of their kitchen.

Hardware

Cabinet hardware can drastically affect the appearance of your kitchen cabinets. If you’re refacing or refinishing your cabinets, perhaps to go with the white or gray trend, you’ll probably want to replace the handles and knobs as well. There are thousands of styles to choose from, and Amerock has a wonderful collection on doitbest.com (including this contemporary bar pull).

Backsplash

For many homeowners looking for an easy way to add an extra design element to their kitchen, installing a backsplash has become a popular DIY project. Smart Tiles, for example, are DIY-friendly peel-and-stick vinyl tiles. 

With a little preparatory work, you can get a look comparable to many authentic tile backsplashes but needing far less effort. For a high-end industrial effect without the grout work, there are even true metal peel-and-stick options available.

Traditional glass and stone backsplashes are also a terrific alternative, and when placed by a professional, they frequently provide the nicest, most detailed look. In the right hands, reclaimed wood and some other salvaged materials can also make excellent backsplashes.

Kitchen Faucet

In terms of design and style, you have many options, just like with the other elements. It’s all about combining the right things to make a kitchen seem finished. Increases in technology, like touch-free faucets, farmhouse-style handles and faucets, or sleek, architectural lines for a modern, industrial faucet, are all current faucet trends.

Faucets come in varieties of finishes and configurations to fit the rest of your kitchen’s decor.