Your home should be your haven. There’s no doubt that a messy, useless, claustrophobic, or outdated space can significantly affect your mood and create a daily struggle. Your kitchen is an area where you likely spend a lot of time – and subsequently, one of the places that homeowners are often eager to change if they struggle from the house blues.
Full kitchen remodels can have the reputation of being expensive and time-consuming, but there’s great news: they don’t have to be. Some kitchens just need a light fix-up or makeover to bring you that high-end style, extra storage space, or more open and functional design that can make you love your home once more. If you’ve been wondering how to design or switch up your kitchen to promote functionality and style, then we have the tips and tricks for you.
1. Color Me Chic
It’s a trick as old as interior design itself, but color can massively change a space, enhancing style and bringing a unique and beautiful theme or accent to your kitchen. Whether you choose some new chairs and decor or easily install a stylish new backsplash, a pop of color can be the refreshing look your kitchen needs.
This season, Navy Blues and Gold are huge for creating a warm yet designer-looking kitchen that stuns guests and can create a kitchen to be proud of. Alternatively, colors like yellow and greens are popular to give your kitchen some character, making it a vibrant and beautiful space where you and your family will be excited to spend more time together.
Chat to your kitchen design consultant for more advice on a color palette that suits your style and vision.
2. It’s a Material World
Changing your surfaces or cabinet doors is a simple yet effective way to refurbish your kitchen without major demolition work or a lengthy, inconvenient project. Light woods can create a neutral, calming, and rustic character, perfect for an earthy kitchen that is both stylish and homely. MDF cabinet doors showcase a smooth, sleek, and trendy look and can be painted in any color, and are a surefire way to give your kitchen the immediate update you desire. Modern kitchen contractors have an array of materials to choose from that enhance the appearance and function of your kitchen and can be installed and replaced easily.
3. Let There Be Light
Research shows that proper lighting has a calming and soothing effect that can significantly improve your mood. Open up shutters and blinds to let natural light into your kitchen, and where possible, move things such as chairs or your most used kitchen appliances to different locations in your kitchen so that you can face natural light when preparing food or relaxing in your kitchen.
If your kitchen doesn’t have a lot of light, there are solutions available too. A large stylish mirror or a new fixture might be all it takes for a quick upgrade. Alternatively, you can switch your light bulbs to modern, relaxed LEDs for a softer, more natural-looking light. Bright artificial light can invoke negative feelings and increase stress, so a simple fix is a great place to start.
4. Plant Me Perfect
Budget-friendly, trendy, homey, and easy to find, indoor plants are a great way to boost mood and style in your kitchen. Whether you choose some potted succulents to line your kitchen window sill or choose a large indoor houseplant to bring character to a corner, houseplants are a great addition to your home.
Backed by science, indoor plants are shown to boost your mood, purify the air, and even improve focus, meaning they’re a great addition to your home. For children or pets, be sure to check that the plant is non-toxic. Aside from that, it’s time to hit the store and find some plants that fit your kitchen space and compliment the style you’re aiming for.
5. Explore Organization Options
Decluttering is often the first step in giving your kitchen the refresh it needs, but often clutter can be the symptom, not the problem. In our experience, we find that most homeowners we work with struggle with having a lack of storage space.
If you find that your kitchen ends up cluttered or full no matter how often you clean, it might be a game-changer to explore some long-term storage solutions for your kitchen.
Stylish containers might be a quick fix for your needs, which is often a good starting point. However, if you usually find your inadequate storage space is not solved by an extra bin or two, a professional designer can find the fix you need. Many kitchen contracting and design companies like Cross Kitchens will chat with you to find exactly what you need in your kitchen to create the ideal space for you and your family. This way, we can understand your day-to-day needs and help you create an organizational system that will make the difference between a kitchen you love and one you can’t stand. Whether it’s hidden shelves for appliances, lazy susans for awkward spaces, or a perfect place to stow cutting boards and utensils, proper storage looks good and can be life-changing too. With a professional kitchen design or remodel, you will see that significantly impacts your peace of mind, satisfaction, and love for your home.
6. Put the “Style” Back Into Lifestyle
When it comes down to it, customers who are happiest with their kitchens are those who have been able to create a space that’s customized to their style and needs at once. No matter the size or space your kitchen takes up, your perfect kitchen should always be designed in a way that suits your lifestyle.
Do you love your morning coffee? Find a sleek coffee maker that looks great on your countertop and ensure that it’s the first thing you can access in your kitchen. Do you love a social kitchen that still looks stunning? Look into building or renovating your island. Add some chic bar stools and inbuilt outlets to marry both style and usability together in one perfect package. In addition to this, some carefully chosen decor such as a mountable spice rack for the wall or a tiered fruit bowl can easily make your kitchen more functional, stylish, and more personalized to your everyday needs.
If you’re stuck for ideas or just want to see what’s possible for your space, chat with a kitchen contractor who will be happy to find your perfect solution.
7. Consider Efficiency and Long-Term Function
Is it easy to access your pantry while making a meal? Do you have a countertop that’s within reach of the oven? Will you and your family be able to move around comfortably in your kitchen for another ten years or more? Thinking about how you could best use your space both now and in the long term is key to making sure your kitchen functions for your family perfectly and stays that way. If you have young children, will the space function well for them as they grow older and need to access the kitchen themselves? If you have elderly or disabled relatives, does the kitchen provide a useable space for them too?
A livable and accessible kitchen is an essential investment for your house and your future and deserves to be planned thoroughly. The great news is spending the time to adapt and design your optimally functioning kitchen yields benefits immediately and will keep you happy for years to come.
Cross Kitchens know how important it is to value the space in your home. Whether you’re looking for some basic storage and decoration tips or thinking of a remodel, we are happy to help you in any way we can. Stay up to date with us on how you can keep your spaces refreshed and functional, and if you’re ready to make more significant design changes, we can assist you. For functional, stylish, and gorgeous kitchens and spaces, Cross Kitchens are the Kansas City kitchen contractors that you can always trust.
