There was a time when kitchens were merely a corner in which to cook and nothing more. Redundant for a large part of the day, the kitchen served its purpose at mealtimes and was then forgotten about. How times have changed! Modern kitchens are at the centre of family life and are now used for a host of purposes. Our kitchens have become somewhere to chat to friends over a coffee, somewhere for the children to do their homework, somewhere to hold a dinner party, somewhere to watch T.V. and much, much more. It’s perhaps unsurprising, therefore, to learn that recent studies have shown that people spend more time in their kitchens than in any other room in the home.

Open plan living

Several decades ago, having a separate room that was a dedicated kitchen area was seen as a luxury. Most people’s kitchens were nothing more than a sink and an oven within their main living area. Nowadays the trend towards open plan living regards the notion of multi-purpose shared spaces as a positive thing, perhaps even inspirational. People no longer want their kitchens to be detached from the rest of the home. Instead, kitchen-diners have become increasingly popular, as have completely open plan contemporary “loft-style” designs.

Family Kitchens

The changing design of family kitchens

The trend towards using kitchens more as family living spaces has seen a markedly different approach to kitchen design in recent years. kitchens need to be bigger in order to accommodate more members of the family at times other than mealtimes and many people are choosing to extend their homes to achieve their dream family kitchen. Many kitchens now incorporate facilities like flat-screen TVs, fireplaces and comfortable sofas. Some families opt to do away with the more traditional table and chairs arrangement and replace these with a central island and a breakfast bar. The most important thing about designing family kitchens is that they’re tailored to meet the needs of each individual family’s lifestyle and preferences.

Planning your family kitchen

If you’re planning your dream family kitchen, here are some ideas to get you started:

Keep it low maintenance

High-gloss white cabinets are fine for single people or young couples but they’re not a good choice for family kitchens. Choose cabinets and countertops that will be hard-wearing and easy to clean. Floors should also be low-maintenance and ideally, non-slip.

Storage

To avoid a permanently cluttered look, a busy family kitchen needs plenty of storage. Planning this carefully in order to maximize the space available will be time well spent.

Relaxing

Every family kitchen needs a place to chill-out and relax; a corner area is ideal for this purpose. Add a comfy sofa (or even 2 if space allows) and a T.V. or even a stereo system for listening to music.

There’s no doubt that a well planned family kitchen can enhance the time you spend with those closest to you. Very often, creating an ideal family kitchen will not require the complete remodelling of your existing room. With a few minor changes to layout and some carefully chosen furniture, the perfect family kitchen isn’t too difficult to achieve.

Fun in the kitchen

Modern living has seen the kitchen become the hub of the home. With the trend moving towards more open-plan designs, it’s more important than ever that your kitchen reflects a design and style that works well with the other living areas in your home. The ideal kitchen will be functional and incorporate all the modern conveniences that you’ve come to expect, but will also offer those sleek designer touches that help make it just that little bit special. If you’re planning a designer kitchen to enhance your home, here are some key features you might want to incorporate:

Storage

Well planned storage should be a priority in a designer kitchen and can make the difference between a pleasant and a somewhat frustrating experience for the user. Your kitchen storage should be tailored to suit your personal requirements and the available space should be optimized in the design. Think about the types of drawers and shelves you require; would deeper drawers better suit your requirements? Would pull out shelves allow you easier access? A designer kitchen will also allow you more control over aspects like the height of your countertops and the arrangement of your integrated appliances, which in turn can maximise available storage.

Cabinets

Opting for a designer kitchen will allow you a huge range of cabinet designs to choose from. From frosted glass and real wood in oak or walnut, to sleek glossy finishes in a range of colours; selecting the right design is crucial in achieving the overall look you desire. If your home is open plan, choosing a cabinet design that will be sympathetic to ther decor in your living area will be important. If you’re aiming for a minimalist look, solid cabinet doors as opposed to glass ones will be a better option. If, on the other hand you like to show off some of your glassware or other pieces, glass doors can be ideal.

Functionality

Your kitchen is highly personal to you and your design needs to be customized according to how you plan to use it. If you love to entertain, a more flowing or open-plan design may be more suitable; allowing you to chat with friends while preparing food. If your kitchen is going to be used as more of a family room, you might wish to incorporate a seating area rather than serving family meals in your dining room.

Finishing touches

A designer kitchen is not just about cabinets and appliances and attention to detail can make an enormous difference to the final result. You choice of wall colour and flooring should complement your cabinets and appliances and give a coherent feel to the overall design. Lighting is also an important feature of a designer kitchen. Spot lights can be used to enhance a specific area while the main lighting can create the mood you desire. If your kitchen is of a more contemporary design, track lighting or recessed down-lights work well and can really complement stainless steel appliances.