kitchen

When it comes to comfortable spaces in the home, it’s common to think of plush carpeting and abundant, cozy seating in the living room or the relaxing retreat that the bedroom offers. However, the heart of the home, the kitchen, isn’t often considered a comfortable space. But why is that? After all, families and friends spend hours gathered in the kitchen, whether it be for quiet, weeknight dinners or big, momentous celebrations.

Kitchens don’t have to be stiff and uninviting. A custom kitchen remodel allows for stylish, yet practical designs for this multi-functional space. The following ideas are sure to ramp up the overall ambiance of the kitchen so it offers comfort to all who pass through it.

Lighten Up

One of the best ways to enhance the overall ambiance of your kitchen space is to improve the lighting. Not only is a well-lit room inviting, it’s easier to work in. Let’s face it, working with knives and boiling water in a dark room isn’t for the faint of heart, which is why task lighting is key. Fixtures over your sink, stovetop, and counter spaces are essential for cooking, baking, and prepping.

Installing lighting under your cabinets is another great way to brighten up your workspace. Not only are these lights great for tasks, they also add a beautiful aesthetic component to your space.

Once you have necessary lighting taken care of, you can focus on decorative lighting. An eye-catching fixture in the center of your kitchen will pull everything together to create a warm and inviting environment.

Cozy Up in the Kitchen

Nothing says comfort like a great place to sit down and relax. So if you want to make your kitchen more comfortable, why not include ample seating right in the heart of your home?

A kitchen island offers plenty of options for seating, from practical to comfortable. The amount of space possible at a kitchen island is optional too. If you prefer to add room for two seats or even six seats, kitchen island designs can be customized to meet all of your spatial and decorative needs.

If your space permits, and you have a transition area between your kitchen and adjoining living room, you can utilize this area by creating extra seating. Whether it be a few decorative, yet plush chairs, or a custom breakfast nook, there are ways to take advantage of the space near your kitchen so your family and friends can’t help but cozy up and hang out.

Incorporate a Kitchen Office

Since the kitchen tends to be a high traffic area in the house, it is also more susceptible to becoming a dumping ground for all sorts of clutter like mail, purses, keys, and backpacks.

With that in mind, you can design your kitchen to incorporate a mini office area. This doesn’t need to take up “prime real estate” in your kitchen either. Whether it be a nook, closet, alcove, or a space where a small desk can fit, there are many custom options to make this feature work with your layout.

With a dedicated area where clutter can “belong,” you’ll free up your coveted counter space so you can focus on preparing meals. Additionally, since kitchen offices help with organization, you can avoid messes and quickly hide away clutter when you’re hosting guests in your home.

Rethink Storage

If there is any room in the house that gets the most use out of cabinets and drawers, it’s the kitchen. With prep areas and kitchen tools and gadgets, smart, effective storage solutions can have a huge impact on kitchen organization and can really make the room more presentable.

Fortunately, storage options extend beyond a shelf in your cabinet or a drawer next to your dishwasher. You can really get creative with custom storage options, if you are limited on space.

Tilt out trays

These trays are commonly found under the sink to store sponges and brushes or near the stove for various cooking utensils.

Cabinet roll out trays

The ability to pull out the tray completely makes it easy to reach items stored all the way in the back.

Roll out drawers for pots and pans

These drawers come in handy for organizing lids while also keeping pots and pans separate from one another to avoid scratching. Add a bonus pull out tray above your pot and pan drawer so you can store extra cooking utensils.

Lazy Susan

This classic storage feature has upped its game. Not only can you enjoy the original spin feature of a lazy susan, you can also opt for the newer lazy susan cabinet with pull out shelves to make the most out of your corner space.

Opt for a Second Sink

While a second sink isn’t necessarily crucial, it’s a great way to improve functionality in your kitchen. If you host a lot of gatherings, you might want to make this a priority for your kitchen design.

In most cases, a second sink is away from the main sink and is quite a bit smaller. The size and location of a second sink make it ideal for quick, light jobs such as rinsing produce or washing hands. The ultimate benefit lies in keeping traffic away from you while you prep food or wash dishes, so overcrowding doesn’t become an issue.

Ready to Get Comfortable?

The key to these kitchen ideas is creating a space that is inviting and functional. When your kitchen becomes cluttered and overcrowded it loses its appeal, not only for the chefs of the house, but for your guests too.

If you’re ready to begin planning and designing a custom kitchen where comfort abounds, get in touch with Carrington Homes by calling (317) 336-8002 to schedule a consultation.

Carrington Homes

Carrington Homes

An award-winning builder, Carl and his team continue to share the same level of commitment when it comes to design, quality, workmanship, and scheduling.

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