Look beyond the esthetics in kitchen design
There are many elements that can make a room pretty, but it also has to function
For many, the kitchen is the heart of the home. So when you’re in the market for a new home, or making some needed upgrades to your own, most people will gravitate to the kitchen first.
While it’s easy to be taken in by the charm of a well-done kitchen, here’s what I see when you start to peel the layers back. Something to think about if you’re house hunting, or looking at a kitchen renovation in the new year.
What you see: Built-in wooden
cutting block
What I see: Potential for germs and contamination
Listen, I’ll admit that visually, a countertop with a built-in wooden cutting block can look great. My son and I even debated adding one to a recent project of ours. But ultimately we decided against it. Why?
I don’t like the idea of putting raw food right on your countertops. If the board hasn’t been properly sealed, you’re just asking for the juices from raw meat to seep into the chopping board and risking possible contamination — especially if you don’t wash and disinfect the board properly in between uses.
Plus, I’m not a fan of interrupting materials if I can help it. By installing the chopping block into the counter space, you’ll need to carve out a space in the countertop to place the cutting board. Whenever you do that, you’re adding a weak spot that could potentially be hot spots for water and moisture penetration.
Personally, I’d rather use two cutting boards: one for raw meat and seafood, another for produce, and leave my countertops as they are.
What you see: Half-domed pot
lighting
What I see: Potential heat loss through the ceiling
Having adequate lighting in the kitchen is important. Depending on the size and scope of your kitchen, you may find you need a combination of fixtures and styles to achieve the necessary ambience and task lighting you’ll need to make your kitchen function.
Often, recessed lighting — also known as pot lighting — plays a big part in filling in the gaps needed to shine that extra bit of light. But who installed the lights, and did they do it properly? Those lights can give off heat, and if the lighting receptacles haven’t been properly insulated, that heat can rise up and escape through the top of the fixture. This is a big problem, especially if your kitchen sits directly below your attic space. Your attic is a cold zone — the temperatures should match the outdoor temperature — and if your pot lighting releases heat into the attic, it could potentially melt the snow on your roof. That may lead to ice damming and other water-specific issues that can seriously hurt your roof.
What you see: Beautiful,
open-concept living
What I see: A lack of storage Minimalism in design has been around for a while, and I know this year we’re supposed to rid ourselves of things that don’t spark joy, but that doesn’t mean ditching all your storage. A clean, open-concept kitchen looks great, but does it offer enough pantry and storage space to suit your family’s needs? You need enough cabinet space, and those cabinets need to be accessible. Unless you’re as tall as my son, you’re probably not making the best use of those cabinets above the fridge. I was talking to a homeowner who has to stand on a kitchen chair to reach some of her pots and pans. Not practical — and not safe!
While I love open concept for a lot of reasons (a big one being it’s easier to retrofit for mobility concerns as we age), the most important thing to think about is function, function, function. Without enough storage (or accessible storage), your kitchen won’t work the way you need it to.
A beautiful kitchen is appealing for many homeowners, and I get it. It’s easy to be drawn in by stunning design choices and nice looking appliances. But look beyond esthetic; I’m even upgrading my big appliances (like my fridge) to smart models. The most important aspects of a kitchen are that it’s safe, clean and functional.