Adding Value To Your Home With A Well Designed Kitchen
Remodelling your kitchen can be one of the most important remodelling projects you ever take on in terms of how it affects the value of your home and how it affects the quality of your everyday life. Making smart choices in the materials and products you use can help you to make a kitchen you can be proud of and a kitchen that can help pay for itself when it becomes time to sell your home. If you take the time to find creative ways to utilize the space in your kitchen you can also help to create that larger room look to your kitchen that everyone wants in their home.
There are many ways you can utilize the available space in your kitchen but prior to outlining any creative space savers we must first define what utilizing available space really means. When it comes to a kitchen people want three things as far as space goes and they are cupboard space, counter space, and floor space. If you can find ways to efficiently maximize these three space issues in your kitchen then you are more than halfway home to creating a kitchen that is functional to you and a value add to your home.
One way you can more effectively utilise the space available is to have a bespoke kitchen made to your exact specifications. Although more expensive than prefabricated kitchens, handmade wood kitchens incorporating handmade kitchen units will allow you to make better use of the available floorspace, rather than buying a best-fit flatpack alternative that may not work as well.
Cupboard space is the space on the upper and lower cupboards. Large and deep cupboards help to add a lot of storage space to your kitchen and if you use the larger cupboards you can then buy the small appliances you can mount to the cupboards to help with the counter space. Small appliances such as a microwave and a can opener that can be mounted safely to the larger cupboards help free up counter space so not only do the larger cupboards make storage easier they also help solve other space issues as well. Don’t forget to utilize the spinning cupboards that can be put in the corner under a counter top. Many people know these as a Lazy Susan but however you refer to it the spinning cupboards save a lot of space.
Cupboard space incorporates all of the dry food, crockery and equipment storage on the upper and lower levels of your kitchen units. The deeper your kitchen cupboards are the more storage you will have but you need to ensure that you leave enough space for electrical appliances. Small appliances such as a microwave and electric tin openers can be mounted to the larger cupboards to help free up counter space but fridges and dishwashers will need a significant space between the cupboards. Lazy Susan’s or spinning corner cupboards can be a useful space saver in smaller kitchens.
A good expanse of counter space is essential to any kitchen, particularly if you plan on preparing large meals on a regular basis. Corner counter space is very helpful and do not be afraid to run counters all along the wall all the way from the refrigerator to the oven. You may also want to consider making your counters just an inch or two deeper. It does not infringe too much on the floor space and that inch or two can make a huge difference.
Floorspace within a kitchen is very important due to the amount of moving around you are likely to do. There’s nothing more frustrating than trying to prepare a large meal in a cramped kitchen. Kitchen islands are a popular feature in many farm house and contemporary kitchens because of the additional storage and counter space they provide. However, if you don’t have significant floor space available islands are best avoided because they will make your kitchen feel claustrophobic. A small portable island could be a good alternative as they can be put well out of the way when not in use.
Once you have planned out your kitchen units and floorspace you can now turn your attention to the smaller details. These details can make a huge difference to the overall appearance of the kitchen and the additional value it provides. Marble and granite kitchen counters are expensive but they are stylish and heard-wearing, and are well known to add more value to your house’s sale price. The quality, brand and age of your kitchen appliances can also have a big bearing so if you’re looking to sell your property it may be advisable to buy new appliances and include them in the selling price of the home. Tiled floors give a quality feel and are much more robust that cheap looking linoleum flooring so if you can stretch your budget to tiles it would be advisable.