I'm looking through kitchen design idea websites, which I do more often than I'd care to admit, and a couple of other things pop out.
A lot of the photos look stunning, and it's easy to get drawn in by that, but I always try to keep in mind what a kitchen is for (cooking) and what that means (grease and fumes). For example, several designers say that glass shelves are trending. They have a certain minimalist look and they don't block natural light, but all I can think is how much of a nightmare those would be to keep clean, whether it be general dusting, possibly showing water spots from putting away a slightly damp plate or drinking glass, but what really would bother me is the way a kitchen, in general, is somewhat bathed in cooking grease, just sort of floating around, and that'll really show on glass shelves, especially the way it traps dust.
Another trend they mentioned is open cabinets/open storage. My brother, when he designed and built his kitchen, wanted a really rustic, functional look (he's not a cook or kitchen hound by any means, it just fit his personality), so all his cabinets were open, no doors. He liked the look and the idea of easy access.
That lasted less than a year. What he figured out really quickly was that open storage for cups and plates meant every time he'd grab a glass or a plate, he had to dust it off. He ended up installing doors with glass panels to preserve some of the open look while offering protection from everyday dust.
Another one that just made me laugh a little because it felt so impractical was the advice to "include your own unique personality in your redesign," and they offered up a kitchen design that included fine art hung up around the kitchen for an art lover...including right over the cooktop. Even with a range hood, I can attest (as I'm sure most others can) that the area right over your cooktop gets a good coating of grease from all the cooking steam/fumes going up there - I can't imagine hanging a piece of artwork, valuable or not, in that spot (or nearly anywhere else in the kitchen) because of the regular intense cleaning it would require.
Now, some more of my own thoughts:
We've been looking at houses on the market, and the first (and honestly, just about the only) thing I look at is the kitchen. caseydog mentioned the flow of a work triangle, so when I look at the kitchen, that's first on my mind: is there a natural flow from where the raw materials area (pantry/fridge) to the prep area(s) (including the sink) to cooking station? No kidding, I just look at a pic of a splashy new kitchen, and the sink was at one end, while the fridge and and the stove were literally down a short hallway and around a half-corner. Visually striking? Yes. Stupid AF? Equally yes!
The other big thing I look at is where the cooktop is. Is there countertop space on both sides? I, like a lot of people, generally work left to right, so I want open countertop space to the left of my cooktop for a cutting board and a place to stage what I'm about to cook, and I want countertop space to the right of my cooktop so I have a convenient place to take things off the cooktop, or to put serving dishes there for easy filling from the cooktop. I don't have that in my own kitchen, and it'd be the first thing I'd change if I were doing a full redesign.
I'd also say the same thing about the sink - I want open countertop space on one side of the sink to temporarily hold dirty dishes while I wash them, and open countertop space on the other side to hold the drying rack (all my hand-washed stuff air dries). Even if the sink itself is used to temporarily hold dirty pots and pans and the like, when it comes time to wash them (whatever doesn't go in the dishwasher, that is), I want the sink itself to be free and clear of anything in order to give me room to operate.
The second thing I'd change: natural light. My kitchen gets light from one small south-facing window, and it's not near enough. In Winter, my kitchen is the darkest, dreariest place around. I'd love to have more windows somehow, or even a skylight, to bring in more natural light. Barring that, if your kitchen skews toward the dark side, think about all the places you could add lighted spots and other types of lighting to really brighten it up. We added under-cabinet lighting, just cheap rechargeable motion-sensitive stuff and bang-for-your-buck return on that was phenomenal.
A lot of the photos look stunning, and it's easy to get drawn in by that, but I always try to keep in mind what a kitchen is for (cooking) and what that means (grease and fumes). For example, several designers say that glass shelves are trending. They have a certain minimalist look and they don't block natural light, but all I can think is how much of a nightmare those would be to keep clean, whether it be general dusting, possibly showing water spots from putting away a slightly damp plate or drinking glass, but what really would bother me is the way a kitchen, in general, is somewhat bathed in cooking grease, just sort of floating around, and that'll really show on glass shelves, especially the way it traps dust.
Another trend they mentioned is open cabinets/open storage. My brother, when he designed and built his kitchen, wanted a really rustic, functional look (he's not a cook or kitchen hound by any means, it just fit his personality), so all his cabinets were open, no doors. He liked the look and the idea of easy access.
That lasted less than a year. What he figured out really quickly was that open storage for cups and plates meant every time he'd grab a glass or a plate, he had to dust it off. He ended up installing doors with glass panels to preserve some of the open look while offering protection from everyday dust.
Another one that just made me laugh a little because it felt so impractical was the advice to "include your own unique personality in your redesign," and they offered up a kitchen design that included fine art hung up around the kitchen for an art lover...including right over the cooktop. Even with a range hood, I can attest (as I'm sure most others can) that the area right over your cooktop gets a good coating of grease from all the cooking steam/fumes going up there - I can't imagine hanging a piece of artwork, valuable or not, in that spot (or nearly anywhere else in the kitchen) because of the regular intense cleaning it would require.
Now, some more of my own thoughts:
We've been looking at houses on the market, and the first (and honestly, just about the only) thing I look at is the kitchen. caseydog mentioned the flow of a work triangle, so when I look at the kitchen, that's first on my mind: is there a natural flow from where the raw materials area (pantry/fridge) to the prep area(s) (including the sink) to cooking station? No kidding, I just look at a pic of a splashy new kitchen, and the sink was at one end, while the fridge and and the stove were literally down a short hallway and around a half-corner. Visually striking? Yes. Stupid AF? Equally yes!
The other big thing I look at is where the cooktop is. Is there countertop space on both sides? I, like a lot of people, generally work left to right, so I want open countertop space to the left of my cooktop for a cutting board and a place to stage what I'm about to cook, and I want countertop space to the right of my cooktop so I have a convenient place to take things off the cooktop, or to put serving dishes there for easy filling from the cooktop. I don't have that in my own kitchen, and it'd be the first thing I'd change if I were doing a full redesign.
I'd also say the same thing about the sink - I want open countertop space on one side of the sink to temporarily hold dirty dishes while I wash them, and open countertop space on the other side to hold the drying rack (all my hand-washed stuff air dries). Even if the sink itself is used to temporarily hold dirty pots and pans and the like, when it comes time to wash them (whatever doesn't go in the dishwasher, that is), I want the sink itself to be free and clear of anything in order to give me room to operate.
The second thing I'd change: natural light. My kitchen gets light from one small south-facing window, and it's not near enough. In Winter, my kitchen is the darkest, dreariest place around. I'd love to have more windows somehow, or even a skylight, to bring in more natural light. Barring that, if your kitchen skews toward the dark side, think about all the places you could add lighted spots and other types of lighting to really brighten it up. We added under-cabinet lighting, just cheap rechargeable motion-sensitive stuff and bang-for-your-buck return on that was phenomenal.
, but also be very convenient for my kitchen. What cool kitchen things are there to implement in the remodeling?
