Guest Post
So many people see their living room as that great center piece of their perfect home. They spend hours and hours poring over every minute detail of their plan, while leaving one of the most important areas until last. I’m talking, of course, of the kitchen. The humble kitchen comes in many shapes and sizes, from tiny alcoves through long, thin galleys and all the way to the huge sprawling u-shaped kitchens, but the one thing they have in common is the key to a house’s heart.
One Room to Rule Them All
Every meal prepared in the house comes through the kitchen: it is one of the first rooms we go to in the morning and the last at night, while concocting elegant recipes to impress your guests is almost a national past time thanks to television shows such as Masterchef and Come Dine With Me. While we may not spend the most time in the kitchen, its feel and layout should reflect our inner soul, perhaps more so than any other room, as our wants and needs are expressed in food form. Making sure you have a kitchen that fits you is therefore incredibly important.
Going American
One option that a lot are going for nowadays is combining those two great rooms of the house: the living room and the kitchen. By moving your kitchen into the living area you not only create more cooking space, but you make it incredibly easy to grab a snack or a quick dinner. No longer have that awful lurch to the fridge come the morning and grabbing another beer during the game was never easier. If you are a big fan of the television, either watching a lot of sports or a lot of soaps, then an American kitchen gives you the benefit of never missing any of the action.
But it does have its downsides. All the smells from the kitchen will drift into the living room, and if you’ve ever made food with too much chili, you’ll be looking for a way to escape that spicy smoke! Some people prefer to have a separate area for food – perhaps you like to keep your concoctions private before unleashing them on your friends and family.
It Has to Last
Out of all your rooms, your kitchen is going to probably take the most stick, too. Dropped plates, forks and knives, food splattered all over the walls, heat being applied to the surfaces… The list goes on, and your kitchen has to be able to deal with it. Quality is so important in this room more than any other, and the durability of your kitchen is important. It’s no good having a stunning kitchen for three weeks, only for each side to chip and for the units to warp. So buy only the top quality units and appliances.
As well as this, you should make sure that everything in the kitchen fits to your master plan. While your stunning granite work surfaces may look good, that old, yellowed microwave is not really adding anything to the look; what better way than to invest in a fully built kitchen? By bringing in an entire new pre-made kitchen, you make sure that everything matches and fits to your own personality. By choosing with care, you can have a kitchen to die for. Not only will it be pre-built to your specifications, but all the little details such as the door handles and pegs for your kitchen towels will be taken care of.
So go for that dream kitchen look whatever your personality – and finish in style with well-made wood, antique or chrome kitchen handles. After all, it is the little details that count.
I love to cook, but I do wish I had a better kitchen. Mine is small and I have always dreamed of some sort of large kitchen with a center area.
@facebook-1098908760:disqus – I have a decent sized kitchen but I would love a center island.
I would love to re-do our kitchen, sort of low on the list for as much as I love to cook!
I think builders today understand this, but older homes just aren’t built with the kitchen as the heart and it’s annoying because that’s what I have!
@a3a528757fe4a937397c3f5b635b9185:disqus – same here. I have an older home, and the one thing I would love is an open kitchen floor plan.
I HAVE to have an open concept and the kitchen in the middle of all the action.
We just moved and finally grabbed a house where the kitchen is open into the living area – LOVE it!
@twitter-414097610:disqus – That is so nice!
Gosh I want a bigger kitchen. I hate apartment living! So can’t wait to buy a house already.. if only they weren’t all a half million in my area.
I wish I had a big kitchen! 🙂
Our kitchen is small. I would love a big open one!
We are planning a kitchen reno.
I have usually had very small kitchens in the places I have lived after I left home as a young adult, so being tidy and keeping things organized in general, inside the cupboards too, helps to combat the possible clutter and splutter!