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Films and movies have always painted the perfect picture of a dream kitchen that welcomes everyone in the family. This room is supposed to be the space where your entire family spends quality time, shares stories about their day, and connects. But in real life, creating that space where everyone feels welcomed is quite challenging, especially when you have a diverse family.
A family kitchen isn't just about cooking; it's about bringing everyone together in the same room and inspiring them to spend quality time together. Suppose you want to encourage your family to spend more time in the kitchen; you need to transform it into the central hub of the house so you can connect. It's time to show them that the kitchen can be more than a source of mess and stress.
Are you willing to change the way everyone sees this room?
Make sure you identify your family needs
Suppose you use the kitchen the most; you are tempted to be subjective when identifying your family's needs and focusing more on yours than the overall group. When designing a cooking space, it's common to put the fantasies to reality and picture something you've watched in a movie rather than being honest about your unique needs as a family. You might think that you need a kitchen that looks exactly like what you've seen on Pinterest or Instagram, with art-deco furniture and glossy white cabinets, but it wouldn't serve your family's needs. Wouldn't it?
But you need to really think about your family's habits and needs and try to figure out if you need a formal or more flexible setup. How many people sit around the table and eat in the kitchen daily? Do you allow pets to join you? Are your kids comfortable sitting around in the kitchen? Do you want to welcome guests in the kitchen?
Only commit to a design after you take note of how your family uses the kitchen and use it as a starting point to develop a space suitable for everyone.
Make it easy to clean and maintain
Install hard-working and easy-to-clean surfaces that will withstand all the wear and tear of cooking. Your entire family will use the kitchen, so you want to ensure it won't get damaged because of daily knocks and bumps. Ask the local store for different solutions for a busy kitchen, and don't try to save money on surfacing materials because they make a difference in the long term. You don't want to recondition the kitchen again any time soon, so keep the quality high. Ensure that the kitchen units and countertops won't scratch or get ruined due to increased heat to prolong the kitchen's life. Picking high-quality surfaces and furniture now will pay off in the end because you won't have to replace them in the future. There are many options available, from metals to wood and natural stone; you can definitely find something to match your overall home design and stay within the budget.
Choose a layout geared for your family
Before ordering furniture, decide what layout suits your family's needs best. You want a space to feel useful, sociable, and secure for anyone, so you should research to learn more about each type of kitchen's ups and downs. If you have young children, you might prefer an open-layout kitchen because it enables you to keep an eye on your kids while they play in the living room. Open kitchens are also ideal if you want to stay connected to your family while you cook in the kitchen and they engage in other activities around the house. However, it might also require you to come up with some solutions to prevent your children from interfering with your cooking and keeping them safe. You want to keep the little ones away from the prep areas and prevent them from opening some drawers and the oven and have access to particular shelves.
Ensure the kitchen includes enough storage
When you run a family kitchen, you need to stock plenty of supplies and items so all your kitchen cardboard will be put to great use. However, before ordering new kitchen cabinets and looking for storage solutions, it's essential to take a look at the things you already have in the kitchen and decide which ones you want to keep and use and which ones will go to charity. This way, you'll be able to figure out your present family needs and design storage that matches them. There are countless smart solutions that will maximize a kitchen in terms of space, but some research is required. You could discuss with a kitchen designer to help you create a space that makes stocking up everything you need easier without crowding the space.
A kitchen island provides both a working surface and storage space, so it could be a great solution if you have enough room to install one. You can also maximize the space by installing floor-to-ceiling cabinets.
Create a space for social interaction
Considering that you plan to create a space where your family feels welcome and comfortable spending time, you need to plan the layout to include a space that encourages social interaction. Having comfortable chairs or even a sofa, if the space allows it, will make it more enjoyable for your loved ones to spend time in the kitchen. They will no longer disperse into their rooms when you start cooking but will stick around to socialize and even help you. You can choose from countless options regarding kitchen seating, but before you evaluate your family's needs, you can choose.
And make sure the room's lighting scheme also makes the atmosphere more enjoyable. Install ambient lighting in the corner designed for socialization.
Suppose you also allow your pets in the kitchen; you should also design a space where they can sit comfortably while you cook or clean. They will appreciate your company after staying home alone for several hours.
Make the kitchen feel like the heart of the home for the entire family with the above recommendations!
