4 Kitchen Design Tips To Achieve Both Functionality and Aesthetics
As new homes are becoming smaller over the years, our interior designers are tasked with the increasing challenge of creating a kitchen that still looks and feels spacious. And of course, to still have the same amount of functionality and storage!
It may be a straightforward solution to max out on building full upper cabinets for optimum storage, but the resulting space might end up looking claustrophobic and an overall uncomfortable place to spend time in. While cooking may be a necessary task for many homeowners, we believe that it could still be a pleasant and fulfilling experience with a well-designed kitchen.
As a design and build studio with years of experience renovating homes in Singapore, here are some essential kitchen design tips you can do to achieve both functionality and aesthetics.
1. Design an island or peninsula counter as a multispace area
A peninsula counter which also serves as a workspace from the Blue Home project.
Adding an island table or peninsula countertop is still one of the most classic layouts for an open kitchen. Given the limited space of BTO and new condos, many homeowners in Singapore will want to use their kitchen not only for cooking but also as a hanging out or even working area. For small families or DINK couples, this could even suffice as a dining table, eliminating the need to zone out another dining room.
If you want your peninsula counter to serve as a gathering area, a pendant lamp will help to visually anchor the space and also provide task lighting. Additional power sockets nearby are also a must if you intend to WFH here, and a slim drawer can help to keep cables and documents away during meal time.
2. Incorporate open shelves for frequently used items
A cafe-like kitchen peninsula with open shelves from Coffee Lovers’ Haven project.
Installing open shelves in your kitchen area can serve dual purposes of storage and display. More commonly used items such as seasoning bottles, beverages and tools can be stored at the lower shelf for convenience, while less frequently used items can be displayed in the higher shelf.
Open shelves can also evoke the sense of openness because it extends the area for airflow and natural lighting. The kitchen space will feel larger and less claustrophobic, like this cafe-like kitchen from our Coffee Lovers’ Haven project.
3. Task lighting that are also beautiful to look at
from the 5-Room BTO Kid Friendly project
The right lighting can enhance the overall ambience of a kitchen, making it look more pleasant and opulent. More than looking aesthetically nicer, a well-lit kitchen can also improve visibility, especially if you have upper cabinets or shelves that cast shadows on the countertops and in L corners.
One of the easiest ways to integrate proper lighting with your kitchen is to add LED strip lights to the areas that don’t get lights from the ceiling lamps, like under the shelves or top-mount cabinets. Many of our clients love using strip lighting because they efficiently light up the prep surfaces without the glare of overhead lighting. In this project by Hafizan, additional strip lighting was added above the highest shelf that helps to light up the ceiling as well, providing an even wash of light throughout the entire kitchen.
from one of our project at Bukit Bedok, the post is coming soon!
4. Design the cabinet hardware smartly
If you want a clutter-free kitchen, you’re going to want to optimise every corner available to store as many items as possible.
There are lots of hardware options and designs in the market with their individual pros and cons, so you need to consult your interior designer if you want to incorporate this in your kitchen. Here are some of our portfolio you can use as references:
a. Pull out corner hardware for ease of accessibility
from our Warm Farmhouse project.
Our designer of this project, Hazel, proposed a pull out drawer at the corner of the L-shaped cabinets, which makes reaching for items in the deep area a breeze. Other than having better accessibility, the open tiers ensure that you don’t have to take out every item before you can find that pot that you use once a year!
b. Pull down dish rack for cleaner and neater sink area
from the Sage Serenity project (coming soon!)
Have no countertop space for a dish rack, but hate having water drip down your elbow when you put dishes in the overhead rack? Install a pull down rack instead, which can also be used by children who cannot reach the height.
c. Pull out surfaces for additional flat space
For small families, having a small kitchen might be just enough for everyday use, but the lack of countertop space is more apparent when hosting guests. These strong pull out surfaces can be used when prepping up a big meal or for placing an additional appliance. You can also incorporate these pull-out surfaces in open cubbies to store your toaster oven or rice cooker, and pull them out when in use to dissipate steam and heat.
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That’s all to our kitchen design tips for both functional efficiency and aesthetic needs! Eager to know more about the kitchen style and layout suitable for your home? Engage our interior designers today by clicking on the button below!