3 Must-Haves for a Functional Kitchen

January 20, 2016

The holidays are finally behind us and it’s time to enjoy a bit of peace and quiet in the beginning of 2016. But you are probably already itching to take up a new home remodeling project. Or maybe you are dreading it, but deep inside you know that it needs to be done. And this time it’s your kitchen. Cooking for the holiday parties has revealed many areas where your kitchen fell short of ideal. You feel like you are missing some very important features, but what are they? Let our Maryland kitchen remodeling pros help you zero in on your kitchen’s problem areas and find ways to improve them.

Good Lighting

Every kitchen needs good lighting. Lighting helps you measure ingredients correctly, see dirt on the dishes you are washing or judge how cooked something is. When you can’t tell the difference between light-golden and brown under your lighting, there is a problem.

Consider adding different lighting sources to your kitchen to have enough light where you need it:

Over-sink lighting
Under-cabinet lighting
Lighting over your table or island
Stove top/vent hood lighting
Adjustable track lighting

Good Appliances

Kitchen appliances are supposed to make your life easier—not frustrate you. Meanwhile, not being able to tell exactly what temperature your oven is heated up to can be incredibly frustrating. It can also be frustrating when you can’t cook all of your meals in your small stove at once or when your fridge is always stacked to the top. Whether you need a bigger appliance or a more reliable one, you won’t be completely happy with your kitchen until you have it.

Consider what’s bothering you about these appliances and whether a replacement will make a difference in your enjoyment of the cooking process:

Oven/cook-top
Refrigerator
Dishwasher
Sink/garbage disposal

Good Flow

No matter how many people live in your household, you need a kitchen that has a good flow. A good flow means two things:

All cabinets and appliances are placed in a way that is intuitive and makes sense. So if you are cooking something on the stove and got your hands dirty, you don’t have to run across the kitchen to wash them.
There is enough room between objects in your kitchen for two or more people to walk by without interfering.

As you can see, balancing the flow can be tricky, because you want everything to be close, yet spaced out enough to not feel cramped. If you plan on making layout changes in your kitchen, it’s worth consulting with a Maryland kitchen remodeling expert like our team here at Bath Doctor. We can help you figure out where everything should go and how to avoid common mistakes.

Once you have good lighting, good appliances and good flow in your kitchen, you will immediately notice a big difference. Cooking will become more enjoyable and having people over will be less stressful. Contact us today to discuss how we can help you change your kitchen for the better!

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