Tips for a Successful Kitchen Design or Remodel in Mars, PA

Kitchen Remodel by Blackwood & Associates with offices in Mars, PA and Canonsburg, PA.

The kitchen is the heart of the home. While many of us think of the kitchen in terms of its obvious function—preparing and cooking food—it is often also the center of socializing and family bonding. A fluid design and attractive layout will help you ensure that you get the most out of this vital part of your home. Here, we take a look at 4 tips that will help ensure a successful kitchen design or remodel for your Mars, PA area home.

The Kitchen Island

A kitchen island can be the perfect focal point for your kitchen, whether used as a breakfast table for the family, or as a home for critical cooking appliances like your cooktop. Kitchen islands can also be used to break up the monotony of floor space in larger open floor plan kitchens or provide extra working surface for those with limited counter space. When adding an island to your kitchen design, be sure to leave plenty of walking room between your island and other counters to avoid kitchen traffic jams. Also leave plenty of space to allow for comfortable seating and opening the kitchen cabinet doors.

Related: Picking the Best Hardware.

Kitchen Lighting

A lighting plan is an important part of a kitchen remodel. To capitalize on the afternoon sunshine, the natural lighting provided by a skylight or well-placed window can brighten up the kitchen and make for a more airy, open feel. Proper lighting is essential for both a kitchen’s functionality as well as for aesthetics. Brightly lit rooms appear larger and brightly lit corners and surfaces will make the room look cleaner. When cooking, we often rely on visual cues to determine whether or not something is cooked to perfection. A colorless light is necessary in order to not confuse the eye in this sense. Rather than trying to light up the entire area with a single source of light, smaller task lighting should be used to light up key areas involved in kitchen-work. This will help you to achieve sufficient brightness, without creating an uncomfortable glare in your cooking space. Areas of the kitchen used for eating and socializing can then be given a softer, more comfortable ambient lighting. 

Ornamentation

In modern kitchen-styles, ornamentation is conspicuous by its absence. Instead, simple aesthetics rely on the richness of the materials used to create visual interest and character. The deep grain of a bare wood floor or the veins in a marble countertop are enough to make a modern kitchen a live-in work of art. A well-placed vase and a flower or two from your garden, or a simple fruit bowl can add just the right dash of color to complement the naturally detailed surfaces. The reduction of ornamental details makes a kitchen feel larger and less cluttered and has the effect of creating a calm and welcoming cooking environment. For kitchen design with a bit more flair, ornamentation can include plaster details, carved details in wooden cabinets, or triple crown molding.

Appliances

Perhaps one of the most influential design elements, the appliances in your kitchen will greatly affect your design layout. It goes without saying that your appliances should be allowed plenty of room for access. Functional zoning will help you to group appliances according to their function, heating equipment should be kept separate to cooling equipment while your sink and dishwasher within reach of one and other. Sleek and elegant appliances, built into your kitchen surfaces creates a sense of order and cleanliness. Regardless of your desired style, ensuring your new kitchen functions properly is the most important goal. For your Mars, PA kitchen design or kitchen remodel, consult with the kitchen designers at Blackwood & Associates to bring your family’s dream kitchen to live.