Create and Organise a Welcoming Kitchen
Thinking about the impact your home may be having on your health and wellbeing is an important, yet often overlooked, consideration that good design and organisation can address.
Your kitchen and dining area is likely to be the social hub of your home, so creating a space with a feeling of wellbeing and which allows for positive social interaction is key. Strengthening connections with family and friends is the key to human happiness, so prioritise creating a welcoming and easy-to-use dining space, where the whole family can gather on a regular basis to sit, eat and share stories or experiences of the day. It sounds simple, but making sure everyone has plenty of room to get in and out, and sit back after a hearty meal, makes all the difference!
Besides, in the UK adults cook for an average of 72 minutes a day. For this reason alone, it's worth making sure your kitchen is an enjoyable, comfortable place to be. Doesn't a cosy kitchen sound better than a stark, medical-feeling kitchen? But be careful: cosy should never mean cluttered.
You’ll find below Homefulness top tips to ensure that your kitchen is the heart of the home, where the party really is.
Source: Unsplash
Welcome elements of nature into the room
Natural light is fundamental to our appreciation of good spaces. If your space doesn’t benefit from large windows, make sure to keep window dressing to a minimum. This would mean opting for a sleek roller blind rather than heavy bulky curtains, and most importantly avoid clutter on the sill both inside and out.
If you can, try to plan the layout of your kitchen and the positioning of key items of furniture to make the most of views out onto the garden and nature. This will reinforce the proximity of the outdoors and improve the calming qualities of the space, which in turn will play a part in helping us to recuperate after a long and stressful day.
A cosy kitchen is also about having a sense of soul, which can come from living things like plants. A few well-places plants is a great way to make your kitchen feel alive. There are dozens of low-maintenance plants available that will look great in your home. You can even have planted herbs or other edible plants. That way, you can decorate your kitchen while filling your space with home-grown produce.
Focus on seating
If you want your kitchen to be a nice place to spend time, it needs to have a pleasant spot to take the load off.
We recommend centring the seating around a central piece of furniture (like an island or dining table)
Even if you are lacking in space, you can still give your kitchen a bit of depth. Use an island or small table to expand counter space, and select a few barstools or chairs.
Bring in some colour
If you’re not ready or willing to repaint your kitchen walls, there are plenty of other ways to give your kitchen some vibrance. Decorative towels, wall art and a few ornamental pieces are creative ways to add colour and vibrancy to your kitchen space (just make sure not to go overboard and create clutter!).
Consider lighting
Warm and natural-looking bright lighting can help add more sparkle and life to the kitchen. It’s actually easier than it sounds and doesn’t have to leave a hole in your pocket. For a more imaginative lighting upgrade, in addition to overhead feature lighting, also consider under-cabinet lighting. It may also be time to replace light bulbs with something brighter, or to spruce them up with more modern styles. Changing the lighting in your kitchen is a simple way to brighten up the space.
Reduce clutter
Do you find yourself avoiding your kitchen due to the mess on your countertops? You're not alone! Research has found that clean, open spaces are appealing, while cluttered countertops are not. Luckily, this is an easy and straightforward problem to address.
First, find ways to get organised by removing all items that are piling up and reduce the number of decorations taking up space on your counters.
Next, consider ways to increase the amount of useable space in your kitchen. Hanging pots and pans overhead can be efficient and stylish, but can look crowded. Instead, try installing a magnetic knife strip on the wall. This will give your kitchen a level of visual depth while improving accessible areas. You can have one for knives, and another for lighter pans.
This will help create a calmer atmosphere in your cosy kitchen. Don’t forget that professional organisers can always find new storage ideas for you. In addition to what declutterers do, they can help you implement sustainable organisation systems, that will be easy for you and your family to keep up with.
Keep Things Clean
Despite all the work you put into making your kitchen more inviting, it can all be for nothing if you let a mess build up. It's important to keep everything spick and span, since you won't want to spend time in a dirty or messy kitchen.
Try to clean up as you cook to reduce the time it takes you to clean after a meal. And set aside time each week to clean the bits of your kitchen that you can't get to during your regular routine.
Consider hiring a professional organiser who can design and implement an organisation system tailored to your family needs. It will make it so much easier for you to keep your kitchen mess-free at all time.
Whatever your kitchen organisation needs are, one of our knowledgeable consultants can help. Drop us a word to get started with your organisation project.
