Four Remodeling Tips For A Family-Friendly Kitchen
They say that the kitchen is the heart of the home. This is incredibly true when you have a family. The kitchen becomes a space where you can all congregate, interact, and talk about your thoughts and experiences while preparing and enjoying a nice meal together. If you're remodeling your kitchen, you want to ensure that your newly transformed space supports this type of family interaction. Here are some tips for success.
Opt for plenty of counter space.
It's easier for you to all interact and help prepare a meal when there's plenty of counter space available. This way, your children can stand next to you while you show them how to slice veggies or stir together ingredients. The kitchen counter also tends to be a place where things like school paperwork and car keys build up — no matter how hard you try to relegate these things to the foyer or to a basket. Having plenty of counter space will allow you to keep cooking without having to take too many breaks to clear the clutter.
Include a breakfast bar.
A breakfast bar comes in handy in the morning when everyone is in a rush. The kids can sit up there and eat so they're out of the way while you're preparing them breakfast or quickly cleaning up the kitchen behind them. In the evening, they can sit at the breakfast bar and do homework so you can chat with them and offer help, if needed, while you're cooking dinner.
Make sure many shelves are low and accessible.
There's nothing wrong with a few high cabinets. In fact, you may want a few tall cabinets so you have somewhere to keep the fine china and other fragile items out of reach from the kids. But do ensure that many of your drawers and storage shelves are low enough that the younger family members can reach them. This will help prevent your kids from doing dangerous things like climbing on the counters and chairs to reach items they want. Plus, you can cook together more easily when you can say to your child, "grab me the baking soda" with confidence that they can reach it.
Leave space around the fridge.
Kids are always hungry — especially during the teenage years. They're going to be opening and shutting the fridge in search of snacks while you're trying to clean up or prepare a meal. To ensure you're not always tripping over each other, create a kitchen floor plan that leaves plenty of empty space in front of the refrigerator.