Open kitchen designs are great for opening up the kitchen area and creating more space for food preparation and socialization. When designed correctly, they can maximize your capacity for efficiency, storage and entertainment. Take a look at what to look for in an open kitchen design if you’re thinking about remodeling your own home or when you’re looking at Fleetwood Real Estate homes.

Standing Walls

If you’re considering turning your current kitchen into an open kitchen, take note of how many standing walls in and around your kitchen you are able to remove. Certain walls are load-bearing, which means that you need to leave those standing in order to support your home. So to a certain extent, you home may make the decision for you about how open your new kitchen can be.

Take a look at your remaining internal walls that are not load-bearing, and decide just how open you want your kitchen to be. Single-wall open kitchens are common, so don’t hesitate to knock them all down in the name of openness. Just be prepared for the decreased amount of storage space you’ll have with fewer walls.

Adequate Lighting

When you’re looking at open kitchen designs, take note of the different ways lighting is incorporated into the kitchen area. There needs to be an efficient balance of main, task and decorative lighting. Main lighting should provide a fair amount of overall light to the kitchen space, such as that provided by a lighting track on the ceiling encircling the room. Task lighting should highlight the most utilized parts of the kitchen like the food preparation areas, stove and sink. Decorative lighting adds a little extra lighting during those times when the kitchen isn’t being actively used and works well above and below the cabinets.

Maximizing Storage Space

The point of having an open kitchen is to increase the amount of open space in your home, ie, decreasing the amount of walls. Unfortunately, fewer walls means less wall space that can be used for storage units. Therefore, it’s imperative that you get creative with your storage possibilities in an open kitchen design.

Islands offer a great solution to the storage problem, providing both storage space and an additional working area. Certain islands also provide extra appliances for you to use like a sink, lazy Susans and pull-out garbage cans. When arranged appropriately, you can even create your own ultimate work triangle in your kitchen between your sink, fridge and stove.

Optimizing Furniture

Open kitchens allow you and your company to freely interact with one another without a barrier in the way or isolating anyone. It fosters more community and conversation, so you want your kitchen’s furniture to do encourage these things as well. If your kitchen is big enough, you can include your dining table and chairs right in the room. If you’re more limited on space, though, bar stools at the island or at high countertops also make great seating areas.

Explore Fleetwood Real Estate

If you’re considering buying a new home, take a look at all we have to offer at Fleetwood Real Estate. Fleetwood is a beautiful neighborhood in Northern Surrey boasting a large community rich in diversity. Our residents love the local educational opportunities, public transit system and the landscape’s natural beauty. We truly care about our community; come see why today!