Is your kitchen looking tired or worn out; does it lack the appeal it once had? We believe that your kitchen should be both highly functional and beautiful. Kitchens should be an expression of how you work and entertain.When remodeling your kitchen think about how you work in the space. What types of activities do you and your family do in this room? Today’s kitchens have become the hub of the home. Here are a few thoughts to help you plan the kitchen of your dreams:Create space for Cookbooks or TabletsBeing able to easily access your recipes is critical for anyone using a kitchen. Whether you use cookbooks, recipe cards or some other technology to give you your directions for cooking, it’s important to plan for their use and storage. Open shelving, easy access book cases, under cabinet tablet holders or charging stations at key locations in the kitchen can make accessing your information easier.Carefully plan your counter spaceHaving open counter space to either prep food or mix your ingredients is incredibly helpful. The key here is to look at how you use your kitchen. If you enjoy making cookies or kneading bread it’s important to leave space for those types of activities. If you need space for chopping vegetables make sure to leave space near sinks and garbage cans to make that process as easy as possible.It’s also important to think about the type of counter you will have. Choose a material that compliments the projects you find yourself most often doing. For example – Granite countertops stay cool longer so they’re good for people who knead bread or roll out other types of dough. It’s also important to consider the height of those working at the counter and potentially have lower sections of counter for those tasks you prefer to do sitting down or areas that you prefer to have accessible for someone with limited access to counter space.Organized storage for SpicesSpices are vital to cooking of all kinds. A truly useful kitchen needs to have spices that are well organized. You can keep spices organized and within easy reach with an in-drawer spice rack or spice rack pull out. A rack can position the containers so they’re easy to read and access. Slim pullouts in your kitchen can offer the perfect solution to spaces that might otherwise be wasted.Open Shelving for Quick AccessIf you have items you access all the time, you may want to consider open shelves. Open shelves allow you to store the items you use all the time conveniently and not on your countertop. This is also a great spot for displaying some of your most colorful items to bring some extra decorating space into your kitchen as well.Plan for the Appliances you NeedWhen you’re planning your next kitchen make sure to include the appliances that will make your life easier. Do you bake at multiple temperatures? If so, a double oven may be a helpful tool for you. If you do a lot of mixing, consider installing a base cabinet that includes a standing mixer stand that pulls up to the ideal height and locks into place to allow you to conveniently lift and lower your mixer as needed. Do you need more burners or unique range features. It’s important then to plan for a larger range to easily accommodate larger pots and pans. Do you hate to carry heavy pots filled with water? Make sure to add a convenient pot filler over your range top. Additional ideas may be standalone freezers, ice makers or convection ovens. The idea is to have easy access to the appliances that will allow you to make the best use of your space.Creating a kitchen that allows you the best possible environment to be creative is a great way to practice and improve your cooking and baking skills. If you need help designing and remodeling your next kitchen please contact us.