A busy family kitchen is the beating heart of your family home. But it’s also a room that is put under a lot of pressure from mess, wear and tear and competing family priorities. Here are some great kitchen design ideas and tips to help you to get the most out of your family kitchen, some of these tips are suitable for DIY novices, others need a bit more specialist attention!
Optimise your kitchen’s golden design triangle
Before you start thinking about the ins and outs of your new kitchen design, it’s a good idea to keep in mind the golden triangle of kitchen design. A handy design concept, the principle of the golden triangle is that all the basic functional elements of your kitchen are in a triangular line for easy access and usability. The triangle ensures that you can get around your kitchen space in the best possible way, minimising wasted space and knocking into things as you go.
Don’t worry too much about going round with a tape measure and sketching out invisible triangles around your kitchen, but keep these principles in mind when re-designing:
- What areas do you use the most? How do these spaces overlap?
- Is your kitchen functional? Could you improve things by moving things around or swapping storage space around?
- What’s your current usability score? Are you banging yourself on corners or walking into things on a regular basis? Do you need to put more things way or make some essentials more available?
Switch to an acrylic splashback for an easy splash of colour in your kitchen
One super simple way to refresh your whole kitchen in one go is updating the splashback as kitchen splashbacks age quickly and tend to look tired and grubby really easily. Why not switch to a stylish acrylic kitchen splashback for a durable and child-friendly kitchen. It doesn’t matter if you want an all-white kitchen design or something more colorful – these backsplashes will come in every color and style you can imagine!
Benefits of an acrylic splashback for your family kitchen:
- Extremely durable as a kitchen material
- Easy to clean, so you won’t have to use heavy duty chemicals to get rid of dirt and grease
- No ugly grouting to get mouldy and dirty
- Acrylic plastic comes in a whole range of cool colours: aubergine, tomato, lime, duck egg blue- the sky’s the limit!
We love this gorgeous red acrylic kitchen splashback from SimplyPlastics that perfectly complements the kitchen’s sleek grey cupboards. A contemporary, yet classic look.
This cute lime green kitchen splashback adds a fun splash of colour and would be great for style-conscious homeowners.
Rejig your storage solutions
Don’t underestimate the power of kitchen zen. Often a kitchen isn’t quite working due to a lack of storage space: you might find that by just optimising your kitchen storage you will have a completely renewed sense of space. Here are some practical kitchen storage solutions to incorporate into your design:
- Corner storage: a rotating storage unit embedded in a corner cupboard is one of our favourite space-saving kitchen storage solutions. Once you go corner, you never go back.
- Shelving units: shelves are in demand in family kitchens. The great thing about shelves is that you can either display your kitchen items by stacking them up, or use storage boxes to hide your messy kitchen sins! Try surprising shelving materials: repurposing industrial shelving units is great for an industrial kitchen look. Remember to stack shelves safely and keep chemicals high up, away from curious kiddies.
If storage is really issue, it might also be an idea to rethink whether you really need all your kitchen appliances, crockery and cutlery. Often over the years we unconsciously collect unnecessary items into our kitchen cupboards. Don’t hold on to a smoothie maker if you haven’t touched it since you bought it: pass it on. You might even make some money from your kitchen clear out…
Update your colour scheme
One of the easiest ways to update your kitchen design (and hide any kitchen sins) is to repaint your kitchen wall or units: go for both at once for a complete overhaul. Here’s some things to consider:
- Use waterproof paint in the kitchen to protect surfaces from inevitable contact with water and steam. You really don’t want surfaces in a family kitchen that you are unable to wipe down!
- When selecting a colour scheme, think about practicality, complementary colours and the longevity of the theme you have selected. It’s better to favour classic, clean designs and colours, especially if you will be upgrading to a larger family home soon.
- If you are painting wooden kitchen units, sand them down first to ensure an even coat.
Refresh your lighting
Lighting is such an important factor for a good kitchen so don’t skimp on this step. The best lighting you can get is LED lighting: good for the environment and long-lasting. You want to have a lot of light so consider installing some kitchen downlights and spotlights as well as traditional ceiling lamps. Your choice of colour will also have an impact on light, so if you have a kitchen that struggles with natural light, paint its walls a lighter shade.
What makes a great family kitchen? Share your kitchen stories with us below!
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