It’s All in the Details – Details that Make a Kitchen Beautiful

The Kitchen Master

Sometimes beauty is apparent. In other cases, however, the beauty derives from the way a kitchen works. There’s beauty in the way it can perfectly serve a family’s needs for comfort and for meal preparation. Most kitchens are gathering places and hold a special place in individual hearts as the “heart of the home.”
Memories of good times and family togetherness often are born in the kitchen.

Make It Personal

Whether your kitchen is large or small, designed for a single cook or an army of helpers, traditional or high tech, make sure it fits you to a tee. Never install anything in your kitchen that you don’t love — whether it’s a major appliance or a cabinet pull. Conversely, make room for Grandma’s bread box or a soda fountain ice cream milk shake maker, prominently display a collection of wooden spoons or funky salt and pepper shakers just because they make you smile, or paint a pantry door with chalkboard paint to give your grocery list center stage status.

Unless your kitchen makes you smile when you’re in it, it’s missing the mark, in terms of both function and style.

Dual Goals: Health and Happiness

There are only a few necessities in every kitchen. A cooktop and an oven are basic, but the number and configuration vary widely. A sink for washing vegetables as well as dishes and pots. Refrigerator/freezer space, because this is the modern age, after all. Preparation and clean up areas, and storage space for food, utensils and cooking gear. Proper lighting.

Most of the rest of the kitchen landscape is optional.

How you configure your space is up to you. Tailor your kitchen plan to your needs, and pay attention to the details. What constitutes those details? They will differ from one kitchen to another, but here’s a partial list:

Molding

Crown, baseboard and cabinet trim define the style of your kitchen. Don’t neglect these details and use them to call attention to specific features or as kitchen “jewelry.”