It is said that the kitchen is the heart of the home, so it is important to think about how you will use on a daily basis. How young is your family? Do your children bring home school projects? Are there any baking or cooking activities that you enjoy with your kids or other family members? Do you find that you like to have your children do their homework in the kitchen with you? Every family operates differently and, therefore, the way they use their kitchen is also different.
Wondering how to make your kitchen more family friendly? Here are five ways that can help:
1. Dedicated Workspace – A great way to keep the kids nearby is having a dedicated workspace for the kids to do their homework. As seen in the image above, these homeowners asked to have a workstation created to have their daughter complete her homework nearby while they prepared dinner. This workspace also serves as a great hub of the home, where calendars, keys, chore lists, and other shared objects are located in a central location.
2. Combining Spaces – The kitchen above swapped our their dining table and a small island for a large island/table combo. We love this new addition because it brings both the kitchen and dining area into one central area. Plus, the pop of color is so fun! Just think, in this kitchen, the kids could be gathered around on a Saturday morning, waiting for their fresh pancake to come off the pan and onto their plate. Yum!
3. More Counter Space – We love that the homeowners of this recently completed project decided to level their kitchen peninsula and apply a new solid quartz surface. Allowing the countertop to be just one flat surface greatly opens up its versatility. This kitchen, in particular, has made it easier for family and friends to gather, have a place to talk about the day. or even tasks such as roll out dough to make cookies. It is also a great place to do homework or complete messy projects where a sink and garbage can are handy nearby. Those old kitchen counters with the tile surface made it so hard to write a full sentence without having to slide the paper over and avoid writing on the grout.
4. Easy to Clean Surfaces – Not only are flat surfaces easy to write on but they are easy to clean. Quartz countertops are engineered stone and require little maintenance. This hardy material is not porous, so you don’t have to worry about staining your countertop and it’s an easy clean-up if the kids spill their grape juice.
5. Avoiding High Maintenance Materials – Although copper sinks and marble countertops are stunning, these materials, along with other kitchen elements that require more care, are not the best to have in the kitchen with a young family. As mentioned earlier, quartz countertops, along with granite, are very sturdy and easy to clean. Sinks, such as the Blanco Silgranit sink, are extremely hardy and are colored throughout if you were to experience a chip.
In summary, durable materials that are easy to clean are a win-win in our book to keep the headaches of trying to maintain a clean kitchen at bay. Swapping out the old tile countertops are not only easier to clean but they provide a nice workspace to keep the children nearby so they can complete homework or help you make a batch of muffins. Finally, expanding the kitchen space to allow for a workstation, combining the dining room with the kitchen or adding some other functionality to the kitchen to bring family members into space is something to consider if you want to create a family-friendly kitchen.
If you’re looking to update your kitchen or would like a custom layout to address your family’s kitchen needs, chat with one of our team members about your project. Give us a call at (888) 995-7996 or click here to schedule your free phone consultation.
