How To Expand Your Kitchen:
Creating Space And Making Your Favorite Room Bigger
We call the kitchen everyone’s favorite room partly because it is used for so many things, and partly because a favorite room is one in which the family spends a lot of time together. Just think about everything you do in your kitchen, from storing groceries to making meals for loved ones. And if you, like so many Alberta families over the past year and a half, are stuck at home more these days, you’re likely even using the kitchen as a home office and homework center for the kids. Yes indeed, kitchens are more important now than they have ever been.
No wonder yours might feel small, cramped, even. No wonder you’ve begun wishing for more space and a way to increase and expand the square footage of everyone’s favorite room. We understand completely!
Unless you were in on the design and build of your home, there are probably lots of things about the kitchen you’d love to change. One of those things is no doubt its size. Waving a magic wand won’t expand your kitchen but these ideas, some simple and some requiring the expertise of a professional renovator, will make your kitchen look, feel and actually be bigger!
If you don’t use it, donate it or toss it. Did someone gift you a ricer that takes up counter space and gathers dust? Time to get rid of it, either to a worthy charity or to the dump. You can make much better use of that counter top, trust us! The same goes for all the kitchen gadgets gathering dust on shelves or hanging on hooks somewhere.
Think tall, not wide. Storage shelves should go up, not out! Consider the space beside your fridge – it’s the perfect spot for a narrow, tall slide out cupboard in which you can store condiments and other necessities. Call Kay2 Contracting or ask a renovator you know and trust to give you the skinny on skinny storage units! (We had to make that joke – sorry!)
A table that folds up and away. This isn’t practical for large families, of course, but if the kids have grown and gone, why not create floor space by having a table that folds and attaches to the kitchen wall? They are built on the same principle as Murphy beds – remember those? If enlarging the kitchen is your goal, getting things like the table out of the way is a priority, and creative solutions are all around. A cabinet maker or professional renovator will give you lots of suggestions on this score.
Get rid of the island. Sounds radical, we know. But there is no faster way to create instant space for foot traffic than dispensing with the island that sits squarely in the middle of the kitchen. Where do you prepare, chop and mince the veggies for your nightly salad, you ask? One way is by using your counters more. Another is by using a chopping board that fits snugly over the sink. Islands are wonderful, but if the dining room table is sitting unused, seize it for family meals and homework. Right away you’ll feel like the kitchen has doubled in size.
Because families are home together so much more right now, finding creative ways to increase the space of the kitchen is practically a necessity! These solutions are just a few ways to do that – your home renovator will have lots of other ideas. You can even build out, adding square footage by removing a wall and putting an addition on to the kitchen. But that’s an entirely different subject, that we’ll discuss in other posts!
For all your kitchen renovation needs contact Kay2 today for your free no-obligation consultation.
