When having a home built or a kitchen remodelled, you want to ensure you're considering all the features that are available for kitchens today. These features can make a kitchen more functional or inviting and ensure you have adequate storage for all your needs. Note what is meant by that and what kitchen designs you might discuss with your builder or contractor.
Multi-purpose island
Many kitchens have an island that offers storage along with a surface space for food prep and eating. While this can make any island useful in a kitchen, note some additional features you might include in a multi-purpose island. This can include a second sink for easier food prep when the kitchen's main sink is full of dishes or a built-in coffee bar with an espresso machine, standard coffeepot and storage for coffee flavourings. An island might also have a cooler in the bottom for wine or soda and wiring for Wi-Fi access so you can plug in your tablet and get online recipes or let the kids do their homework on the island while dinner is being prepared.
Pet feeding area
If you have pets in the family, you know how unsightly their food and water dishes can be, and how difficult it is to find room in the cupboards for over-sized bags of dry food! So, when having a new kitchen designed for your home, include a pet feeding area. This might mean a separate cupboard for pet food in particular, with a large open space at the bottom for big bags of food and shelves for smaller tins of food.
The area that holds pet dishes can also have a nonslip mat with a lip or edge so these bowls don't move around during feeding time and mess is more easily contained. For larger dogs that find it difficult to reach bowls on the floor, this feeding area can include a shelf or elevated ledge to hold their food bowl, making mealtime more comfortable for them.
Phone station
Many families today are insisting that phones be left off or kept elsewhere during mealtimes so that no one's attention is on their phone while the family is present. Adding a phone charging or holding station in the kitchen can make this easier on everyone, and this accomplishes two purposes; not only can you ensure that devices don't wind up at the dinner table, but phones and tables can also be charged while everyone is eating!
