KITCHEN DESIGN: Blending Form & Functionality

The pandemic and the economy have both played a major role in how people have navigated their living situation in the past few
years. Many factors have led to homeowners choosing to stay in their homes and invest in upgrades, additions and remodels that bring new style and added functionality to their spaces. Designers at the Indiana Design Center are experts at working with clients looking to remodel and refresh their homes, with kitchens being one of the most popular rooms to update. ey agree that there are important things to consider when planning a kitchen renovation.

In a kitchen, lighting design is crucial. Not only can a designer help select attractive pendants to make the space look great, but they also recommend a variety of types of lighting that can serve different purposes and transform the space. Task lighting above your prep counters, where you do all of your chopping and measuring, should be bright enough to see clearly as you work, and additional lighting under cabinets and even along toe kicks can create extra pathway lighting. Says Adam Gibson, of Adam Gibson Design, “A good designer will assure you have more than adequate lighting, and they can all be dimmed down to almost nothing.” Dimmers also make the feel of the room endlessly customizable to the purpose, whether you are prepping a meal or entertaining friends.

A design professional also considers the ways in which a family uses the space when creating a design. Not only how they cook and entertain, but how big do the appliances need to be, and where should they be placed for maximum utility and ease of use? Amy Kreutz, of Conceptual Kitchens, notes, “So many tend to think that bigger is better and want to allocate too much space towards a refrigerator, for instance. Cubic footage is used as a tool to look at what is expected, but it is important that we design to what is needed in each and every kitchen.” Putting smaller appliances in safer, easy to access locations is also something to consider. A microwave set under a counter is much easier for a child or grandparent to access instead of reaching for hot food high above a range.

Working with a design professional at the IDC can help you maximize the space you currently have, creating the kitchen that
performs best for your household.