Architects, homeowners, and apartment dwellers are in agreement that the kitchen is the most important room in just about any home. While apartment kitchens vary in shape and size, they do tend to be a bit on the smaller side. If you are looking to make your kitchen feel spacious and use it as if it were, you have come to the right place. Separated by category, here are some helpful tips that can make your kitchen feel so warm and functional you will rarely even think about its size.
Décor
From rifling through the newspaper over a morning cup of Joe to preparing dinner after returning home from work to grabbing a midnight glass of ice water, the average American spends between three and six hours each day in his or her kitchen, more than she spends in the bathroom and living room combined. When selecting a color scheme or design theme for your kitchen, it is essential that you not settle for anything less than what makes you feel comfortable. Low-contrast color schemes, which have fewer focal points, are great for making a space feel larger than it really is.
Lighting
The lighting in your kitchen has a major impact on the room’s atmosphere. It also impacts the room’s functionality. It is easier to chop veggies, check on what’s cooking in the oven, and decide when a dish you are preparing for a dinner party looks presentable. It will also help keep you alert and comfortable as you wash the dishes and clean the countertops after your guests leave. To improve the dishwashing experience even further, invest in a memory foam kitchen mat to stand on while you clean. You will feel as if you are being rewarded for the hard work you put into preparing that meal and cleaning up afterward. A well-lit kitchen is typically equipped with several lights, spread about so that every part of the kitchen can be illuminated if desired. Dimmers are also popular in kitchen, as they enable a space to be brightly lit for food preparation and less heavily illuminated if a calmer mood is desired.
Appliances
Appliances are to a kitchen what eggplant is to eggplant parmesan. They are essential to just about any sort of food preparation and cooking you do in your kitchen, and they will also play into your kitchen’s design. Stainless steel appliances, now considered a kitchen staple for many upscale apartment tenants, work well with a wide range of design themes. If your kitchen is small and you are trying to conserve space, consider purchasing mini-appliances to help you complete kitchen tasks not already accounted for by the appliances that were in your apartment when you moved in.
Organization
Efficient design and utilization of small-space kitchens can make their lack of size a non-issue. Deep drawers, adjustable cabinet shelves, Lazy Susan corner cabinets, and stackable dishware and storage containers can help you to use your kitchen space efficiently. If your apartment kitchen does not have a designated food preparation area, consider using your dining room table to carry out your pre-cooking tasks. You can even purchase an aesthetically appealing microwave cart to give your household some extra kitchen storage space.
Entertaining
High quality lighting, a fresh design, and proof of organization will make your kitchen suitable for entertaining, no matter how small it is. A corner galley kitchen may only have room for three or people to stand in at once, but people will feel comfortable freely moving to and from your kitchen if it is well-oriented. You should also make sure that your kitchen is one that you feel comfortable in, so that you use it. That is, after all, what it’s there for.
With a range of kitchen sizes, designs, and layouts on offer, you may be able to find an AMLI Residential apartment kitchen that screams “dream kitchen” as soon as you see it. Otherwise, a little bit of organizational work and smart consumerism can go a long way in transforming the feel of your kitchen. Just follow the advice put forth in this article, and you will soon find yourself loving life from the comfort of your AMLI apartment kitchen.
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