Your kitchen is probably one of the busiest and most important rooms in your house, especially if you cook a lot of meals from scratch. There are a few reasons to refurbish your kitchen, including wear and tear, wanting to change the style, and wanting to update the appliances or repair something wrong with the kitchen.
Some refurbishments involve minor changes that add up to quickly update your kitchen, while other refurbishments might involve a complete rip-out or even a change of layout where you have to move plumbing and electrical outlets. In the latter case, you should get a contractor to make sure the work is done correctly.
But how can you add some luxury to your kitchen? Here are a few extras to add to make sure that your kitchen is elevated to another level.
Photo by Lotus Design N Print on Unsplash
Stone Countertops
If you’re making major changes to your kitchen or getting it completely redone, it’s worth considering real stone worktops. Marble and Granite counters are probably the most well-known stone choices for this. These types of rock are beautiful and very tough, meaning that they will last you years.
Granite and marble aren’t the only choices, of course. Quartz is another popular choice, as it can come in a number of different colors and is very easy to look after. Soapstone is another option for a more rustic look, and onyx is probably the most luxurious choice for a bold and unique look. Make sure to look at the pros and cons of each type of stone and pick something you like.
Stone countertops are generally more expensive than other options, but they are also an investment. Proper stone will stick around for decades, especially if you give it a bit of TLC when it needs it.
Luxury Lighting
Every kitchen will have some kind of lighting. You probably have ceiling or wall lights to make the room brighter and safer to work in. While a relaxing dim light is nice for some rooms, kitchens need to be well-lit so you can work easily and safely.
However, you can add extra lights for a very different feel and some added features in your kitchen. If you have floating cupboards, then under-cupboard lighting can be incredibly helpful and attractive. They get rid of any shadows that might be on the countertop you’re working on, and they make the kitchen come alive.
Undercounter and other types of lighting can be especially effective in a clean, modern kitchen design. As well as adding more sources of light, they also add some character and can make your kitchen look and feel like something out of a sci-fi film.
Kitchen Island
A kitchen island is a great way to get more counterspace in your kitchen and, if you have a lot of empty floor space, it can put that space to better use. There are a few different types of kitchen islands that you can work with.
Some kitchen islands can act as an extra countertop and a breakfast bar. You can slide stools under the counter so you can eat breakfast, snacks, or just sit in the kitchen and chat to whoever is cooking.
Other kitchen islands might include appliances or other features like a sink, a stovetop, or a dishwasher. This might involve some electrical and plumbing work, but it’s worth it for the extra space and utility. It also allows you to cook near your prep area, which can make preparing food much easier.
Finally, kitchen islands are a great way to add some extra storage space. You can add cupboards or shelves underneath the worktop.
Wine Fridge
Every kitchen has a fridge and a freezer as well as cupboards for food and other things. But if you enjoy entertaining, there’s nothing better than a properly equipped wine fridge. A wine fridge is designed to do exactly what you expect, which is to keep bottles of wine nice and cool for whenever you want them.
If you have a lot of people over and wine is on offer, it can be hard to balance fridge space between the food you’re serving and the wine that you want to keep cool. A wine fridge makes it so much easier to drink some nice cool white wine or rose when you want it, rather than having to risk the freezer or trying to cool it down another way.
This is the ultimate luxury feature because, while it’s not strictly necessary, it does make your life easier, more convenient, and much more enjoyable.
Storage Solutions
So far, we’ve touched on a few ways to store different things. We might want to keep wine and other bottled drinks that need to be served cold in a wine fridge, and we can use kitchen cupboards for things like food, plates, cups, pans, cutlery, and everything else.
One of the things that can make a kitchen look less neat and more cluttered is stuff everywhere, including small appliances. Unfortunately, your kitchen might not have endless storage.
There are a few ways you can add more, however. A walk-in pantry, for example, is a great place to keep your pantry food goods that don’t need refrigeration. This is also ideal for storing some things in bulk, as while they’re less handy, they’re also not in the way. The fact that you can walk in makes it much easier to find and store things, so you can also keep your storage areas clean and organized.
When it comes to your appliances, think about what you use all the time and what doesn’t need to be on show. Built-in appliances look neater, but they’re harder to replace, so either look for options that allow you to move the appliances, or think of other options.
If possible, keep things you don’t use off the countertops. This looks neater and it makes you easier to prepare food because you don’t have to work on a cluttered worktop.
